A strange thing about the ratios and the power band, I had to drive across the state yesterday and had to pass people a lot, and it seems that when accelerating from 70mph to 90mph it was quicker to do so in 5th gear rather than 4th gear even though 4th gear puts the engine at higher RPMs. Was I imagining things or is that real and is there a good explanation for that?

 

couldn't say, i pass people in 5th and sometimes in 6th

 

At times, I find my self passing a car at the same time whether 4th, 5th, or 6th (considering the road is level). Definitely going up hill, you want a lower gear when passing.

 

If you're shifting into the 4800-6000 band in 4th then you'll be developing less torque - maybe that's it? Staying in 5th may keep you in the 160+ ft-lb region, which would improve acceleration.

From time to time I pass people in 3rd... can't remember what speed I complete such maneuvers at but they sure are fun.

 

Just to be clear I'm talking about passing on a two lane road, not coasting by adjacent cars on the freeway.

Passing in 6th is obviously slower than either 5th or 4th. 4th seems to tap more power but 5th taps more torque.

On a side note, I was trailing behind a TL-S for a while that was passing rather agressively, almost suicidal a couple times, but then he wussed out when we hit a convoy of slow cars and I had to pass him to.

 

Definitely 3rd for a pass on a 2-lane where you've got oncoming traffic - more torque and power there! Thanks for the "speed at peak revs" in another recent post, now I see why I do pass in third, I'm at 82mph @ 7100.

What you say regarding 4th/5th makes total sense to me - in 4th you are probably in upper reaches of non-VTEC and as a result are developing less torque; however, you're still making more power there due to revs; conversely, in 5th your revs are lower giving less power but the engine is breathing better so you're developing more torque.

 

You're right, I probably just missed reaching VTEC in 4th. It's very close to redline and I'm still just getting comfortable reving that high without going over.