On a recent trip to Europe we rented an Opel Mokka 1.4T 6/spd at nearly 90mph (130kph) this little SUV we rented was only turning 2,500 rpm!

Which got me thinking about how I wish my mcs was a little more fuel efficient.

Does anyone know if the euro spec mcs has a lower final drive ratio?

If so where could I get the ring and pinion set from?

Thank you.

 

Wouldn't it be nice to have a 7th gear? Drop the RPM's to 2,500 or so while cruising at 90 MPH? I hate seeing the rev counter so high at freeway speeds...

With a higher (numerically lower) final drive, our Mini's would lose the "grunt" we all love so much!

 

I think you need to readjust your ears. In the 1970s I had a little factory-tuned Fiat (SOHC, 2 valve) that cruised at 5500rpm, red line at 7000. Now that was a bit 'revvy'.

 

I bet you dont remember how the OPEL accelerated while driving. ............... Because it didn't because it couldn't It's hard to have both worlds but I think the minis do a great job. Our 6th gear has a decent overdrive to lower the revs.

Sent from my iPad using NAMotoring

 

Was it a diesel? Because of the low end torque of the small turbo diesels and the low rev limit many of them are geared very high.

 

It wasn't a diesel. It accelerated ok for what it was which is a small SUV. Yeah it didn't take off like a mcs but it was alright.
In traffic you could barely get into 3rd because it would just fall on its face. Once you were around 50kph+ you could use the rest of the gears keeping the rpms low.

 

I personally would love to see taller 5th and 6th gears. I think 1-4 are pretty close to perfect as they are (for my Justa) and would not like to see a taller final drive, because that would make all six gears taller. But in particular a taller 6th, and therefore a slightly taller 5th to keep the rev drop a little more even, would be a welcome boost to fuel economy without sacrificing my own enjoyment. Because, frankly, if I'm thrashing the car it's going to be in the lower gears anyway.

 

I must admit going for 7th now and again on the highway in my S...

 

Been there, done that too, spiney! Not finding 7th, back into 6th I went. The wife looked at me kinda funny. She even LOL'ed at me! Later, on the same trip, I caught her doing the same. We are even now...

 

You would have to downshift into 6th gear going up a mild incline if there were a 7th gear in our Mini's, the high MPG cars (Toyota, Honda etc.) make most of their power/torque at 2200 RPM's in order to maintain a steady 65-80 MPH. I'm amazed that these MCS's get 30+MPG at 75 MPG at 3000 RPMs!

 

Our other car has a very tall top gear, it does 70 at 1700rpm. It doesn't sound happy doing it though, so I usually drop it down a gear to get the revs up to 3k. It uses a lot less gas in the higher gear though, so I'm trying to see if I can get used to the low revs.

 

From my experience the Sport Button helps you maintain a steady speed even on most inclines, I find myself not having to downshift as often and less back and forth adjusting pedal for inclines. The Sport Button also helps out a lot on steep inclines like those in the mountains passes where I like to go, lots of sharp S type turns!