I used to clunk my car into 6th gear as soon as possible.....even when driving around town at 45mph I would have it in 6th. If I ever need to accelerate, I would just shift to 3rd or 4th and it would be fine.....then back to 6th on a straight section of road.

After I installed my vac/boost gauge a while back, it really helped see how much of a load I was putting on the motor by dropping it in 6th all the time. I finally figured out that even if I'm running the rpms up around 3000 or so, I get much better mileage by leaving it in 4th or 5th........and only using 6th gear if I'm on the highway running over 65mph or so.

When do you guys use 6th gear?

 

ill thorw it into 6th when i get to about 55, i try to keep the rpms around 2.5k to 3k

 

I do the same as you, 6th gear on the freeway above 65 MPH when it is flat. If I'm in the hills I leave it in 5th until I get up around 70 MPH then I switch to 6th.

 

All the power comes on at 4000 RPM, so I always tend to run the car above 3500. Probably explains why I only get 21 to 22 mpg.

Of course here in SoCal where freeway speed limits are more wishful thinking I do actually cruise in 6th gear quite a bit.

 

5th and 6th are both geared for overdrive ratios so if the RPM is down below 2K there's always a possibility of lugging the engine which can be damaging. As far a mileage is concerned, people always ask what it gets. Having so much fun just motoring in a MINI, I always replay 'I don't care, otherwise I'd be driving an anonymous box with no soul'. There are no hard and fast rules to be followed except don't lug the engine and nanny has a stop-gap if you try to over rev.

 

I seem to get better MPG on mine in 5th especially if there is any level of uphill.

 

i thought max torque is between 3200 and 4600. i tend to get 27-31 around where i am since there are very little stop signs =)

 

I tend to use 6th only when I'm above 70mph and will be there for a while.

 

I like sixth when I know I'll be maintaining a pretty steady speed for a while - usually over 65. If traffic on the freeway isn't running so smoothly though, and I know I'll have to slow down shortly, I'll usually keep it in fifth

 

27-31 mpg in an R53? I've never seen that in my 2006 MCS.

I prefer to have torque when I want/need it rather than having to wait for it to build up. Besides, while max torque may be at around 4200 RPM, it remains pretty steady all the way to 6000.

This is also why we trend to drop a gear when passing.

 

Funny you should ask. I had an 85 S-10 Blazer 5 speed manual, that I bought new. Drove it for 18 years, my work car. Reverse in the Blazer was where 6th gear is in our MINI's. Many times I'll be driving my 2013 fJCW hardtop, and wonder why I'm turning 3,200 RPM at 65 MPH. Yes, it's still in 5th gear. Funny thing though it seems to get better mileage up to about 70 than it would in 6th.

 

My habit has been to go straight from 4th to 6th for easy acceleration up to freeway speeds. Maybe I should run it in 5th gear more.

 

I use 6th once I've finished accelerating and only wish to maintain my current speed.

 

Same here. I get about 28mpg

 

I use 6th anytime I can matain 3200 rpm in steady driving....
Remember...5 and 6 are BOTH overdrive... And the mini is just like any other stick...just drive it...lol.

 

I use 6th when I use the cruise control, otherwise almost never.

 

5th for me around town, when I can get to it. Pretty much 6th only on interstate at 55 or above.

Avg MPH=26-27. Most city driving.

 

I use 6th anytime I'm maintaining/cruising at a constant speed, even at 45mph. My '03S I got on avg, driving mainly back roads, 32-34mpg. My (now) '06 JCW best I've seen is 29.

 

anytime cruising > 50 mph

 

I'm impressed by the number of people on here getting 26+ mpg. The only time I ever get over 23 is on road trips.

 

I do a lot of country driving so I'm getting decent mileage, my buddy's highly modded 03 could get 34 on the highway. Of course the earlier models have better gearing if your looking for mpg.

 

I took my new to me 2005 S out last weekend on a pretty spirited drive for the first time, and over 150 miles averaged 28 mpg, mostly on twisty country roads in the hills, rarely getting above 4th gear. It has a 15% pulley, one-ball mod exhaust and CAI, otherwise stock drive train. On the highway in 6th it gets well over 30 mpg if just rolling along with traffic.

 

on the interstate running around 80mph I'll average 31-33mpg. At 70-74 I'm getting 34-36mpg. Around town 26.5-27.5. I have CAI and Borla Race Exhaust. Next is the 15% pulley, belt and plugs.

 

My new to me stock 04 mcs geets 37 on the highway and 28 in stop and go. I change gear to keep it near or below 3k rpm until I hit the highway.

 

I only hit 6th gear when I am on the freeways. On the city streets, I try to limit it to 5th gear only. I have NO idea why... hehe

When I had the Cooper S dyno'd, I noticed that once the car hit 4k rpms, the ECU (stock map) dumped a lot more fuel into the motor. So when driving for economy, I do NOT go over 4k rpms. That is also another fork in the road that I cross when deciding on 5th or 6th gear.