What’s 6th gear for???

[Gfcronus]

I have a brand new 2021 JLUR with manual transmission. At 70 mph, which is about my peak for safety in a Rubicon, in 5th gear the RPMs are under 2,400. What’s the point of 6th gear?

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[Ridgway Jeeper]

I can't figure out why people struggle so much with the manual, ours is great. Drove it 100+ miles to Junction the other day, set the cruise at 70 in sixth gear, top in Safari mode, went right down the road. Plenty of power even at 6000 feet elevation, up and down the hills fine. The next day into the mountains, wheeled it for hours in third gear low range, again worked like a charm.

Do you not want it to be below 2400 rpm on the highway? The reason for 6th is to use less fuel....

 

[jhackathorne]

Is there a reason for not going over 70? I’m perfectly fine going 85+ lifted 2” with 35’s. Feels as planted as my wife’s Volvo.

 

[AlgUSF]

I have a brand new 2021 JLUR with manual transmission. At 70 mph, which is about my peak for safety in a Rubicon, in 5th gear the RPMs are under 2,400. What’s the point of 6th gear?

I have a sport, but I use 6th gear when I'm cruising on the highway. As long as I keep the RPMs above 1,500 I'm fine and just shift down when I need to pass. I think 2400 is a bit higher than I'd want to rev for cruising.

 

[AlgUSF]

Is there a reason for not going over 70? I’m perfectly fine going 85+ lifted 2” with 35’s. Feels as planted as my wife’s Volvo.

I go to rural Michigan all the time, and it is a different world up there. If you do 75mph on I-75 (north of Saginaw) you'll never get passed. The speed limit on I-75 in northern Michigan is 80mph and I was the only person doing 80. Beautiful country up there and lots of deer and moose.

 

[Trainman]

For me the manual trans is pretty much a "FEEL" transmission, that is your mind is telling you what gear you need to be in and when to shift to keep it in the "sweet spot". IE, the motor will tell you what gear you need to be in for smooth operation of the vehicle. I do feel 2400 rpm is on the high side for highway driving, where 1500 rpm could be a little low, but without driving the vehicle under different road conditions and feeling the engine under load I wouldn't know.

trainman

 

[Dale's Jeep]

I go to rural Michigan all the time, and it is a different world up there. If you do 75mph on I-75 (north of Saginaw) you'll never get passed. The speed limit on I-75 in northern Michigan is 80mph and I was the only person doing 80. Beautiful country up there and lots of deer and moose.

I must be driving the wrong I-75 i run 78 going to saginaw and people pass me like im standing still. And i believe the max speed limit is 75 not 80.

 

[KrzybonesJLU]

Sweet spot I’m pretty sure for both auto and manual is 2k and below. 2400 my opinion is pretty high.

 

[OldGuyNewJeep]

What’s the point of 6th gear?

For people who want to regear. I’m still stock and if I’m speeding I might use it, but mostly I don’t. I’m very glad it’s there for when/if I decide to regear, though.

 

[grimmjeeper]

If you think 6th gear is useless in a JL, try driving a JK with 3.21 gears.

A Rubicon with 4.10 gears and stock tires is a much better setup than the 3.45s or even 3.73s.

The Pentastar works best in the mid 2k range. Below 2,000 RPM is way too low to run effifcently.

 

[LSUMaze]

Yup - 75 is the speed limit past Bay City (162), and like Dale I set my ACC to 78 when heading up north, and cars would pass me like am driving 50 mph...

 

[GtX]

I use 6th to get to 7th.

 

[AlgUSF]

Yup - 75 is the speed limit past Bay City (162), and like Dale I set my ACC to 78 when heading up north, and cars would pass me like am driving 50 mph...

Ha, I must catch I-75 at an off time. A lot of cars up that way are rust buckets or Super Duties pulling a 5th wheel. Back on-topic though, I think at 75mph in a Rubicon 6th gear would be easily attainable. In Florida, 80 is the new 55 and I find myself in 6th gear often.

 

[zrickety]

I can't figure out why people struggle so much with the manual, ours is great. Drove it 100+ miles to Junction the other day, set the cruise at 70 in sixth gear, top in Safari mode, went right down the road. Plenty of power even at 6000 feet elevation, up and down the hills fine. The next day into the mountains, wheeled it for hours in third gear low range, again worked like a charm.

Do you not want it to be below 2400 rpm on the highway? The reason for 6th is to use less fuel....

I understand the rationale, but in reality the MPG is better in 5th than 6th on the highway. I drove for some time in both gears, 6th is typically working harder, especially on a grade. If I'm going 55 or less, I use 4th. This engine hiccups around 2k, it doesn't want to run slower.

 

[bonniejf]

I’ve wondered the same thing. I just drove 3700 miles from AL to ME and back. I hadn’t driven the Jeep much on the interstate prior to this trip. I used 6th on the way up some but quickly realized gas mileage was better in 5th and it handled the hills better (+2mpg or so according to the dash gauge fwiw). Didn’t shift into 6th at all on the way back.

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