I'm sure that cruising at low speeds in a high gear (40mph in 6th) actually uses more fuel, may be wrong
Surely its down to the RPM? so if your doing 1500rpm which is about 40 in 6th your using less fuel than if you were in 2nd gear at 40mph which is a higher RPM?
I may be wrong?
you'l probably notice that say your in 6th @1500rpm to gain speed you'd have to apply more pressure on the accelerator, in turn using more fuel than if you were initially cruising @ 2500rpm (higher speed)
I'm no pro, the logic makes sense to me, would be good if someone with better knowledge could comment
When you are on a road where the traffic is trundling along at the usual, 40, 50 whatever, there's no point staying in third/fourth as that is just wasting fuel. By putting it in sixth you are minimizing fuel use. But when it comes to some acceleration being needed I quite enjoy missing two or three cogs at a time and getting the right one for the road speed and conditions and one of the reasons why I will always prefer a manual over auto.
Now on a spirited drive that is completely different, but I'm talking here in the context of fuel saving raised in this thread.
And I certainly would not try to accelerate from 6th and labour the engine. Being in the right gear at the right time, and all that.... but the 350/370 engine has so much torque it is more forgiving, should you not select the ideal gear, and what goes towards making them such great driver's cars.
But I am really spolit now with the syncro-rev on the 370 that blips the change beautifully (going up or down the box) to match whatever gear you choose - heel and toeing has been forgotten