the other day on the highway i noticed something wierd about my tranny. when i shift from 4th gear to 5th gear, the tach seems to stay in about the same place and it feel like i stayed in the same gear. Going about 75 i'm at about 3k rpms both in 4th and 5th gear. isnt 3k rpms kinda high for 5th gear at 75 mph?

So what i'm saying is does this mean that there is a problem with my 5th gear because it doesnt seem to make a difference when i shift from 4th to 5th (the engine seems to be working just as hard at the same speed)

 

5th gear is mainly for economy reasons... it isn't really too much different then 4th, but it is a bit taller (not really intended for acceleration.)

at 80mph in 5th gear I'm at 3200RPM or so.

when shifting from 4th to 5th it is only going to drop a few hundred RPM's probably... maybe like 500RPM

 

I assume you have a 5 speed. Depending on what speed you shift at, there wont be much difference in RPMs because the gears have a very close ratio.

5th is overdrive. It will give you better fuel economy.

 

ok thats great, glad to hear that its not a problem with my tranny. thanks guys

 

I dont agree with this. The maxima transmission is one of the few 5 speeds that can handle brisk acceleration (enough to pass another car) in 5th gear at highway speeds.

Opinions will always differ though.

 

i also feel that i still have a little oomph in 5th. not a ton, obviously, but enough where i don't always have to downshift. does anyone have a page on hand of the gear ratios for the 4th gen years? i can probably just google it.

 

Both 4th and 5th gear ratio's are O/D gears.

1st= 3.285
2nd= 1.850
3rd= 1.272
4th= 0.954
5th= 0.795
Reverse= 3.429
Final Drive Ratio= 3.823

Also to figure out X mph at X rpm:

MPH=(engine RPM X Tire Radius) / (Final Gear Ratio X 168)