Wow that dohc doesn't care for the low rpms does it.

Idle for me is around 27mph 800-900rpms. I don't spend much time there because the car likes 35mph+ better. I find myself shifting around 1400 rpms most days in everygear but 4th.

lovemysan -

What I read on the saturnfans.com website (or here?) is that I have a "performance" 5th gear ratio (:thumbdown:). From what I understand, you have an "MP2" transmission and I have an "MP3" transmission.

About 6 months ago I replaced my clutch. If I knew then what I know now, I would have tried to see if I could replace the 5th gear with one from an MP2 transmission. From what I have read, you can replace the 5th gear without tearing apart the tranny. The caveat was that my SW2's PCM/ECU might get upset because it assumes an "MP3" 5th gear ratio.

CarloSW2

I don't know how you people do it. My sohc neon isn't happy at anything less than 40mph @ 1500rpm in 5th. I have the tallest gear ratios offered on the neon:
0.72 overdrive 5th gear
3.54 final drive
185/70R13 tires

Is it due for a tuneup? I'd try indexing the plugs, along with a good tuneup.
My saturn is content in any gear down to around 650rpm

Yeah probably but you wouldn't know it from how it runs. I regularly get 40mpg on the highway without even trying and it sees its fair share of 6500rpm shifts. In the end its just a beater and I drive it as such.

how much do you love your tranny?
 

the vx doesn't like going less then 40mph in 5th, it pushes the rpm down close to 1,000, and I've replaced the transmition once already, befor I bought the car I talked to a retired mecanic friend, figuring that he would have worked on older cars most, and less newer crap to cloud his mind, he said that the biggest problem with the civic hatch backs was people who shifted to early, that 5th gear is for crusing at higher speeds, and is not made to take the stress of driving at lower speeds.