Manual Transmission Club

[basicGlad]

5th is a 0.8 ratio
6th is a 0.7 ratio

That's literally two overdrive gears
Probably more useful with the 4.1 differential, bigger tires or when towing

I have the 3.73, in 5th gear I still have good fuel mpgs

Honestly. Wind resistance/aerodynamics is a bigger problem than a 0.7 6th gear

Sponsored

 

[88mmm]

might be a deal breaker for me then. why would they do that? Its like they just quickly threw some gear ratio's in there and didnt test anything.
speed limit here is 55, i typically cruise control 60. I just cant imagine the gas mileage hugging 4th gear the whole time. What is the point of "two overdrives" if you cant use them? O_o

I'm not sure what they were thinking. It makes no sense at all. The 2 OD gears are almost the same too. Little difference between 5 and 6. I've gotten used to it but you definitely have to drive it like an old school 5 speed. You can't maintain 65 MPH going up hill in 5th. Luckily the cruise maintains speed when you shift, at least with acc it does.

 

[88mmm]

5th is a 0.8 ratio
6th is a 0.7 ratio

That's literally two overdrive gears
Probably more useful with the 4.1 differential, bigger tires or when towing

I have the 3.73, in 5th gear I still have good fuel mpgs

Honestly. Wind resistance/aerodynamics is a bigger problem than a 0.7 6th gear

I drove the 4.1 and there is no noticeable difference. Increased tire size will make it worse for cruising.

 

[RavensEyeOffroad]

I'm not sure what they were thinking. It makes no sense at all. The 2 OD gears are almost the same too. Little difference between 5 and 6. I've gotten used to it but you definitely have to drive it like an old school 5 speed. You can't maintain 65 MPH going up hill in 5th. Luckily the cruise maintains speed when you shift, at least with acc it does.

I really just wish I could find one around to at least test drive even though im not quite able to buy. At least I could put that to rest. lol

 

[giskard]

I really just wish I could find one around to at least test drive even though im not quite able to buy. At least I could put that to rest. lol

Your profile lists your location as Kentucky - whereabouts are you in KY? The Jeep inventory search is showing 23 manual Gladiators within 150 miles of Bowling Green ...

 

[Up venture]

might be a deal breaker for me then. why would they do that? Its like they just quickly threw some gear ratio's in there and didnt test anything.
speed limit here is 55, i typically cruise control 60. I just cant imagine the gas mileage hugging 4th gear the whole time. What is the point of "two overdrives" if you cant use them? O_o

I cruise 55-60 all the time in 6th gear. We have hills around here and at cruising it maintains but you are not going to pass anyone. I'm not really sure what people are doing or expect out of 5th and 6th but they are overdrive gears and are for cruising the drop the RPMs down around 1600 or so. This is great for milage not so much for power. If you need to accelerate you should down shift... That's kinda the point of a manual. I cruise all the way to Chicago and didn't have any issue on the big highways either. This isn't a sports car it's not going it's a truck it drives and handles as such. I really don't understand why people are having a hard time with 5th and 6th. Unless they have some massive tires and never regeared or account for the rolling mass and power loss. Stock form it's great... Just a learning curve for 1st and 2nd.

 

[jthadius]

Ok, so took delivery of my JT today. Very initial impressions, but I have to say that I don't understand all the whinging about this gearbox. It drives very similarly to my wife's 2006 LJ with the six speed. 1st gear is a bit lower, but it goes to 15 with no issues. Shifts to 2nd are actually easier than they are in the LJ, no issues up or down for that matter. 2nd to 3rd can be done early or late, just depends on how much acceleration you want, if you're in traffic, an early shift is fine and the car doesn't complain or buck. As far as using the two overdrive gears, I've used 5th at 45 with no issues. It's not going to accelerate in 5th with any vigor at that speed, but its fine, very similar to 6th gear in an LJ. And this is in Albuquerque at 5800 feet with a brand new tight engine. It's a Jeep folks, not a Mustang or any other hot rod you may have driven recently. And it accelerates like a Jeep. So if you can't accept that and don't like to shift, get the auto and let it shift for you. I've driven manuals my whole adult life (over 30 years) and I really don't understand all the drama on this forum about the manual. Its a good transmission and it works fine in the Gladiator. Clutch feel is fine, the pedal is a bit light, but it's typical of new manuals out there. I just owned two BMW manuals and they're very similar in feel. No, it's not your grandpa's International and you should be glad it isn't! If you driven a TJ manual and liked it, you'll like this fine as well. Sorry for the rant, just wanted to give my two cents.

 

[jthadius]

I cruise 55-60 all the time in 6th gear. We have hills around here and at cruising it maintains but you are not going to pass anyone. I'm not really sure what people are doing or expect out of 5th and 6th but they are overdrive gears and are for cruising the drop the RPMs down around 1600 or so. This is great for milage not so much for power. If you need to accelerate you should down shift... That's kinda the point of a manual. I cruise all the way to Chicago and didn't have any issue on the big highways either. This isn't a sports car it's not going it's a truck it drives and handles as such. I really don't understand why people are having a hard time with 5th and 6th. Unless they have some massive tires and never regeared or account for the rolling mass and power loss. Stock form it's great... Just a learning curve for 1st and 2nd.

I absolutely concur with this!

 

[RavensEyeOffroad]

Ok, so took delivery of my JT today. Very initial impressions, but I have to say that I don't understand all the whinging about this gearbox. It drives very similarly to my wife's 2006 LJ with the six speed. 1st gear is a bit lower, but it goes to 15 with no issues. Shifts to 2nd are actually easier than they are in the LJ, no issues up or down for that matter. 2nd to 3rd can be done early or late, just depends on how much acceleration you want, if you're in traffic, an early shift is fine and the car doesn't complain or buck. As far as using the two overdrive gears, I've used 5th at 45 with no issues. It's not going to accelerate in 5th with any vigor at that speed, but its fine, very similar to 6th gear in an LJ. And this is in Albuquerque at 5800 feet with a brand new tight engine. It's a Jeep folks, not a Mustang or any other hot rod you may have driven recently. And it accelerates like a Jeep. So if you can't accept that and don't like to shift, get the auto and let it shift for you. I've driven manuals my whole adult life (over 30 years) and I really don't understand all the drama on this forum about the manual. Its a good transmission and it works fine in the Gladiator. Clutch feel is fine, the pedal is a bit light, but it's typical of new manuals out there. I just owned two BMW manuals and they're very similar in feel. No, it's not your grandpa's International and you should be glad it isn't! If you driven a TJ manual and liked it, you'll like this fine as well. Sorry for the rant, just wanted to give my two cents.

I loved my 2003 Rubi 5spd. I can't tell if people are just being dramatic, the auto is just epic or the manual is kinda lame. Kinda why I just want to see a video of someone driving, minimal commentary, you can just see how it drives. Thanks for your post.

 

[RavensEyeOffroad]

I cruise 55-60 all the time in 6th gear. We have hills around here and at cruising it maintains but you are not going to pass anyone. I'm not really sure what people are doing or expect out of 5th and 6th but they are overdrive gears and are for cruising the drop the RPMs down around 1600 or so. This is great for milage not so much for power. If you need to accelerate you should down shift... That's kinda the point of a manual. I cruise all the way to Chicago and didn't have any issue on the big highways either. This isn't a sports car it's not going it's a truck it drives and handles as such. I really don't understand why people are having a hard time with 5th and 6th. Unless they have some massive tires and never regeared or account for the rolling mass and power loss. Stock form it's great... Just a learning curve for 1st and 2nd.

Perfect!

 

[RavensEyeOffroad]

Your profile lists your location as Kentucky - whereabouts are you in KY? The Jeep inventory search is showing 23 manual Gladiators within 150 miles of Bowling Green ...

I'm in NE Kentucky. 41144.
Nearest manual I could find was 56 miles away.

 

[giskard]

I'm in NE Kentucky. 41144.
Nearest manual I could find was 56 miles away.

Ah, I guess I wouldn’t consider that a long ways away. I drove over twice that far to test drive my first Gladiator at the beginning of the summer

 

[chrcal14]

I cruise 55-60 all the time in 6th gear. We have hills around here and at cruising it maintains but you are not going to pass anyone. I'm not really sure what people are doing or expect out of 5th and 6th but they are overdrive gears and are for cruising the drop the RPMs down around 1600 or so. This is great for milage not so much for power. If you need to accelerate you should down shift... That's kinda the point of a manual. I cruise all the way to Chicago and didn't have any issue on the big highways either. This isn't a sports car it's not going it's a truck it drives and handles as such. I really don't understand why people are having a hard time with 5th and 6th. Unless they have some massive tires and never regeared or account for the rolling mass and power loss. Stock form it's great... Just a learning curve for 1st and 2nd.

Pretty much my take on it. I use 5th and 6th, even at lower speeds as long as it's flat or downhill. That's with 37s and no regear. I just want the truck to keep rolling at the lowest RPMs possible. If I need more, I drop gears.

5th and 6th are kind of funny at low speeds though, I shift to 5th and they're so close together I just go ahead and shift to 6th and putter along. At lower speeds you can't really tell the difference.

 

[chrcal14]

Ok, so took delivery of my JT today. Very initial impressions, but I have to say that I don't understand all the whinging about this gearbox. It drives very similarly to my wife's 2006 LJ with the six speed. 1st gear is a bit lower, but it goes to 15 with no issues. Shifts to 2nd are actually easier than they are in the LJ, no issues up or down for that matter. 2nd to 3rd can be done early or late, just depends on how much acceleration you want, if you're in traffic, an early shift is fine and the car doesn't complain or buck. As far as using the two overdrive gears, I've used 5th at 45 with no issues. It's not going to accelerate in 5th with any vigor at that speed, but its fine, very similar to 6th gear in an LJ. And this is in Albuquerque at 5800 feet with a brand new tight engine. It's a Jeep folks, not a Mustang or any other hot rod you may have driven recently. And it accelerates like a Jeep. So if you can't accept that and don't like to shift, get the auto and let it shift for you. I've driven manuals my whole adult life (over 30 years) and I really don't understand all the drama on this forum about the manual. Its a good transmission and it works fine in the Gladiator. Clutch feel is fine, the pedal is a bit light, but it's typical of new manuals out there. I just owned two BMW manuals and they're very similar in feel. No, it's not your grandpa's International and you should be glad it isn't! If you driven a TJ manual and liked it, you'll like this fine as well. Sorry for the rant, just wanted to give my two cents.

Yep. I'm overwhelmingly happy with it... and happy to be back in a manual with a well appointed truck. I've got leather seats, a nice radio, lots of cool gingerbread... and a manual!

 

[Will_H]

might be a deal breaker for me then. why would they do that? Its like they just quickly threw some gear ratio's in there and didnt test anything.
speed limit here is 55, i typically cruise control 60. I just cant imagine the gas mileage hugging 4th gear the whole time. What is the point of "two overdrives" if you cant use them? O_o

I’m in Texas where it’s all flat and 80 MPH stretches aren’t unusual. Did a
Small road trip in the gladiator two weeks ago and had it in 5th with cruise control pretty much the whole time. Worked good. I’m not saying they shouldn’t have put more thought into. But I wouldn’t quite say they’re totally useless. But I’m sure it depends on your speed limit and the hills.

Sponsored