Just picked up my 03 Lancer today and I am trying to figure out where the good shift points are and what a good gear is for different speeds. I was cruising down the freeway today at 65 in 4th gear, is that right? Or should I have been in 5th? When I am slowing down and coming to a stop I am using 2nd gear to compression brake. Is that right?

 

5th is ideal for freeway cruising just because it'll save you gas. You'll have to downshift every know and then but that's cake. Look up other threads about the topic. You're not the first.

 

5th gear is overdrive, which by definition means that the output is greater than the input. that means that the driveshaft can turn faster than the engine. this is not good for acceleration, but is good when driving at a steady speed (say 45+mph) to save on gas. look in your drivers manual for proper shifting points.

 

Yo, cup, where you been brutha?

Anyway, with a few minor breathing mods, I've noticed a pretty decent kick in 5th gear recently, in the upper RPMs. Of course, that could have been my imagination. I was driving home the night that I got my interior done, and the paint fumes were pretty rank.