Er... I believe 1st and 2nd on the MR are identical ratios, or produce identical speed ranges to the 5-speed -- you'll still be able to hit 62mph in 2nd just like the VII and RS. Mister2zx3 plotted the graphs a while back.

So for autocross, the MR won't be any worse off than the regular VIII and RS. And for road racing, the MR will accelerate a bit better in 4th and 5th.

 

so what would the 6 speed be better for? does it help daily driving or 1/4 times?

 

Won't help in autocross. Won't help in the 1/4.

It'll save you a wee bit more gas on the highway, and you'll have better acceleration past 110mph. Good for road racing with long enough straights to build speed on.

 

The 6 speed is only good for mileage. Also, this is for everyone when it comes to the MR Edition. More likely (hope this will happen), Mitsu. will bring a full MR version to the US in the near future. Just like what happened with Acura. They came out with the GSR and then came out with the Type R. The GSR was a tone down Type R but people wanted a full Type R Acura so they listened. So I hope this will happen with the MR soon or they might badge it as a Evo 9

 

Why won't the 6 speed help in the 1/4? Isn't 3rd a little bit shorter? We may have to wait and see how it compares to the 05 GSR in the quarter to be sure. Seeing how 3rd, 4th, and 5th gears are all improved I really find it hard to believe that the 6 spd is only good for fuel economy.

 

It depends on how much power you're making. It is ideal to cross the finish line near redline. If you had to shift right before the finish line and you cross the line in 5th gear at 5k rpm, then your times probably would have been better w/ slightly taller gears.

 

Ah, thanks for the info. It makes sense. So is there any way we could know at this point if it will help or not?

 

what is the gsr? is that an evo model?

 

GSR is what the normal base Evo (not RS, not MR) is called in Japan.

 

evo trim levels: RS, GSR, MR

GSR = "regular evo"

 

I really only see it helping at around 110mph and beyond, which I believe it means you've shifted into 5th.

Again, I've never seen it having much of an advantage outside of road racing.

 

Well, like some said, 1st and 2nd are identical on the 5 and 6 speed. I also think the 6 will help road racers by more than a small margin. It certainly helps keep the Evo in its power band. The MR was about 2 seconds quicker around Willow Springs (I think that was the track) than the '03 Evo. How much was the 6 spd and how much was the ACD+front helical LSD+Bilsteins can hopefully be solved when they drive an RS on the same track in similar conditions (or at least put the MR head to head vs. the RS). I would assume the 6spd will help before 110 mph (maybe only marginally, but it should help).