Hi,

I am a new owner of a 1997 Del Sol 5 spd. A friend has a 93 auto and while we were driving together we noticed that my 5 spd ran at higher RPMs, at the same highway speed, than their auto, is this normal (5-spd 60MPH @ 2800RPM)? If so, how does a 5spd get better gas mileage?

Thanks

 

Yes this normal due to the fact that the auto has different gearing. The reason a manual trans usually gets better mileage is because you can control the shifting rather then letting the auto do it for you.