[Tigers] Ford / Mazda 5speed transmission

[Gary]

Al,
 
That makes perfect sense in a truck where you need a granny gear first for
stump pulling or hauling heavy loads.
 
I've heard that some Tiger owners with 5 speeds have 3.07 or 3.31 rearend
gears, since their overdrive is actually too low. Consequently they don't even
use first gear and just start out in second, which means they are back to a 4
speed.
 
In my opinion 5 speeds were created for engines that have a either limited
torque range, like most 4 and 6 cylinder engines, or to optimize fuel economy
to meet government requirements.
 
Gary