6-Speed manual too short?

[drivenbysoul163]

I just got my hands on a used 2022 Kia Soul LX 6MT from a buddy of mine. He mostly used it for city driving, so it's a little different than what I'm used to. The gearing feels a bit on the short side, when I hit 6th gear, I'm cruising at about 55 MPH and bumping along at 2000 RPM. It definitely starts guzzling more gas when I push past 65, which is kind of a bummer. Have any of you tried putting on taller tires or any other fixes to help with that?

 

[Vahler1e]

Taller tires can help a bit with highway RPMs, but it'll also throw off your speedo and possibly affect low speed drivability, some people just swap to slightly taller all seasons, but it's a mild change at best, might be the nature of the gearing on the 6MT.

 

[Stingy13]

Nice score! The short gearing is pretty normal for a manual city car. Some people put on taller tires to lower RPMs at highway speeds and save gas, but it can slow acceleration a bit. Otherwise, sticking to around 55-60 mph helps keep fuel use down since pushing past 65 really ups consumption. Taller tires or just cruising a bit slower are your best bets