Which would use less fuel?

[Mike]

i come in from a honda viewpoint... WOT at 2k rpm in 5th is going to be "lugging the engine."

I'm not sure how YOU define lugging an engine, but from what I understand it's a point where the engine is missing, hesitating under load. Even at 1k, full throttle, flat surface, in my wife's Accord for example, it will pull itself up (eventually), and doesn't miss/hesistate. So is that "lugging the engine"? I would not think so. Let's assume the engine we're talking about isn't a 9k RPM big bike engine/built race motor and actually makes decent torque at 2k. A mid-nineties commuter car. Camry. Accord. 240SX? Miata? Something with a basic 4cyl. Assume it doesn't have variable valve timing, and a 6k redline just to simplify things.

*edit* Mike, I just took a look at some dyno plots of S2000s. Many start between 2 and 2.5k, where the torque is around 125ft/lbs, and is near flat from there to 6. So I kind of doubt that 2k for your car is really "lugging it" either? :dunno:

yes, the car is being "lugged" at WOT at 2k rpms in 5th gear. trust me, i drive it every day. the civic, on the other hand, pulls fine from idle in just about any gear. the s2k feels like it's going to fall apart if you're not in the right gear when you floor it.