Driving a manual car - Can you pass keeping it in 5th with your foot down? Bad for transmission/ mileage?

Question

If you are driving along in 4th or 5th with low RPM, can you put your foot down to pass someone without lowering the gear or will that hurt your car/ mileage? Or is that how manual cars get better mileage? Thank you.

Answer 1

Yes, you can pass without downshifting, some cars might take a while to do it, some cars do it fine.  

Answer 2

You will actually save gas by not downshifting as you will accelerate  slower. It will not hurt you car at all. I do it all the time. Just read the traffic and shift according to traffic conditions.

Answer 3

If you are asking if it is ok to accelarate when your in fourth or fifth gear to pass someone then yes it is ok but the rpms wont be low and if they are you need to have it checked out.

Answer 4

depends on how slow your going and how fast  you want a round down shifting would be smarter but bad for transmisson not really

Answer 5

well if you think about it.... Even Automatics kick down a gear.... it may be possible. Try it on a piece of juck car you don't care about if you are worried