Optimal gear changing, acceleration, revs, braking and other driving behaviors

[springswood]

I stand corrected.
Have to check mine more closely. Of course it's the bigger engine. Would they give the smaller engine higher gears?!

[culzean]

I am confused by this Honda thing, the Civic with its 1.8 140 bhp engine and 6 gears does pretty much the same revs at 70mph in 6th as my wifes mk2 1.4 with 100bhp in 5th.  My first Civic 1.5 had 90 bhp and 5 gears and  tootled along quite happily at 70mph at 2500rpm.  I would expect top gear to be like an overdrive, but the Civic will go up quite steep hills in 6th and I rarely use 5th - quite honestly I think Honda messed up on gearing.

The green ' change up '  light on manual gearboxes comes on when you hit 2000 revs so I would imagine that is the right time to shift the cogs for best economy..... bit of a minefield.

[springswood]

I agree culzean. I think it's what they call a black art - so many variables there is no one correct solution.

[Jocko]

According to the Haynes manual, the manual transmission for the Mk 1 is the same, with the same ratios, irrespective of the engine size. Mine does have the steel wheels with 175/65 14 tyres.
Both 4th and 5th gear are technically "overdrive" gears (ratio less than 1), but I find the car very low geared. I am constantly looking for a higher gear when in fact I am in 5th (Top), and have even slipped out of 5th, thinking I was in 3rd, only to have to slip it back in again. I find 1st extremely low (being almost as low as reverse), with a jump to 2nd. I invariably block change past 4th, both changing up as well as down.