wow...............a really long thread huh? can I ask something real quick? Say, for some honda cars, such as accord, the max torque and HP you achieve is about 4500 RPM and after. Would it be slower if you decide to shift it at 6000+ since it would cause a huge RPM drop between gears?

I thought shifting near readline on auto tranny would help at first, but some how, After many tries, I found out that it actually make my car slower than when i shift at 5000-5500 RPM. I've tried it many time, on my hybrid and my gf 94 stock. The engine just ROAR louder at 6000 RPM and the car is slower as if its speed is dropping. When I shifted at about 5000 RPM, it doesn't roar at all and felt like the car just get boosted????