Originally Posted by tom2112

I'm right there with you on the engine breaking. Even in an automatic, engine breaking is your friend, especially on the Dragon.

As for power shifting up and skipping gears, I'm pretty skeptical. Skipping them on the way down can be very useful, but I haven't found a lot of use for skipping on the way up.

Well, now, wait a sec... driving my Mini, which is a 6 speed, I do notice that I will skip on the up side more often. But definitely not on a five speed. There's too much room between gears for it to be real effective for a five speed. The Mini's gears are very close, so skipping can save you a shift as long as your powerband is wide enough.