Posting here hoping for a physics-based reply. Not 1 with so many physics equations. I've just disliked opinions that've probably contradicted reality.

I viewed a vid re power versus torque in vehicles. My understanding is that power is torque multiplied by angular velocity. Given an amount of power, a high-torque vehicle doesn't have a very high top velocity. A high-velocity vehicle won't tow a very massive load.

I related it to my little knowledge re stick shift. Gear 1 is used to move a stopped vehicle or for low speeds. Does gear 1 mean max torque and lowest angular velocity? I think you need a high torque to overcome static friction. Does gear 2 mean a dip in torque and a rise in angular velocity? Does the max gear mean lowest torque and max angular velocity? When I was young, a driver said one can carefully switch from gear 1 ➡️ 2 then 2 ➡️ 3 then 3 ➡️ 4 (and so on) on a wide road with very few surrounding vehicles. He said it'd up the velocity and a high gear generally meant more fuel-efficient.

Please correct me if any of the above is wrong.

I googled. Here's what I read –

"Revolutions per minute" is how many revolutions the engine itself is making per minute. The gear ratios then translate revolutions of the engine into revolutions of your tires (more or less). Lower gear means lower tire revolutions per engine revolution, but also the tires are easier to turn.

So when the car is going slower, meaning it requires more force to accelerate, you want lower gears. As the car speeds up, you need less force to go faster or maintain that speed, so you switch to a higher gear, sacrificing power for more efficient use of your engine.

I didn't ask an llm to avoid hallucinations.