About getting max hp on the tach: Somewhere a while back on this forum someone posted a link to a place that had a formula for determining max hp in what gear. It took into account max rpm, max torque, map hp, gear ratios, and etc...I suggest you find that info from that thread if you are really serious about getting the most hp out of each gear. But if i remember correctly, at least on 5gen auto accords, the max hp for gears 1 and 2 (maybe even 3) occured OVER THE REDLINE, which means the most hp you would get IS at redline.

 

1 is the best from a roll, 2nd is horrible starting off and is ok in redline, 3rd is best overall in my opioion, and D4 is best for high speeds.....