9th gear is pretty much useless. My Cherokee Trail Hawk never gets into 9th unless I manually shift it there. Not enough power to keep it there. 3.2 litre V6. Cruises mostly in 8th. Sometimes in 7th. Still makes decent mileage. I never check the gear ratio, but I think I would be more happier with lower gears and then the tranny would use 9th gear and still be efficient. Kim
