I always think about this but forget to post it… Do i use as much gas if i floor it in 5th at 2k and slowly let it climb as i would if i was to redline 3rd and then shift to 5th?
only way to tell truthfully would be to look at certain engine parameters during each. you don’t have to redline it, but i would agree you’d get better mileage by using more of other gears first to get to the desired speed. Putting it in a higher gear at slower speeds only lugs the engine and is putting more load on it. a car in 4th gear at 35 mph is doing less work than a car in 5th gear at 35mph (generally speaking), depending on gearing/powerband of course.
A lot of it would have to do with how much load you’re putting on the engine. If you’re very light on the throttle climbing to speed in a higher gear maybe not. Do some data logging and see where you’re at.