So, I was doing some research over the net and came up with a little. Don't slam me, I don't know as much as I would like to, but I know there's much more to learn, and this is just another question to help me learn on...Is this accurate-The higher the gear(example:3.73/4.10) the faster the take off, the lower the gear(example:2.56 or something to that similarity of ratio) the higher the top end? This popped up in my head a few times and im really wondering if this is correct? Thanks :TU:
Yes the higher the number the better for take off, and the smaller the number for higher speeds. MY wifes car had a 342 in it with 275/60s ran along at 3000rpm @60mph with a 373 gear same tires we were @ 3600rpm @60. Along time ago I had a 256 12 bolt in my old brown GS and with 275 60s on it and at 85mph we were at 2700rpm........ :Brow: I have been around the world back to zero with that one....... :3gears: I even got about 22-24 mpg with that one on the highway if you drive the speed limit (55 back then) felt like the car was idleing!! :TU:
Cool, thanks for the replies! I thought that is how it worked, the lower gear the higher speeds the higher the gear the higher the speeds, but I wasn't quite sure. :TU:
Car Craft did an story years ago where they tested the same car with three or four sets of gears in one day to see what the difference was on the strip. They used a Dart because of the ease of gear changes. If memory serves me correctly there was only .15 ET difference, on a mid 13 second car between 3.23s and 4.56s. Of course it depends on the car and combination, but it my case it proves out, I went from 3.42s to 2.56s and went from 13.60 to 13.64 on consecutive Saturdays at the track. Now it's 1800 RPMs at 55 MPH instead of 2500 RPMs and better economy, but you can't beat the way those gears feel on the street. Dave Berry
Wow! Only a .04 difference! Better keep that a secret or everybody will be looking for 2.56. For my part I'm quite happy with 2.93's. Tire size also makes a slight difference too.
My impressions with my Buick are the same as Dave's.I went from a 3.64 to a 3.08 gear and seemingly the car doesn't know the difference in terms of "feel".With street-type setups including street tires I doubt if there is much variation in acceleration in a lot of cases.I still can't use high stall and the car is sideways no matter what.Typical big block stuff. I certainly like the lower numerical gear.What a difference on the little bit of highway driving I have done since the change.I find you want to take the car out for a drive and look forward to driving it a couple of hundred miles.Nothing worse than a "buzzy" motor. Rod
gears and times Well I don't know ...That seems pretty fishy to me. Were you using slicks for this test and were the cars tires slipping off the line? I went from 12.80 to 12.30 in a tire size change alone on slick height and 2500 stall constant...Nothing else was changed. Went from 29" to 27" tire. 4.10 gears constant. If your tires burn off the line the car will be pretty close to the same time. Most of your ET is made up in the first 60foot. That is why guys are always looking at the 60 ft to see if the tires spun. Like I said not to sure about that data. I would say there would be a pretty big difference. Just my thoughts... Good luck on what ever you choose. Just remember pick the gear that most likely suits your drive needs are. If your cruising alot say with the factory gear. You will actually have a better burn out with a freeway gear because of how much top speed to the tire is produced once they get spinning. The steeper gear will get the power delivered to the ground and catch up with the road quicker. If that even make sense to you. The object to gears is to get the large mass moving as quickly as possible with the least amount of effort. That is why factory cams are so darn torque at low end. They may not run the numbers at the track but they are always fun to drive. You feel the torque that is the fun (under 50 mile per hour.) Low lift on the cams lets the cylinders build more pressure creating more dynamic compression. That is why large cams are so doggie in a stocker motor takes alot of revs to get the timing and air in to the cylinder at higher rpms. After you put the big cam in then you need the big torque converter to make your low end back-up then you try to change the gears and finally you end up with a huge headache and money problem...lol well I am going on a rampage here, sorry. That is what I usually end up fixing around here. Again good luck with the gears. Jim
3.64 to 3.08 Yes I understand what you are saying...Like I said in the other reply. You'll only really notice the differece with slicks and the first 60ft. Alot of people think the tires will spin more...but with Big Block power any gear will crush and burn the tires off the car. I have 3.31 gears in my car now with over drive and I love. I can go anywhere at any speed and be happy. The car still runs low 13.00s and in the cold will hit 12.90's with slicks. Good enough to give any car on the street a run for there money. at any speed. Really do not need to prove anything though muscle car is a muscle car just looking at the car is enough to get the idea right. Never let them know what you really have. lol. Jim
Jim Yeah, if you went to a lower numerically gear with a high horsepower motor it probably would hurt more than mine did. There are many variables in this equasion. Guess I should have stated that my engine is just slightly warmed over. Actually in my case my 60 foots went from 1.89 to 1.91 which is half the difference. Wish I still had that magizine. Dave Berry
launch You know now that I look at what your racing with 455 that car should be launching alot better than what it is. Sure you do not have an ingition problem? What are you using to ignite that fuel? i WOULD THINK THE TORQUE OF THE 455 SHOULD PULL AT LEAST a 1.85 high 1.7 ish. Are the BFs breaking loose? Jim
Jim Think my real problem is that I have a Poston GS116 cam in it. Through trial and error I have discovered my optimum shift point is 4200 RPMs. Guess it could be spinning a little but you sure can't feel it if it is. Had a MSD6 on it for a while but removed it and sold it, according to the time slips it didn't help the ET or the 60s. Dave Berry
Sorry, don't remember the specs, even tried to find them in Postons online catalog but it didn't show it. Dave Berry
