M6 Guys: Gears?

To all you M6 guys with aftermarket gears, did you go with 3.73s or 4.10(11's) and why? My car is on the highway about every other week, and I was considering 4.10s in the spring. Anywho, why did you choose the gears you went with?

I don't have aftermarket gears, but if you're going to be doing a lot of highway driving you definitely don't want 4.10's. I would go with the 3.73's if I were you. I've heard that you don't see much of a difference going from stock 3.42's to 3.73's. You'll have horrible gas mileage on the highway with 4.10's though.

Chose 3.73s because I heard stories of stock cam cars having to shift to 5th in the quarter with 4.10s.

I also didn't want a radical change, so I went with the more subtle set. The 3.73s give a little better kick than the 3.42s, but nothing drastic. Gas mileage, traction, and driveability weren't changed.

Originally posted by Omega9
I don't have aftermarket gears, but if you're going to be doing a lot of highway driving you definitely don't want 4.10's. I would go with the 3.73's if I were you. I've heard that you don't see much of a difference going from stock 3.42's to 3.73's. You'll have horrible gas mileage on the highway with 4.10's though.

I get 27 mpg @ 80mph with my 4.10's. I don't consider that horrible. :confused:

If you trap over 115mph with a stock size tire you will hit the stock 6200 limiter in 4th. Sounds like a good reason to get a cam and raise the rpm limiter. Check http://www.f-body.org/gears/ for what mph at a given rpm.

IMO, just save your $ until you can get rid of the weak 7.5" rear. Why throw cash at something that is a known weak link?

I chose 4.10's cause 3.73's didn't seem like it would be worthwhile, gas mileage is fine if your worried about braking just save your money for a 12 bolt or 9 inch.

I've got the 4.11 gears in the rear and I love them. I think they are the perfect gear for our cars.

Cruising on the interstate at 80 MPH keeps me at 2,100 RPM. Tooling around town, I really don't notice myself shifting any more than I did with the 3.42 gears. I know I'm shifting sooner, but it still feels natural.

Go with the 4.11 gears. You won't be disappointed.

As for my gas milage, there really wasn't a huge difference. And regarding the 1/4 mile ... I still go through the traps in 4th gear at 108 MPH. You won't have to shift into 5th until you're trapping around 115 MPH, at which point you'll probably have a cam installed and a higher rev limit, allowing you to still remain in 4th.

I have 4.10s in my car and I love them. As far as mph in the 1/4 you can always go to a bigger tire and it will bring your gearing down a bit so you wont hit the rev limiter. For example I went to the 28" drag tire and when I spray I am no where near the rev limiter crossing the beams.

I have 4.10s right now and they're awesome, though since I have a 93 my 6th gear ratio is .62 as opposed to .5 for the 94 and up 6 speeds so my motor is a bit higher in the revs (2500rpm at 75mph) however with a 94 and up trans they should be fine on the highway. I'd definetly recommend them over 3.73s unless you're gonna be doing a big power adder in which case you'll have to over rev 4th to to go the 1/4 or sacrifice shifting to 5th and losing some et, my buddy had 3.73s in his car and you could barely notice a difference.

In light of the conversion, i had to switch gears and felt like the 3.73s were the best choice. I can't really see myself getting 4.10s as i have bad enough traction problems in 1st. And going into 2nd rewards me with more spinning. Plus i don't have to shift gears as much through town as the 4.10s would want. Many of my friends that went to 4.10s later switched to 3.73s because of all the shifting and traction problems, so I followed their example.

Then again, if you're a dragstrip bug then the 4.10s may be your best choice once you have the suspension and tires to take advantage of them. IMO, 3.73s are the best "street" gear for the M6. Especially for a daily driver.

With my T56 ('94+ .5) I'm going with 3.73's. I agree with Fast Caddie about the traction thing. Heck, with my regular street tires and 5spd w/ 3.08's I'd spin like mad off the line. And about the gas mileage thing, if you're only on the highway every OTHER week then I don't think it would be too affected.

-Rippin

You could always go with 3.90. You can get 3.90 in a 10bolt or Moser 12bolt, 3.89 in a Moser 9" and 3.91(I think, maybe it's 3.90 here too) in a Strange 12 bolt. I run 3.90 on the street and find that I did not incur more traction problems then I had with 3.42. I actually wish I went with 4.1x and all I do is freeway driving. At this point I'd even consider 4.3x if I had to do it again! With 3.90 you can easily stay in 4th at the track and still keep the RPM low at freeway speeds. I'll also agree that maybe you shouldn't be putting gears in a 10 bolt and if you do 3.73 or 3.90 should be it.

I guess im a odd ball I run 4.56's. When i was on a stock engine with jus bolt ons i got 300 miles to a tank, whatever that comes out to be. They are great for the street since my nearest 8th is 1 hour away and the 1/4 2 hours. never been down the quarter but my 8th times were real good. The 8th times were 8.60's with the bolt one below, I did the heads and cam and saw a dramatic millage drop off but they were like that with 4.10's to. I did switch to 4.10's after the heads and cam didnt like them as good as the 4.56's so i switched back. In my case tho i hardly ever see the highway. I broke my first rear after 115.xxx miles and that was using 4.10's, 4.56's and both the heads/cam package and stock. Well thats my opion.

Zach

I chose 3.73's with my moser. They happen to be a big difference from the stock 3.42's on my car, it just is quicker throughout the power band, no doubt about it. And on the highway, these gears (as well as the 4.11's) make 6th gear more usable, can now go up hills in 6th! Overall, I am very happy with them. :)

4.11 Motives and I am finishing the 1/4 in fourth at 115mph. I like the idea of 3.90 in a Moser though.:)

I love my motive 4.11's. They arent too radical at all, traction isnt that bad, it pulls like a monster in second gear!
Brandon

I just bought my 02 Z28 M6 about 3 weeks ago and I thought it was strange after hearing people talk about how tall 6th gear is that i was turning 1900 rpm @ 70MPH in 6th. I checked the gear charts they have hear and apparently it has 4.10 or 4.11 gears in it. The highway mileage isn't bad. My 97 Z28 A4 turned 2200 rpm in OD @ 70MPH.

I love the gearing cause it just jumps when you get down on it yet the torque curve of the LS1 is wide enough that you don't really need to shift a lot.

Anyways just my thoughts :)

Originally posted by johnny o
You could always go with 3.90.

Who makes a 3.90 for a 10 bolt 7.5"?

I run 3.73s.

-Brent

I run 3.73's and love it on the street. For my LS1, its just the slight amount of gear reduction I was looking for. however, I dunno if I could justify the total cost, if I had a chance to do it again.

I can't imagine 4.10's.. would make each gear too short for my taste, and give even more traction problems on the street, and coming out of turns..

However, if I was more interseted in drag racing, 4.10's (if they survive in a 10 bolt) will be my choice.. and if you plan on trapping higher than 115ish, you'll probably have engine work done and be raising your rev limiter.. Else slap on taller drag tires.. going from 26 to 28" is about a 7% difference, so it would be like going back down to 3.90's with 26" tires.... Then you'll also have the added benifit of more sidewall to help launch..

Originally posted by Rice Eater 316
I just bought my 02 Z28 M6 about 3 weeks ago and I thought it was strange after hearing people talk about how tall 6th gear is that i was turning 1900 rpm @ 70MPH in 6th. I checked the gear charts they have hear and apparently it has 4.10 or 4.11 gears in it. The highway mileage isn't bad. My 97 Z28 A4 turned 2200 rpm in OD @ 70MPH.

I love the gearing cause it just jumps when you get down on it yet the torque curve of the LS1 is wide enough that you don't really need to shift a lot.

Anyways just my thoughts :)
That is my exact situation...except I think I get good to excellent mileage.