Ok, regardless of horsepower, if you have 2 equal cars, which one would be faster? The car wtih 26" Tires and a 3.50 gears, or a car with 30" tires and 4.10 gears in the rear?

My brother-in-law thinks that the 30"/4.10 combo would be faster because he says the car will be in the power band faster and stay their, using the torque more efficiently.

I say, that the final ratio of gear to tire is so close, I think they will be almost the same.

Someone 'splain it to me!

Thanks!

 

faster like mph or quicker like e.t.

 

Quicker like 1/4 mile ET.

 

4.10 with the right convertor will be faster in the 1/4 it will also be nore consistant with 60's. You may give up "some" 60' with the 4.10s. If you have bigger power you'll be less prone to tire spin with the taller tire because run-out is about everything when it comes to "small tire " racing.

 

If traction is the same for each tire the car will ET about the same. The reason that folks (me included) go to bigger tire/lower gear combo is to gain consistancy thru better traction.

 

See, now there's your problem. Be like me, stay with the low HP set-ups. No worry then about taller tires.

 

Try spraying that 125 shot out of the hole and you'll be looking for big tires too!

 

We shall see in the spring.

 

Anyone else have an opinion???

 

Other than traction-limited, if the final ratio where the rubber meets the road is the same, I don't see how it makes a difference whether you get there by tire height or rear-end gears-

That said, I have always been a fan of low gears on the street- you come aweay from a dead stop, what, 30 or 50 times a day, every intersection or light you leave- how ofter do you drive 100+ mph on the street? The feeling of effortless acceleration is great, and, with overdrive transmissions, the penalty in mileage isn't as great as you would think- consider that when taking off, you get up to speed quicker so you don't hold the gas pedal down as long-

The other thing about tire height is that it can also influence your vehicle height and handling, raising the center of gravity and exacerbating weight transfer, both side-to-side and front to back, and even sidewall height and stiffness. One more variable to plug into the computer. What good is a stiff suspension if your tire is wallowing all over?