Gear selection with my setup..
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 406
Gear selection with my setup..
Need some advice about selecting gears for my setup.
Heres what I have, and what I would be looking for.
I had a 93 auto with stock 3.23 gears. I just had a 224/230 cam, 1.6 rockers, AS&M headers, and a 2800 midwest stall put in. I didn't want to do the gears until I felt what the stall would do with the cam as far as low-end power goes.
I will rarely be taking my car to the drag strip, so quarter mile times are not important to me really. What i am looking for, is the feeling of power, and to be able to floor it anywhere, and not have many dead spots in my auto, if possible
With the cam and stall combo I have, off the line punching it rips up the tires, and pulls hard throughout. The cam seems to REALLY kick in around 3800-4000 rpms, and pulls hard through redline. However, if i punch it in certain spots, it will put me at a rpm where I am not making much power, and it feels pretty dead relative to when i am in the power band.
Will upgrading to 3.73 gears signifigantly help this? What about 4.10's?
This car is not a daily driver, so I can deal with a higher rpms and gas guzzling. I will also be setting up some suspension in the future, and I will want to run drag radials on the street. I am looking for something very fun on the street. If 4.10's will be too much gear, even with suspension and drag radials, let me know. it would be equally pointless to spin all the time.
Any and all suggestions welcome. Maybe i am not looking at this the right way, etc.
Thanks.
Heres what I have, and what I would be looking for.
I had a 93 auto with stock 3.23 gears. I just had a 224/230 cam, 1.6 rockers, AS&M headers, and a 2800 midwest stall put in. I didn't want to do the gears until I felt what the stall would do with the cam as far as low-end power goes.
I will rarely be taking my car to the drag strip, so quarter mile times are not important to me really. What i am looking for, is the feeling of power, and to be able to floor it anywhere, and not have many dead spots in my auto, if possible
With the cam and stall combo I have, off the line punching it rips up the tires, and pulls hard throughout. The cam seems to REALLY kick in around 3800-4000 rpms, and pulls hard through redline. However, if i punch it in certain spots, it will put me at a rpm where I am not making much power, and it feels pretty dead relative to when i am in the power band.
Will upgrading to 3.73 gears signifigantly help this? What about 4.10's?
This car is not a daily driver, so I can deal with a higher rpms and gas guzzling. I will also be setting up some suspension in the future, and I will want to run drag radials on the street. I am looking for something very fun on the street. If 4.10's will be too much gear, even with suspension and drag radials, let me know. it would be equally pointless to spin all the time.
Any and all suggestions welcome. Maybe i am not looking at this the right way, etc.
Thanks.
Registered User
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 5,308
From: Oshawa - Home of the 5th-gen
Re: Gear selection with my setup..
I ran around all last summer with 4.10's in my car, and the only thing I had to adjust to (to get the most out of them) was manually shifting
. I was disappointed at first to find that my car had a lot of dead spots, where I felt there never used to be even with 2.73's
. The thing is, with 2.73's, the tranny will automatically downshift 2 (or even 3) gears at a time when you punch it. With 3.73's (which I had in 2003) or 4.10's, the tranny usually only kicks down 1 gear at a time, and doesn't put you into the power band. SO, once I got used to the speeds that each gear shifted out at, then I knew the speeds I could manually pull back the shifter and HOLY CRAP, does she ever fly then!! 
I've not driven an auto with a stall converter though. I don't know if/how this would affect some of those dead spots?
As far as traction is concerned, I was (surprisingly) getting better traction with the 4.10's than I do with 2.73's ... no joke. I've just recently put back the 2.73's 'cause I'm going to be doing a serious amount of highway driving this summer, and already I can tell that I've actually lost some traction compared to the 4.10's, and I can definitely notice a big lack in acceleration off the line (ya think?!
).
Anyway, if 1/4 mile isn't your main concern, and you want something that's a rocket from light-to-light, 4.10's WILL rule over 3.73's, no question about it
. Except for lower highway mileage, I never really regretted having my 4.10's
. The only concern using 4.10's for 1/4 mile is that if you run too fast (upwards of ~120 mph or more), you'll potentially "run out of gear" (3rd) by the end of the track, unless you either A) have a high rev limiter (at least 6500, if not higher), B) run taller tires ... 27" or 28" as opposed to the stock 26", or C) do both.
. I was disappointed at first to find that my car had a lot of dead spots, where I felt there never used to be even with 2.73's. The thing is, with 2.73's, the tranny will automatically downshift 2 (or even 3) gears at a time when you punch it. With 3.73's (which I had in 2003) or 4.10's, the tranny usually only kicks down 1 gear at a time, and doesn't put you into the power band. SO, once I got used to the speeds that each gear shifted out at, then I knew the speeds I could manually pull back the shifter and HOLY CRAP, does she ever fly then!! I've not driven an auto with a stall converter though
. I don't know if/how this would affect some of those dead spots?As far as traction is concerned, I was (surprisingly) getting better traction with the 4.10's than I do with 2.73's ... no joke. I've just recently put back the 2.73's 'cause I'm going to be doing a serious amount of highway driving this summer, and already I can tell that I've actually lost some traction compared to the 4.10's, and I can definitely notice a big lack in acceleration off the line (ya think?!
).Anyway, if 1/4 mile isn't your main concern, and you want something that's a rocket from light-to-light, 4.10's WILL rule over 3.73's, no question about it
. Except for lower highway mileage, I never really regretted having my 4.10's. The only concern using 4.10's for 1/4 mile is that if you run too fast (upwards of ~120 mph or more), you'll potentially "run out of gear" (3rd) by the end of the track, unless you either A) have a high rev limiter (at least 6500, if not higher), B) run taller tires ... 27" or 28" as opposed to the stock 26", or C) do both.
Last edited by Capn Pete; Apr 7, 2005 at 07:06 AM.
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 406
Re: Gear selection with my setup..
Originally Posted by Capn Pete
I ran around all last summer with 4.10's in my car, and the only thing I had to adjust to (to get the most out of them) was manually shifting. I was disappointed at first to find that my car had a lot of dead spots, where I felt there never used to be even with 2.73's. The thing is, with 2.73's, the tranny will automatically downshift 2 (or even 3) gears at a time when you punch it. With 3.73's (which I had in 2003) or 4.10's, the tranny usually only kicks down 1 gear at a time, and doesn't put you into the power band. SO, once I got used to the speeds that each gear shifted out at, then I knew the speeds I could manually pull back the shifter and HOLY CRAP, does she ever fly then!!
I've not driven an auto with a stall converter though. I don't know if/how this would affect some of those dead spots?
As far as traction is concerned, I was (surprisingly) getting better traction with the 4.10's than I do with 2.73's ... no joke. I've just recently put back the 2.73's 'cause I'm going to be doing a serious amount of highway driving this summer, and already I can tell that I've actually lost some traction compared to the 4.10's, and I can definitely notice a big lack in acceleration off the line (ya think?! ).
Anyway, if 1/4 mile isn't your main concern, and you want something that's a rocket from light-to-light, 4.10's WILL rule over 3.73's, no question about it. Except for lower highway mileage, I never really regretted having my 4.10's. The only concern using 4.10's for 1/4 mile is that if you run too fast (upwards of ~120 mph or more), you'll potentially "run out of gear" (3rd) by the end of the track, unless you either A) have a high rev limiter (at least 6500, if not higher), B) run taller tires ... 27" or 28" as opposed to the stock 26", or C) do both.
. I was disappointed at first to find that my car had a lot of dead spots, where I felt there never used to be even with 2.73's. The thing is, with 2.73's, the tranny will automatically downshift 2 (or even 3) gears at a time when you punch it. With 3.73's (which I had in 2003) or 4.10's, the tranny usually only kicks down 1 gear at a time, and doesn't put you into the power band. SO, once I got used to the speeds that each gear shifted out at, then I knew the speeds I could manually pull back the shifter and HOLY CRAP, does she ever fly then!! I've not driven an auto with a stall converter though
. I don't know if/how this would affect some of those dead spots?As far as traction is concerned, I was (surprisingly) getting better traction with the 4.10's than I do with 2.73's ... no joke. I've just recently put back the 2.73's 'cause I'm going to be doing a serious amount of highway driving this summer, and already I can tell that I've actually lost some traction compared to the 4.10's, and I can definitely notice a big lack in acceleration off the line (ya think?!
).Anyway, if 1/4 mile isn't your main concern, and you want something that's a rocket from light-to-light, 4.10's WILL rule over 3.73's, no question about it
. Except for lower highway mileage, I never really regretted having my 4.10's. The only concern using 4.10's for 1/4 mile is that if you run too fast (upwards of ~120 mph or more), you'll potentially "run out of gear" (3rd) by the end of the track, unless you either A) have a high rev limiter (at least 6500, if not higher), B) run taller tires ... 27" or 28" as opposed to the stock 26", or C) do both.Strange that you would lose traction with 2.73's compared to 4.10's...
A rocket from light to light IS exactly what I am looking for. 1/4, ehh..not concerned with.
I am leaning towards the 4.10's
Registered User
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 5,308
From: Oshawa - Home of the 5th-gen
Re: Gear selection with my setup..
I'd love to have had a stall converter with the 4.10's ..... I'm sure I'd be wearing a neck brace by now!!!
Seriously, don't stop at 3.73's if you want all out acceleration off the line. As long as you have sticky enough tires that'll hook, in combination with a stall ..... you'll love 'em. There's really not much difference between 3.73's / 4.10's in terms of mileage or anything, so why not go all the way???
Seriously, don't stop at 3.73's if you want all out acceleration off the line
. As long as you have sticky enough tires that'll hook, in combination with a stall ..... you'll love 'em. There's really not much difference between 3.73's / 4.10's in terms of mileage or anything, so why not go all the way???
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 406
Re: Gear selection with my setup..
Originally Posted by Capn Pete
I'd love to have had a stall converter with the 4.10's ..... I'm sure I'd be wearing a neck brace by now!!!
Seriously, don't stop at 3.73's if you want all out acceleration off the line. As long as you have sticky enough tires that'll hook, in combination with a stall ..... you'll love 'em. There's really not much difference between 3.73's / 4.10's in terms of mileage or anything, so why not go all the way???
Seriously, don't stop at 3.73's if you want all out acceleration off the line
. As long as you have sticky enough tires that'll hook, in combination with a stall ..... you'll love 'em. There's really not much difference between 3.73's / 4.10's in terms of mileage or anything, so why not go all the way???That is EXACTLY what i am looking for. I am sure that one way or the other, i'll be able to find some means of getting my car to hook up through suspension and sticky tires of some kind.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
PFYC
Supporting Vendor Group Purchases and Sales
0
Dec 17, 2014 11:00 AM