i have a cc 305 in my 1994 LT1 camaro...its an automatic and its currently in the shop being built...i have the stock 2.73 rear end. Ive been told that the 3.73 is going to waste alot more gas and that you cannot drive it on the freeway with killing your gas mileage.....on the other hand Ive heard that the 3.43 is a big improvement over stock but still saves you some gas mileage... what are your guys opinions? the car is going to be my summer dd and i dont wanna get 5mpg..... i mean is the 3.42 a good gear for my needs or is the 3.73? also its never going to see a strip...also what about 3.23? is it any better than stock?

 

You haven't really said what your "needs" are, aside from not being a strip car. Are you going to be doing a lot of freeway driving every day? Or is it just more for around town? Obviously the more gear you put at it, the worse your mileage is going to be. Again, without knowing a little more of what you plan on doing with it, other than "daily driver", it's hard to give a good idea. Just remember that as you go up, your mileage goes down. It's just a matter of deciding how much you're willing to sacrifice for "fun", and just how much it's worth to you.

 

3.43 would be a good choice.

Rich

 

I have 3.73's in mine, and while I wouldn't want to cross-country it, local freeway hops are fine. It's an A4 as well. Mine's also a high-stall 383 stroker, so I can't really compare the mileage.
BUT.....
3.42's are a HUGE improvment over 2.73's.
Ii think you would be happy with them, but I wouldn't waste my time changing to 3.23's

 

I went to a 3.42 with no regrets. Fuel economy suffered 1-2 city and highway.

 

kk cool thanks guys...and where i live all the speed limits are 50-60mph so its kinda bad.....i dont drive on the freeway much but when i do its ususally 20 miles or more... im likin the 3.42 now guys...thanks

 

At one point in time I had 3.42s and a 3800 stall lock-up torque converter in my stock motored 00 formy. Great setup for the street and comfortable rpms on the x-way with decent MPGs.

 

I have 3:42's in mine and I love them. I once jumped to a 3:73 Richmond and it was great for rolling burnouts but to me it was to much and I went back to the 3:42's. You will be very satisfied with 3:42's.

 

3.73 is 9% higher than 3.42. That means your RPMs at any given speed will be 9% higher. You should be able to accelerate about 9% faster, in the lower gears at least. Your maximum speed in each gear will decrease by 9%. 9% more torque will reach your tires, which will require 9% more traction than you require now in order to accelerate. Your fuel economy will suffer by -- get this -- 9%.

All of the above is approximate (torque converters and friction mess up the math), and depends on your driving habits not changing as a result of the gear change, but that's how it works.

It's dot, not colon. Written out fully, it's 3.42:1. 3:42 describes a very different ratio -- one that would result in terrible acceleration, but an incredibly high top speed (assuming you had the power).

 

did u say something about 9%??? .....lmao jk bud but yeah im liking the 3.42:1 now.....anyone here have a stock lt1 and switched the gears? i just wanna baseline for how much gas mileage i will be losing....all though i guess i can just start making my own gas as long as i move down to the gulf

 

My car is mostly stock save for the mods on the sig. I went from the stock 3.23's to 3.42's and I like them. I do A LOT of highway/interstate travel, and they are fine. On the interstate, I keep it at about 75 simply at 80 the revs are pretty high (about 2800 rpm). The acceleration is a bit better which was to be expected, and I didn't really take too much of a hit on mileage. As stated above, I lost about 1-2 mpg. You may lose more in town, simply because it's more fun to have your foot in it.
That said, if you are going to do the rear swap, I HIGHLY recommend finding a reputable salvage yard that has the rear you are looking for. When I wanted to replace the bearings and gears for my rear, the average quote was about $900 and that only included a 90 day warranty. I went to a good salvage yard here, picked up a perfect 3.42 rear from a v6/5spd car, paid the extra $$ for a lifetime warranty on parts and one year on parts/labor for $450 and about 4 hours of my own time to swap out the rear end. I couldn't be happier, and the best part is that if the rear ever fails, the guts are completely covered

 

ouch 9 hundo??? i wnet to a place called dts ( drive train specalties) here in michigan its actually rite by my house......they said 500 for richmond 3.42's and i think they said penzoil gear oil?? there very reputable and have been here for years...im prolly gonna end up going to them