Right now I have 273. I am almost always driving around town. Just wondering if it is worth the $ to buy some different gears with an auto.

Mainly just wondering if I go from 273 to like 342 or 373 will there be a noticable difference that will make it worth my money.

Lastly, What gears would you guys go with?

 

If you know what your going to do with the car then I would suggest planning for the future and get the major things out of the way. There are alot of other things to put on your car instead of gears that you will notice alot more.

 

A friend of mine that has a blown 454 1st gen suggested that one of the 1st mods I do is gears. I did some minor bolt-ons and free mods then the LSD started crapping out. So I got an Eaton LSD and switched to Richmond 3.73s. It pulls alot harder off the line and lights up the 315s so much easier now It did bump my 70mph rpm up about 800rpm from the 2.73s but I do mostly city driving and love 'em.

The Richmonds are a little noisier than stock and I've had no probs with the 2nd set (1st set blew up after putting on stickier tires due to a poor setup by 1st shop). The GM Motive gears are supposed to be real quiet but they are a little pricier than the Richmonds.

 

By far my best mod so far. With your a4, throw those 3.73's in there, u won't regret it.

 

Even going 2.73 to 3.23 there is a very noticable difference. I had a 94 LT1 w/3.23 and a 96 w/2.73 with the same mods done to both cars the one with 3.23 was always a couple tenths faster in the 1/4

 

i'm gonna be totally honest here, gears are a noticeable change in the feel of the car...but i'll NEVER do another gear swap. i've changed gears 3 times and all 3 times i've had rear end whining...i hate that and i'm sure most do. the last time i did a gear swap was going from 3.23 to 3.73 and i had a speed shop install them...didnt whine until i broke them in (500 miles easy driving) and then the whining started. wasnt too bad, but got worse and worse and worse. i dont know, mabye i blew apinion seal or the nut backed off or something, but it was more aggrivation than its worth...but i have to agree that a 2.73 geared car needs at least a 3.23 upgrade...those 2.73s are too high for my tatse. i had 2 sets of GM Motives and 1 set of Richmonds. Richmond gears whine like a new born baby! GM Motives arent bad, but mine still whined. either way, g'luck with whatever you decide. consider gas milegae changes and all that too. 3.73s will rip your wallet up if you travel long distances...but isnt too bad if you just cruise around, like you said you do.

 

I couldn't agree more.

 

I would definatly throw some 3.73's in your car. I went from 3.23's to 3.73's and loved it so much I'm going to 4.11's now. So I would think you would really notice the improvement coming from 2.73's. As far as brand, who knows. I had Richmond 3.73's and they whined but we readjusted them and they made no noise at all when I sold them to a friend. I've heard a lot of good things about Motive Gears so I'm going with them for my 4.11's.

 

Dammit........I want 4.10's so bad.......everytime someone starts a thread about gears, it reminds me of it.

Trouble is......I'm so broke I can barely pay attention.

 

Another vote for changing the gears. I went from 2.73's to Richmond 3.73's and the difference is night and day. Definetly worth the time and money, afterwards its like driving a new car.

 

Damn Im all excited now. Thanks guys.


How much do you think Im looking at to get them installed and everything? Im not touching the rear end. Most I will do by myself is bolt-ons and brakes etc.

 

ttt

 

Im going from 2.73's to 3.42's cause I drive mine everywhere and i dont want the gas to kill me. Should still be a decent jump for my 97 A4

 

You either have a 6-speed or a over drive use it go with 4.10 auto or if youwant to get crazy and go all out 4.30 6-spped. don't be afraid of the gears.. Your car will feel like a rocket.

 

Yes! I changed mine to 3.42's with auto, and it is a lot more fun to drive. You should get the gears with carrier as they are different for the larger
3.42's. I got mine used through one of the used car parts, internet sites.
I then put in a hypertech programmer to correct the speedo. and also made
a few other adjustments.