my 01 Z28 has the 2.73 gears and my friend's 02 TA has 3.23. Over the last couple of weeks we have raced a good 10-15 times. They are both A4s. I won all but one race. I was considering getting 3.73s but will it make a differnce seeing as to how this the 3.23s didnt help him at all. Can anyone give me some advice.

 

I think your mods make up for the difference if he's stock. If he isn't, then it's gonna be a drivers race (whoever launches better).

To answer your question, 3.73s would be a nice improvement from your 2.73s. It will be something you notice.

 

his car has ram air, and it has a Borla, and a new air filter. So he pretty much has the same stuff done to his car.

 

My 2.73 Z28 went 13.42@104 when it was 100% stock, w/o ANY weight reduction (spare and jack in the car...etc) and running the stock 235 Eagle GA's @35 psi all the way around. A true 100% showroom stock run.
Look at the sig for new times. I will be switching to 3.73's and big Yank now though.
2.73 > 3.23 IMO

 

Most recently I had my gears changed from 3.23 to 3.73, and it made my car (2001 Z28) more throttle responsive. For me it was not a SOTP difference, however the car is much more fun to drive.

If you are going to go from 2.73's to 3.73's make sure you get the correct thickness gear (i.e. 2 series carrier opposed to 3), and you should get an aluminum drive shaft, or you may experience some vibration from the heavier steel one.

Make the change, you will not regret it.

SteveC

 

actually you're not going about this right. You should first get a Torque converter 3200-3500 stall and a pair of nitto 555 tires. Try that set up it'll SCREAM and hook up hard. You wont even want gears, which can be apricey and involved undertaking. I got some, and liek them but the TC was the best by far!

 

Do the acceleration times really differ between a 2.73 and a 3.23? Is there a noticeable difference?

 

Thereoretically, a 3.23 geared car will accelerate faster than a 2.73 geared car provided everything else is the same.

In the real world, variations in traction, road surface friction, driver skill, etc, may make the differences in acceleration negligable.

 

I know one thing for sure, the 3.23 geared car will "feel" faster since it will climb to redline quicker and shift more often. As for 1/4 mile times, I would have to give the advantage to the 3.23 car since it will be closer to redline for a longer length of time.

Both cars will hit the traps in 3rd gear, so no advantage is gained by having the 2.73's.

 

well since this thread is here, I will ask what I came to post.

I am thinking about upgrading to a 3.73, but want to know about what peoples expereince in traction has been when switching. I have 18x9 wheels, so I lose a little bit in traction already with the stiffened side wall, but will this upgrade not be worth it if all I do is spin off the line. Other then racing my other concern is rain and wet roads. This car is my daily driver and needs to be able to handle the wet roads well. What do you guys think, should I upgrade or stick to the 3.23?

Thanks and sorry about cutting in on your post Black01_Z

 

I'd recommend going with a TC (say a SY3500) rather than gears in an A4. Much more noticable performace gain, if that's what you want, with less impact on mileage. Not only will the TC increase off-the-line punch, but will free up more hp too (if it is a more efficient type, like the SY3500) and add 5-10 rwhp. I have 3.23s and SY3500.

I don't know if I'd bother with 3.73s - most guys gain nothing in the swap in terms of track times unless using ET Streets and launching real hard. But then you start to lose gas mileage (big deal... ) and risk the rear end blowing up. Some guys go to 3.73s to tighten up the feel of the car after a TC install, but again, this puts a little more strain on our fragile rear ends.

As for 3.23s vs 2.73s, the former usually leads to better track times (maybe 2/10ths) while the latter is often better top end. Heck, in the 2.73 you can hit top end (160 mph) in 3rd gear... in a 3.23, you need to shift to overdrive to go above 120 mph, which makes top end acceleration slow and weak. 'Course, how often do you race above 120 mph... There's always a tradeoff.