I was planning on buying a used stock rear with 3.42's from a buddy of mine. I figured that would be the gear to go with to satisfy my needs and wants. I have crappo 2.73's right now and I was kinda convinced that since I do some highway driving that 3.73's would be too much gear. Now that I've spoke with a lot more people who were in my situation I'd really really like to get 3.73's because I'm told the difference in gas mileage and highway rpm is hardly noticable. But the difference in performance and acceleration is definately noticable. Since I think I'm gonna run nitrous until I get the cash to build a motor. I'm wondering if 3.73's are gonna hinder my traction too much to get the full potential of the NO2. I don't have the money to buy a rear right now so I won't have the advantage of getting some really sticky tires to hold up to the added power. So I'm gonna basically be messing with Nitto's and maybe...maybe some ET streets if I can't get any traction. Keep in mind I have a Vigilante 3000rpm stall and a Trans-Go shift kit too. Thanks a bunch.

 

3.73s here

 

LPE what times do you run with your mods? Everything you have is very similar to what I'm shooting for. Thanks

 

No times with the 847 cam but with the LPE cam and a 150 shot on stock fuel pump on a 108* heat index day the car went 12.067@117.510 with a 2.013 60 foot but with the 100 shot my mph was 118.30 .... I think i was running out of fuel.... Might have better times real soon just need to see what the new combo does...... Car weighs 3850 by itself....

 

It'll be close, with a 150 shot and full bolt ons you'll probably be trapping just shy of 120 and shifting at 5750 rpms puts you at 118mph in third gear. If you're only going to be spraying 100 you should be fine however if you do go with a 150 you might need to raise the shift point in 3rd by a couple hundred rpms.

 

IMO do the gear last! yeah I am crazy but give it a try what will it hurt. IMO 2.73 have been givin a bad rap becuase they dont "seem" fast. I have seen alot of fast cars run better on lower gears than higher gears. Just see how it works for you..

I hear are a few examples I have had..
my 91 RS had 2.73 put in 3.73 yes it felt faster but ran the same times. and didnt spin either.

my 95 ta went from 3.73 to 3.23 and picked up .14 sec..

and alot of guys have had 4.10's and put in lower gears and they speed up..

all I am saying is give it a shot.

 

Thanks for all the input guys. That's the kinda info I wanna know.

 

for my choice seeing as i don't plan on bluilding my engine up, but just wanted a little more zip I went with the 3.42, i also had a 2.73.
there has also been test run with gears from the 2.73 to 4.10 and in thier study the best overall performance gear was the
3.42
hope this helps
tony

 

I'd say it depends on your cam selection and shift point. If your shifting closer to 6k then go with the 3.42's. I have 3.42's now, but plan on upping to 3.73's down the road. I shift at 6,500 and the 3.42's aren't bringing me up high enough in the rpm range to reach peak power. On the nitrous it's decent, but NA I only pull through the traps at 5k. So I'm in need of some gear. Times below with 3.42's.

 

Anyone else have input? This is exactly what I'm wanting to know.

 

heres the imfor that i was talking about in my previous post:

The team that did "one lap America" in a '95 TA, tested the gears 2.73 till 4.10 and they concluded that 3.42's gave the best overall performance. Be aware that you have a 2 series carrier which require a different set then the cars that came with 3.23 or bigger. Further, if I was you I would shop for a OEM manufacturer. I couldn't find a OEM 3.42 gear set for my 2 series carrier at that time and decided to buy a gear set from Richmond. To make a long story short, it had a terrible whine, so the gear shop who did the installation ordered a OEM set from DT Components (I never heard of them) for me and now I'm very satisfied, no whine and excellent overall performance.

You could also decide to install a 3 series carrier which will make your shopping for an OEM gear a lot easier, but besides the additional costs (I heard SLP has 3 series carriers for cheap) you also have to take care of your ABS sensor. I don't know exactly what has to be changed but I believe it's the position of the sensor inside the gear housing. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

Another vote for 3.42's. I ran 3.23's and my car ran great too. I have run 7.30's in the 1/8th with a 125 shot and my old setup. I now run 7.64@90mph N/A and 12.00's@113mph N/A with some bald ET streets and 1.7 60's but haven't sprayed yet. Still on 3.42's. I should be able to run 11.90's N/A next time out and 10's on the gas.