hi guys basically, the title says it all. i installed the 4.10's at the beginning of last summer (had stock 3.42's before), but ive never been too crazy about them. i find the gears too short. i dont like the fact that at speeds above 80mph, i gotta shift to fourth to race someone. ( i rev to 6700 rpm on my current setup). now, if i had the stock 3.42's back in, at 80 i could put it in third and fourth would get me to at least 130+. as is, fourth gets me to about 110-115. another thing, i take frequent ( every 2 weeks) 700 mile drives (from montreal to toronto and back). when i had the 3.42's, at 100 mph i was doing like 2500 rpm. with the 4.10s, anything over 80 is over 2500 rpm, and 100 is like 3000 rpm in 6th. i used to enjoy those long drives much more with the 3.42's, cause the engine felt like it was just loafing along, never really "straining" itself. i hate seeing the tach at 3k rpm for those extended periods, even if it doesnt cause harm to the car, it just bugs the crap out of me. i actually speed a bit less cause of that. for everyday driving, i dont mind the 4.10's at all. i never take the car to the dragstrip, sooo..... any opinions? anyone gone from 4.10's back to 3.42's? 3.73's maybe? did you regret going back to "lesser" gears? for "racing from a roll" (70 mph and up), which gear would be best in your guys opinion? i find the 4.10's dont take advantage of the lt1's broad powerband. should i just toss the 3.42's back in? stay with these? or go 3.73? these thoughts have been going through my head for over a year now and i would appreciate some opinions please thank you very much

 

I was wondering the same thing, I am going to replace my diff w/Torsen and upgrade gears while at it and was thinking 4.10's may be to short a gear. I was considering 3.73's also, mine is also a daily driver, and plan on making an autocross car and only take to local 1/8th mile track once or twice a year.

 

here's my opinion...since ur doin those long drives and u really dont like the fact of the engine straining and u seem to me like u dont really want the gears...if u still have the 3.42s then put those in. if u dont like those, then go w/ the 3.73, if u dont like the 3.73 then go back to 4.10. lol it might cost some but then ud really find out which u like best. i wud say it comes down to personal preference and every1 is gonna have a diff. opinion, just like the question of which cat-back sounds best. so basically do what u want, what u feel best and most comfortable w/ and try the new gears out b4 u sell the old ones incase u wanna go back.

good luck,
jake

 

I JUST GOT MY 4.10 PUT IN AND IT FEELS LIKE WHEN I GIVE IT GAS ITS NOT AS SMOOTH BUT AT HIGH SPEED I DON'T GO AS FAST WHICH CAN BE GOOD SO I DON'T GET A SPEEDING TICKET I GET REALLY BAD GAS I GET MAYBE 150 A TANK AS TO MAYBE 190-200 I KNOW IKNOW ITS BAD BUT IT THINK IT JUST BE THE WAY I DRIVE OR I AM RUNNING TOO RICH OR I JUST NEED A PMC TUNE UP BUT I WAS THINKING 3.73 MAY OF BEEN A BETTER CHOICE WITH THE 4.10 I HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF A WHINE ALSO I DON'T LIKE AND I HAVE NO TRACION ALSO BUT ITS FUN I DON'T KNOW IM THINKIN ILL BREAK MY REAR BE4 I REPLACE IT IF I DO BUT ITS FUN TO DRIVE AROUND TOWN YA NO

 

thanks for your opinions so far now, would anyone have any idea which would be quicker from a roll (ie. 60 and up)?? lets say two cars are set up identically, run the same times etc. ones got 3.42's or 3.73's, the other 4.10's. which would have the advantage from say 60- 130? i had pondered this for a while as well, and came to my own conclusion that the higher (3.42) geared car would be at the advantage. if you take the gear ratios in the transmission, multiply them by the rear end gears, the 3.42's/3.73's would be better i think. cause when youre in third with the 4.10's youre still in second with the 3.42's. fourth with 4.10's youre in third with 3.42's. and if you hit fifth with the 4.10's (at about 115 lets say) the 3.42 geared car would still be in fourth. now, take for example a stck 2000 camaro ss and a stcok 2000 c5 vette. both cars m6, 3.42's. (this is from a comparo i have in an old c&d magazine). the vette is more aerodynamic. fine. yet in the comparo, 0-150, both cars ran almost identical times till about 130, but at that speed the camaro had to shift to fith whereas the vette was still in fourth to 150 . it took about 18 seconds or so for both cars to hit 130, 23-25 seconds for the vette to hit 150, yet 35 seconds or so for the camaro to hit 150. i clearly remember there beeing at least a 10-15 second difference between the two cars to hit 150. now, both cars have the same engine/tranny/gears. i doubt that whole advantage was from the vette beeing more aerodynamic (although it still played a role). its more cause the camro had to go to fifth whereas teh vette was still in fourth. reason beeing that the vette has larger diameter wheels / tires in the back right?? so that effectively takes the 3.42's and turns them into the equivalent of 3.23's or something. im gonna find the gear ratios for our trannies and show the "calculations " i was talking about later so, all in all, id think the higher geared car would be at the advantage. any ideas? am i right or wrong on this? thanks and sorry for the long post

 

I currently have 3.73's in my 6-speed Camaro and miss my 4.10's that I used to have. Next time I will go back to 4.10's.

 

so youre saying you had 4.10's, went to 3.73's, and now regret it? may i ask why? fun factor?

 

i went from 3.08's to 4.10's in my 3rd gen...best money i spent on that car IMO....i loved the 4.10's, and cant wait to get them in the '95...as for the vette and camaro thing...aerodynamics plays a huge role when your going 130+...the tire size wouldnt effect the shift points that much for a 15 sec difference for 20mph...ide say its the aero...and arent vettes lighter too??...BTW...why u driving 100mph+ so often?...if u are on the highway so much...ide go back to the 3.42's...haha...ive yet to have my car over 90...only liability on insurance... im 17 and cant afford full coverage

 

Yes, just the fun factor. Top speed and gas mileage are better on a higher gear set like a 3.73. Gas mileage aside you have to ask yourself if you want a faster 60ft or a faster top speed. All depends on what type of racing you're doing. For a 1/4 track I would get 4.10's but I found that I rarely if ever go to the track so 3.73's were more suitable for myself.

 

for the vette and camaro thing, the camaro had to shift to fifth at 130, whereas the vette was able to hold fourth till 150. sure , the vette is lighter and more aerodynamic, but beeing in fourth rather than fifth is what was the main deciding factor imo.

i dont drive over 100 too often, but tend to hover between 80-100 on the highway. the only time (mostly) i do over 100 is when i take those 700 mile drives to toronto and back (every 2 weeks). its just that with the 4.10's at 100 the cars doing like 3100 rpm, which annoys me. im 25 btw, 0 accidents in 9 years of driving, so before anyone starts calling me irresponsible and blah blah (not pointing the finger at you, so dont take it that way please), i must be doing something right, k thanks.

ill try digging up that article with the vette and camaro and tell you the exact specs of it if you want

 

slashz28; I feel same way
I just drive Toronto to Dallas a lot
I had 3.42 went to 3.73 then 4.10 then went back to 3.73 and then 3.42 then 4.10. I 100% sure I want 3.73 are the best bang for the money.

 

ahhh someone in the same boat as me you know what im talking about. so youre gonna stick with the 3.73's then? do the 3.73's pull harder at highway speeds than the 4.10's? or vice versa?

im NOT looking for top speed at all. ill never go there. just want the best combination for acceleration/ highway cruising. "comfortable" highway crusing that is, not having the needle pegged halfway to redline for extended durations.

i actually have the car for sale as we speak (in autotrader, not on here ), not what i really want to do but gonna have to. if i get no interest at all, and end up keeping it for a bit more, im gonna go 3.73 like you said.
thanks for the replies so far guys

 

no 4.10s pull harder and always will in a equally matched car. its pure science. my top end increased to because i can now overcome the friction put on the car at higher speeds. and man at 145 mph i only run 4000 rpm. and if your doing a 100mph at 3k rpm your not hurting anyhting except gas mileage.

 

Actually its all about what gear you want to at certian speed.
I want to at my Peak power at and my 1/4 mile
If I am racing on the street. I hate go to 5th at 120Mph.
I want to call it quit at the end of my 4th.
Rear end gears are just TQ multiplier.
Plus I want to be 1900 at 80Mph. If I go 2k I get in different fuel cell. Which is no longer econo Fuel.
My target is 36MPG on long haul like 1500 miles straight-nonstop Road trips
Best I got 34

 

4.10 all the way.