Gears = Overhyped??

The reason I ask that is because I have the stock 2.73 gears and after much thinking I don't really see much of a point to going to extreme gears (3.73, 4.10, etc)

I mean, My car is almost stock (see sig) and if I slam the pedal in 1st gear all I do is start spinning wheels(easily done by dropping clutch at 2-3k RPM). Granted I'm not running drag ratials or anything fancy. And even when I don't drop (start rolling and then hit the gas) and I get a good grip on the road, I get to 6K RPM in slightly more than a second and then I have to upshift.

These tall gears that everyone is getting, I'm sure they help get you off the starting line a bit quicker, but most people will just rev to 3-4k and drop the clutch, therefore negating the benefit of a taller 1st gear at all.

Maybe I just need to get some sleep so I can think more clearly?? LOL

Anyway, on a stock car I can see the need for 3.73, but once your car is at 300hp+ what's the point?

The reason I ask that is because I have the stock 2.73 gears and after much thinking I don't really see much of a point to going to extreme gears (3.73, 4.10, etc)

I mean, My car is almost stock (see sig) and if I slam the pedal in 1st gear all I do is start spinning wheels(easily done by dropping clutch at 2-3k RPM). Granted I'm not running drag ratials or anything fancy. And even when I don't drop (start rolling and then hit the gas) and I get a good grip on the road, I get to 6K RPM in slightly more than a second and then I have to upshift.

These tall gears that everyone is getting, I'm sure they help get you off the starting line a bit quicker, but most people will just rev to 3-4k and drop the clutch, therefore negating the benefit of a taller 1st gear at all.

Maybe I just need to get some sleep so I can think more clearly?? LOL

Anyway, on a stock car I can see the need for 3.73, but once your car is at 300hp+ what's the point?

half a second or more off your ETs is the point... they significantly improve your acceleration in all gears and allow the motor to rev higher off the line, dropping your 60 foot.

What he said.

The reason I ask that is because I have the stock 2.73 gears and after much thinking I don't really see much of a point to going to extreme gears (3.73, 4.10, etc)

I mean, My car is almost stock (see sig) and if I slam the pedal in 1st gear all I do is start spinning wheels(easily done by dropping clutch at 2-3k RPM). Granted I'm not running drag ratials or anything fancy. And even when I don't drop (start rolling and then hit the gas) and I get a good grip on the road, I get to 6K RPM in slightly more than a second and then I have to upshift.

These tall gears that everyone is getting, I'm sure they help get you off the starting line a bit quicker, but most people will just rev to 3-4k and drop the clutch, therefore negating the benefit of a taller 1st gear at all.

Maybe I just need to get some sleep so I can think more clearly?? LOL

Anyway, on a stock car I can see the need for 3.73, but once your car is at 300hp+ what's the point?


The point is to make your engine do work faster and with less strain.




The more power you have the greater the effect that the gears will have.

For instance, lets say my car makes 265hp stock and 302ft-lbs of torque.
The power then gets sent to the transmission. The transmission is nothing more than a power multiplier. So, for the purpose of this post, we will only deal with 1st gear... and the torque.


1st gear with the following ring and pinion ratio's...
1st gear with 3.37:1 ratio = 987.54ft-lbs of torque to the output shaft of the tranny.

So with 987.54ft-lbs of torque comming out the tranny, the next stop is the axle. With the axle, once again, your going to be multiplying the power comming from the driveshaft. Unlike the transmission thou, your stuck with one gear multiplication.

so with the following gears you get the chart below.


with 2:73's * 987.54ft-lbs= 2695.98 ft-lbs of torque to the wheels
with 3:08's * 987.54ft-lbs= 3041.62 ft-lbs of torque to the wheels
with 3:27's * 987.54ft-lbs= 3229.25 ft-lbs of torque to the wheels
with 3:43's * 987.54ft-lbs= 3387.26 ft-lbs of torque to the wheels
with 3:55's * 987.54ft-lbs= 3505.76 ft-lbs of torque to the wheels
with 3:73's * 987.54ft-lbs= 3683.52 ft-lbs of torque to the wheels
with 3:90's * 987.54ft-lbs= 3851.40 ft-lbs of torque to the wheels
with 4:10's * 987.54ft-lbs= 4048.91 ft-lbs of torque to the wheels
with 4:30's * 987.54ft-lbs= 4246.42 ft-lbs of torque to the wheels

As you can see, the higher the gear ratio, the more torque is put down to the wheels.

now lets say instead of making 302 ft-lbs of torque, your making 150ft-lbs of torque.
that means in first gear, your making 505.5 ft-lbs of torque.

and now we get to the axle, and multiple the torque 505 times the gear ratio.

with 2:73's * 505 ft-lbs= 1380 ft-lbs of torque to the wheels
with 3:08's * 505 ft-lbs= 1555 ft-lbs of torque to the wheels
with 3:27's * 505 ft-lbs= 1651 ft-lbs of torque to the wheels
with 3:43's * 505 ft-lbs= 1732 ft-lbs of torque to the wheels
with 3:55's * 505 ft-lbs= 1792 ft-lbs of torque to the wheels
with 3:73's * 505 ft-lbs= 1883 ft-lbs of torque to the wheels
with 3:90's * 505 ft-lbs= 1969 ft-lbs of torque to the wheels
with 4:10's * 505 ft-lbs= 2070 ft-lbs of torque to the wheels
with 4:30's * 505 ft-lbs= 2171 ft-lbs of torque to the wheels

As you can see, you can increase the torque by a few hundred, which might make the difference between needing to downshift on a hill, or not.

Not so fast! :icon16:

You also have to look at the engine's power band when selecting the proper gears. If your into road racing, those guys will change out depending on which track they are running at.

Gear are not over hyped, you just have to know how to apply the math to figure out which ones are the ones for you.

It sounds like I'd be happy with 3.27's or maybe even 3.55's

It sounds like I'd be happy with 3.27's or maybe even 3.55's

I run 3.55s, and they are the best gear for me. I can drop to 3rd at 50mph, and still smoke my rear tires.

I run 3.55s, and they are the best gear for me. I can drop to 3rd at 50mph, and still smoke my rear tires.


I wonder why *cough* S-trim! *cough*

That might help a little. :D

I'd be getting my s-trim this weekend if it wasn't for my $275 5 points speeding ticket. Sigh..Anyone wanna gimme $275? :(

I'd be getting my s-trim this weekend if it wasn't for my $275 5 points speeding ticket. Sigh..Anyone wanna gimme $275? :(

So, how fast were you goin?

Here in England there are no cops on the roads, just cameras. When I go on road trips I hardly drop below 95mph all the way there, without fear of getting a ticket.

I wonder why *cough* S-trim! *cough*

Whats an s-trim? *cough* no seriously. *COUGH* punk.

The point is to make your engine do work faster and with less strain.

The more power you have the greater the effect that the gears will have.

For instance, lets say my car makes 265hp stock and 302ft-lbs of torque.
The power then gets sent to the transmission. The transmission is nothing more than a power multiplier. So, for the purpose of this post, we will only deal with 1st gear... and the torque.


1st gear with the following ring and pinion ratio's...
1st gear with 3.37:1 ratio = 987.54ft-lbs of torque to the output shaft of the tranny.

So with 987.54ft-lbs of torque comming out the tranny, the next stop is the axle. With the axle, once again, your going to be multiplying the power comming from the driveshaft. Unlike the transmission thou, your stuck with one gear multiplication.

so with the following gears you get the chart below.

with 2:73's * 987.54ft-lbs= 2695.98 ft-lbs of torque to the wheels
with 3:08's * 987.54ft-lbs= 3041.62 ft-lbs of torque to the wheels
with 3:27's * 987.54ft-lbs= 3229.25 ft-lbs of torque to the wheels
with 3:43's * 987.54ft-lbs= 3387.26 ft-lbs of torque to the wheels
with 3:55's * 987.54ft-lbs= 3505.76 ft-lbs of torque to the wheels
with 3:73's * 987.54ft-lbs= 3683.52 ft-lbs of torque to the wheels
with 3:90's * 987.54ft-lbs= 3851.40 ft-lbs of torque to the wheels
with 4:10's * 987.54ft-lbs= 4048.91 ft-lbs of torque to the wheels
with 4:30's * 987.54ft-lbs= 4246.42 ft-lbs of torque to the wheels

As you can see, the higher the gear ratio, the more torque is put down to the wheels.

now lets say instead of making 302 ft-lbs of torque, your making 150ft-lbs of torque.
that means in first gear, your making 505.5 ft-lbs of torque.

and now we get to the axle, and multiple the torque 505 times the gear ratio.

with 2:73's * 505 ft-lbs= 1380 ft-lbs of torque to the wheels
with 3:08's * 505 ft-lbs= 1555 ft-lbs of torque to the wheels
with 3:27's * 505 ft-lbs= 1651 ft-lbs of torque to the wheels
with 3:43's * 505 ft-lbs= 1732 ft-lbs of torque to the wheels
with 3:55's * 505 ft-lbs= 1792 ft-lbs of torque to the wheels
with 3:73's * 505 ft-lbs= 1883 ft-lbs of torque to the wheels
with 3:90's * 505 ft-lbs= 1969 ft-lbs of torque to the wheels
with 4:10's * 505 ft-lbs= 2070 ft-lbs of torque to the wheels
with 4:30's * 505 ft-lbs= 2171 ft-lbs of torque to the wheels

As you can see, you can increase the torque by a few hundred, which might make the difference between needing to downshift on a hill, or not.

Silverstangs I can see where you are coming from with this. I feel that gears don't add power though, the more of distribute it and apply it in the right places. I've heard the old saying that you can pull a freight train with a lawn mower if it's geared low enough. Does that mean the lawn mower is making 100000 horsepower at the wheels? No. The gears are distributing and applying the power that the lawn mower has in the right places for what it needs to do.

For example the old 5.0's make 225 horsepower and 300 lb/tq at the crank shaft. The thing is there will never be more power at the rear wheels than at the crank unless the transmission and drive line have their own power supply.

The thing is with the 2.73s that came stock with the 5.0's they make the power of the engine put down at a higher end to where the car will go faster.

If you put 3.73 gears in the 5.0 they won't add power. Instead the gears will apply the power from the engine more at the bottom end. This makes the car quicker.

I can understand where you're coming from though with certain problems in physics that deal with this. The thing will pullies, leverls, and several other things. Like I said though they don't add power of any kind. They take the power that is given, apply, and transfer it just right to get the job done.

Whats an s-trim? *cough* no seriously. *COUGH* punk.

Are you serious? *cough* no really *cough*

Vortech S-Trim, me thinks.

I have alway been under the impression that gear did not effect power to ground, but after making that post, it makes sense.

Gears are a multipler, but its going to change a lot more than just that, it will also change the cars power band, correct me if I am wrong.

I was going 83 in a 45.

I was going 83 in a 45.

Damn! Glad to see that you still have your licence, the way the States cracks down on speeders.

I'd be getting my s-trim this weekend if it wasn't for my $275 5 points speeding ticket. Sigh..Anyone wanna gimme $275? :(

Do we WANT to give you $275? Of course we would like to.....But we probably won't. Sorry about that though. So far I don't have any speeding tickets *knock on wood*

I was going 83 in a 45.

worst speeding ticket i ever got was 15 over... 85 in a 70. was trying to keep up with my buddy, didn't know where he was going exactly. i have a friend who got a ticket for 85 in a 55 tho, and it wasn't cheap.