Gears question

what is a "10 bolt rear end." Can this be used with 4.10 gears. What is it and what does it do. Also are 4.10's good for fast take off or kick in when you race from a roll? My cousins WS6 has it. just wondering.

4.10's are good for take-off. You will shift quicker.
10 bolt rear end is the stock crappy rear differential on the car. That is where the rear gears are.

I run a 4.10 gear ratio in my 95. What this means is that the driveshaft turns 4.1 times for every wheel revolution. The higher the ratio is, the more mechanical leverage (torque) the rear axle gears provide. The tradeoff is that the engine's RPMs will then be higher to go the same speed. If you select a gear ratio that is too high, say 5.00, your car might have great power for racing, but you would end up "winding out", which means that when your on the highway in top gear your car's engine might be spinning 3000 rpm or more just to go 60 mph. That's hard on the motor and burns tons of gas. The trick is to select a ratio for your car that provides both power and decent driveability. I think a 3.73 ratio is about the highest you would want for a 4-speed auto transmission and the 4.10 for a 6-speed manual, which is what I have. I can still do 80 mph at 2200 rpm in sixth.

Excellent post Formulaforce and I could not agree more.

i wonder what my gear ratio is..if i have a 4spd auto, and i hit 40 mph with ~1000rpms in 4th gear..(its overdrive, obviously) ... is that a 3.73? im just wondering... its the borgwarner rear end, and i heard there were two ratios from borgwerner at that time..my cars a 3rd gen, btw...