How do you guys that are running 373's or 411's feel about your drivability? I put a set of 373's in my Camaro and I really don't like to drive it on the freeway any more because of engine speed. This has kinda relegated it to cruising and the occasional trip to the strip. If I put 373's in the 'vette while I have my rear end apart, will I regret it later? This thing was a PITA to get out and I don't want to have to do it again for a LOOOOOONG time. Up side would be It would dip down close to the 13.s with a gear swap. I would love to have the torque multiplication but I also like driving it places. What should I do????????

 

I have 3.55's in mine and I really don't like them on long trips. At 70mph the engine is running about 3000. Another thing is that it is becoming harder and harder to find good tires that are TALL enough and if you go to a smaller diameter tire that make the rpm even higher.

 

Are you running auto tranny? This is where the O/D trannys com in. Im running 3.90 gear with 200R4. Im taching 2250rpm@65mph on highway with convertor locked in 4th gear. And thats with a relitivly small 26" diameter tire size. Sweet!!!


[Modified by Jvette73, 5:53 AM 5/31/2002]


[Modified by Jvette73, 5:53 AM 5/31/2002]

 

The only way to get good torque multiplication and good mileage is wit han overdrive trans. I have 3.70 gears and had 4.11. I did not much highway driving but it is great around town. I can have my rear out in about 1.5 hours. If I was going on a long cruise i would have a 3.08 setup and swap it out. i am also looking to go to an overdrive trans in the future.

 

Thanks guys, I'll just have to figure out how to get an overdrive.

 

I have factory 3.70's and my engine seems busy from 55 mph and up. But, the acceleration is great!:D

I totally agree about the 200R4. Seems like a great transmission, with it's light weight, close ratio gear spacing, and compatibility with mounting in place of a TH350. The 7004R is just the opposite, and is only slightly stronger in stock form.

Jvette73, by your numbers, you must have around 400hp. How has your 200R4 held up? Who do you recommend that sells it? I plan on buying a ZZ4 crate, and need a strong 200R4.


[Modified by shotgun_000, 7:26 PM 5/31/2002]

 

I'm running 4.11's and a 200 4R trans- it is comparable to 2.73's for cruising, but with the launch of 4.56's with a T350! Definitely a great combination!

Matt

 

Well if you guys are looking for an OD a fix might be in the works...

I don't have any solid info on this yet, but I traded a couple email with a guy who seems to have the inside scoop...

Aparently there is a 5 speed Muncie in the works... an OD Muncie... All the gears will fit in the same housing, and it will literally be a straight up bolt in... the time window is supposedly 6 months... putting it dead in the middle of the winter... what a perfect time for a swap huh??? :D

If I see or hear any other info I'll let you all know. All I know is I wanta be first in line if it does happen!!! :yesnod: :D Keep your fingers crossed!!! :D

 

Shotgun, Not sure what my actual HP is. The best gauge I have is the ET listed below. I expect to be able to improve on that some too. Just a tad better maybe. I got my 200r from http://www.bowtieoverdrives.com Its a great trans. Ive had no problems with it. I do need to taylor the govenor some to get it to shift a bit later at WOT when left in drive. Meanwhile ive been manually shifting for best WOT performance. I do wanna adjust it caust the wife always just leaves it in drive and lets the tranny decide when to shift which is around 4 or 4500rpm. Too early to get the best of our engine mods. Since she toys with it too and will not hesitate to take on a stang or whatever, i do need to set it up to shift later in drive. That way she wont get edged due to improper shift point. I dont have a problem shifting manually for best performance but she is not willing to add the task of monitoring the proper upshift rpms and doing it manually. Im satisfied with this trans and would do a 200r swap again if given the decision to go to OD

 

Thanks, Jvette73!

You let your wife drive!? :eek: I hope mine doesn't find that out. She has never driven my vette! :lol: (She is dangerous even with a riding lawnmower, but you didn't hear that from me! :jester )

 

shotgun, actually it was her true love for vettes that landed this car in our port. I love all muscle cars and no matter what one, car or truck, I would be tinkering and making it better. Yes she loves to drive the vette. She drives it more than me. Everything for her needs to be turn key and go though. Thats where the WOT shift points come in. Unlike me she does not have the knack for watching the tach and slamming gears manually. So I can make the car perform much better than her. Thats why I need to work on the govenor to raise the full throttle upshift points. Im told I can do this by drilling some small holes in the govenor flyweights to lighten them a bit. The lighter they are the later it will shift.

For those interested in using a 200R4 you can thank the turbo buick guys for its advances over time. Since the 700R4 will not bolt up to thier buick 6 blocks, the 200R is the main platform tranny for them. Thier powerfull turbo machines and thier desire for a tough OD tranny have brought the 200R4 a long way since its first appearance in the GM cars. With all things considered, its my opinion that the 200R4 is just as good as if not better than the 700R4. ive been running my 200R4 hard since swapping it in and have had no problems with it. I strongly recomend it to any muscle car owner wanting to upgrade to an OD tranny. Tons of goos info on the 200R4 on Turbobuick.com Its thier version of our forum. Ill search for some more links with more info on the 200r and post em. :cheers:

 

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/zerothread?id=139904

 

Damn!!! i lost all my favorite places when I switched to a new computor. Oh well cant find all the stuff just yet

 

You mentioned that you bought yours from bowtieoverdrives. I looked at their website, and they only had one performance level of 200R4, which is for stock or mild engines. Did they make you a custom 200R4? Or is the level 1 good enough as is?

It surprises me that the 7004R is more popular than the 200R4. The 7004R was only slightly stronger in stock form, and to be used in performance, it had to be modified anyway. It is heavier, has a decent first but horrible gear spacing, and it can be pita to swap in place of a TH350.

I have emailed a few companies. I hate it when I send an email, describing my application and the desire for a 200R4, and they have this automated reflex "..go with a 7004R.." It's as if they put that answer on any email, without regard to the application. A few companies do actually give me a detailed answer, but they seem rare these days!

For those who might be interested, here are a few links to 200R4 vendors.
http://www.2004rperformancecenter.com
http://www.pro-built.net/index.cfm?f...t&categoryid=9
http://www.tpiperformance.com/pertranon.html
Thanks Buick Guys! :cheers:

 

Yes the 1st to second gear spread is much better on the 200R. When I shift up from 1st to 2nd@ 5500rpm the revs drop right into the sweet spot at around 3k. The od is slightly higher on the 200 as well @.67 compared to the .70 of the 700. Its a common combo to run 3.73 with the 700. Thats why I chose 3.90 to go with my 200. The 200 has a higher 1st @2.74 compared to the 3.06 1st of the 700. The lower rear gear puts it just about the same tq multiplication factor for hole shot as the 700R/3.73 combo.

Talk to steve @bowtieoverdrives about the 200. He jumped right on my idea to go with the 200/3.90. He said he feels equally confident of both trannys. He would push the 700r if one were planning to stay with a higher rear gear like a 3.08, since the lower 1st would help the holeshot.

 

Thanks again for the info! :cheers:

I hope by the end of August, I'll be ready to do this. Will post the results! :seeya

 

I like my 3:70's. Lot of fun driving around town. As fire as highway, I drove the car across the US (the short way - north to south :) ) when I bought it. Engine didn't really mind. No overheating and the gas mileage was not too bad. 16mpg on an L36.

 

out of curiosity, are all rear ends from the same year car with the same drive trains (I.E. 350 with a 700r4) the same?

 

Get a behind the tranny overdrive setup. Really helps out. Kinda costly and hard to install, but probably worth it.

 

Mike if your making a list put me on it, I was looking into doing a richmond or something else :cheers: