Gear ratio advise, Please
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 412
Likes: 21
From: Franklin TN
Gear ratio advise, Please
My 95 model had the performance axle with 3:07 gears. It appears my 96 Auto has the standard 2;59 gears. I can feel the difference and want to change the gears, My question is has anyone went lower than the 3:07 ? I have seen gears in the 3:42 or ratio range. Anyone who has used gears lower than the 3:07 please tell me how you like them.
Thanks
Gooseit
Thanks
Gooseit
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 62,146
Likes: 1,730
From: Athens AL
C7 of the Year - Unmodified Finalist 2021
C4 of Year Finalist (performance mods) 2019
3.54 or 3.73 in the D36 carrier are very common, unless you primarily do highway driving up 65/24/40, you should enjoy it.
Also a good idea to think about a better TC than the stock wimpy 1500rpm, a 2200-2400 in an LT1 car is much better to drive off the line.
Also a good idea to think about a better TC than the stock wimpy 1500rpm, a 2200-2400 in an LT1 car is much better to drive off the line.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 829
Likes: 192
I’m running 3.54’s in my 96 LT1 D36. Car came with 2.59. Big difference obviously. The only time I miss the 2.59 is on long highway trips. However, with the 3.45 we can still cruise 70mph at roughly 2500 rpm. It’s tolerable. The acceleration difference with the 3.54 is worth the trade. You can have the speedometer corrected in a pcm tune.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2003
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This I've always thought would be an 'ideal' situation! Much would depend on the price for either an '89 or '90 3.33 D44.
Pro
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 697
Likes: 162
From: Huntington WV
I've done the 2.59 to 3.07 swap in my last car. Really woke it up. 3.07 doesn't sound like much but it made my 94 touchy with the throttle. Best part is, it had little to no effect on mileage. Still got 26-27mpg highway. I'm going to do the same to my newly acquired 93.
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 4,206
Likes: 1,075
From: South Florida
I have a 3.5:1, and I would kill for a 3.07 or even 2.89 ratio. Absolutely keeeeel for it.
The numerically lower ratio improves fuel economy and allows a high power car to achieve higher MPH through each gear and put the increased area under the curve to use. How often does that happen, economy + useful power? Less spinning tires, more top end.
I would say instead of adding gear ratio to make up for lack of power, just add power instead. Consider a supercharger or turbo.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...post1605320283
The numerically lower ratio improves fuel economy and allows a high power car to achieve higher MPH through each gear and put the increased area under the curve to use. How often does that happen, economy + useful power? Less spinning tires, more top end.
I would say instead of adding gear ratio to make up for lack of power, just add power instead. Consider a supercharger or turbo.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...post1605320283
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Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 3,717
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From: Seattle Washington
The standard Performance Ratio is a factor of 10. In other words take your transmission 1st gear Ratio and multiply it by the Rear End Ratio. So lets say You have a 700r4 or a 4L60e with a 3.06 first gear. Take 3.06 X 3.33 = 10.18 so this is pretty darn close to 10. This is about the best You can do with street Tires. If You have a small cubic inch engine with a lot of Camshaft you might want to run a Ratio of 10.5 or 11. If You have a bigger cubic inch engine with lot of torque the You may want to go to 9.5 even a 9 Ratio. If You are running a TPI Engine its going to fall into the lots of mid range Torque range. Your 3.06 first Gear x 3.07 Gears are going to fall right into this at 9.39. Now for some bad news. If Your planning on getting Your Rear End rebuilt and install new gears despite what every catalog sez 3.54 and 3.73 are about the only gear ratios available any more. And the best US Gear Gears are no longer made and already gone.
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