Gearing question.....again
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 324
Likes: 2
From: Moreno Valley CA
Gearing question.....again
Just getting (hopefully various) opinions on gearing. More specifically, 3.15 vs 3.42. I can get a good deal on the 3.15 which is better than my current 2.73. My question will there be a significant difference? I know jumping up to 3.42 is a huge difference having read all the posts. I do want a significant difference. I will NOT be putting the car on a track or anything so retaining mileage is a plus.
So, if I could get 3.15 gears for a few hundred bucks who would recommend and who wouldn't? If not, why not? Thanks everyone for all the input.
So, if I could get 3.15 gears for a few hundred bucks who would recommend and who wouldn't? If not, why not? Thanks everyone for all the input.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 860
Likes: 0
From: Jacksonville Florida
Before the hordes of posters yelling 3.42 or higher get ahold of this post let me give you some good advice. Before you start modifying your C5...and definitely before you request opinions from others...you need to know EXACTLY what you want as the end goal of your modifications.
Do you want a daily driver with a bit more power? A street/strip machine? Dragster? Road-race setup? When you ask a blanket question such as "which are better...3.15's or 3.42's" you're going to get answers based on the respondent's view of what they value most and not you. This can sometimes lead to errors in modification and on these cars that can be quite expensive.
First criteria we need to look at is use. You say you won't be visiting a drag strip much if at all. You want to maintain good highway mileage. So I'll offer advice based on the fact you're looking for a daily driver or weekend car with a bit more power. See, I'm assuming things that may or may not be true already...
Next up...is that all you'll be changing? Will you be adding a torque converter at the same time? Will you be having the car dyno tuned or simply using a handheld scanner to change the gear ratio and thus the shift points? What other modifications does the car currently have? Any upcoming modifications in the near future?
Fill in some details and we can provide a more appropriate response based on your specific desires and vehicle...
Without these details I'd say add a baby torque converter while you're swapping out rear ends. It's very little additional labor as they'll be working on the same portion of the vehicle and now's the time to do it. I'd recommend the "Patches" Astro Van converter which has a stall speed only 400 to 450 rpm's over stock so you'll have none of the "slop" or "pedal push" of a high stall converter yet still see some performance improvement (do a search). Add the 3.15's and get the car dyno-tuned. The combination of the "Patches" converter, upgraded gears, and a dyno tune which will adjust shift points, firmness, add timing, remove torque management, lower fan temps, and other performance programming changes will definitely give you a nice seat-of-the pants boost.
Can you do all that and replace the 3.15's with 3.42's? Sure. But as you mentioned it'll be more expensive in your case. The torque converter referenced above is $212 from a forum vendor so if the difference in rear ends for you covers that...it's a no-brainer. If not, you might want to spring for the 3.42's as it will feel peppier. However if still on the stock runflats you can say goodbye to traction from a stop without traction control. Rainy days take on a new adventure all their own. Highway mileage will suffer over the 3.15's and the higher you go in horsepower the more limited traction becomes with the 3.42's.
If this is a part of a planned modification plan and you want to build a good all around foundation for a driver then the converter, 3.15's and dyno-tune are the ticket. If it's a quick dash to see how much power you can get from this one mod then go 3.42's as they'll definitely feel stronger than the 3.15's. Hope this helps.
Que the "3.42's or 3.90's" crowd in 3...2...1...
Do you want a daily driver with a bit more power? A street/strip machine? Dragster? Road-race setup? When you ask a blanket question such as "which are better...3.15's or 3.42's" you're going to get answers based on the respondent's view of what they value most and not you. This can sometimes lead to errors in modification and on these cars that can be quite expensive.
First criteria we need to look at is use. You say you won't be visiting a drag strip much if at all. You want to maintain good highway mileage. So I'll offer advice based on the fact you're looking for a daily driver or weekend car with a bit more power. See, I'm assuming things that may or may not be true already...
Next up...is that all you'll be changing? Will you be adding a torque converter at the same time? Will you be having the car dyno tuned or simply using a handheld scanner to change the gear ratio and thus the shift points? What other modifications does the car currently have? Any upcoming modifications in the near future?
Fill in some details and we can provide a more appropriate response based on your specific desires and vehicle...
Without these details I'd say add a baby torque converter while you're swapping out rear ends. It's very little additional labor as they'll be working on the same portion of the vehicle and now's the time to do it. I'd recommend the "Patches" Astro Van converter which has a stall speed only 400 to 450 rpm's over stock so you'll have none of the "slop" or "pedal push" of a high stall converter yet still see some performance improvement (do a search). Add the 3.15's and get the car dyno-tuned. The combination of the "Patches" converter, upgraded gears, and a dyno tune which will adjust shift points, firmness, add timing, remove torque management, lower fan temps, and other performance programming changes will definitely give you a nice seat-of-the pants boost.
Can you do all that and replace the 3.15's with 3.42's? Sure. But as you mentioned it'll be more expensive in your case. The torque converter referenced above is $212 from a forum vendor so if the difference in rear ends for you covers that...it's a no-brainer. If not, you might want to spring for the 3.42's as it will feel peppier. However if still on the stock runflats you can say goodbye to traction from a stop without traction control. Rainy days take on a new adventure all their own. Highway mileage will suffer over the 3.15's and the higher you go in horsepower the more limited traction becomes with the 3.42's.
If this is a part of a planned modification plan and you want to build a good all around foundation for a driver then the converter, 3.15's and dyno-tune are the ticket. If it's a quick dash to see how much power you can get from this one mod then go 3.42's as they'll definitely feel stronger than the 3.15's. Hope this helps.
Que the "3.42's or 3.90's" crowd in 3...2...1...
Last edited by Bounty; Feb 15, 2010 at 05:39 AM.
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 18,681
Likes: 47
From: Reno is so close to Hell you can see Sparks , State Of Confusion
St. Jude Donor '12-'13-'14
I have 3.15 gears in my Vette with a Chuck CoW tune and couldn't be happier, Before I got the tune I wanted 3.42, Now that I have the tune I am happy with the 3.15 gears, 3.42 would be fun, But not needed now.
Mr.Bill
Mr.Bill
Pro
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 554
Likes: 12
From: southeast
Before the hordes of posters yelling 3.42 or higher get ahold of this post let me give you some good advice. Before you start modifying your C5...and definitely before you request opinions from others...you need to know EXACTLY what you want as the end goal of your modifications.
Do you want a daily driver with a bit more power? A street/strip machine? Dragster? Road-race setup? When you ask a blanket question such as "which are better...3.15's or 3.42's" you're going to get answers based on the respondent's view of what they value most and not you. This can sometimes lead to errors in modification and on these cars that can be quite expensive.
First criteria we need to look at is use. You say you won't be visiting a drag strip much if at all. You want to maintain good highway mileage. So I'll offer advice based on the fact you're looking for a daily driver or weekend car with a bit more power. See, I'm assuming things that may or may not be true already...
Next up...is that all you'll be changing? Will you be adding a torque converter at the same time? Will you be having the car dyno tuned or simply using a handheld scanner to change the gear ratio and thus the shift points? What other modifications does the car currently have? Any upcoming modifications in the near future?
Fill in some details and we can provide a more appropriate response based on your specific desires and vehicle...
Without these details I'd say add a baby torque converter while you're swapping out rear ends. It's very little additional labor as they'll be working on the same portion of the vehicle and now's the time to do it. I'd recommend the "Patches" Astro Van converter which has a stall speed only 400 to 450 rpm's over stock so you'll have none of the "slop" or "pedal push" of a high stall converter yet still see some performance improvement (do a search). Add the 3.15's and get the car dyno-tuned. The combination of the "Patches" converter, upgraded gears, and a dyno tune which will adjust shift points, firmness, add timing, remove torque management, lower fan temps, and other performance programming changes will definitely give you a nice seat-of-the pants boost.
Can you do all that and replace the 3.15's with 3.42's? Sure. But as you mentioned it'll be more expensive in your case. The torque converter referenced above is $212 from a forum vendor so if the difference in rear ends for you covers that...it's a no-brainer. If not, you might want to spring for the 3.42's as it will feel peppier. However if still on the stock runflats you can say goodbye to traction from a stop without traction control. Rainy days take on a new adventure all their own. Highway mileage will suffer over the 3.15's and the higher you go in horsepower the more limited traction becomes with the 3.42's.
If this is a part of a planned modification plan and you want to build a good all around foundation for a driver then the converter, 3.15's and dyno-tune are the ticket. If it's a quick dash to see how much power you can get from this one mod then go 3.42's as they'll definitely feel stronger than the 3.15's. Hope this helps.
Que the "3.42's or 3.90's" crowd in 3...2...1...
Do you want a daily driver with a bit more power? A street/strip machine? Dragster? Road-race setup? When you ask a blanket question such as "which are better...3.15's or 3.42's" you're going to get answers based on the respondent's view of what they value most and not you. This can sometimes lead to errors in modification and on these cars that can be quite expensive.
First criteria we need to look at is use. You say you won't be visiting a drag strip much if at all. You want to maintain good highway mileage. So I'll offer advice based on the fact you're looking for a daily driver or weekend car with a bit more power. See, I'm assuming things that may or may not be true already...
Next up...is that all you'll be changing? Will you be adding a torque converter at the same time? Will you be having the car dyno tuned or simply using a handheld scanner to change the gear ratio and thus the shift points? What other modifications does the car currently have? Any upcoming modifications in the near future?
Fill in some details and we can provide a more appropriate response based on your specific desires and vehicle...
Without these details I'd say add a baby torque converter while you're swapping out rear ends. It's very little additional labor as they'll be working on the same portion of the vehicle and now's the time to do it. I'd recommend the "Patches" Astro Van converter which has a stall speed only 400 to 450 rpm's over stock so you'll have none of the "slop" or "pedal push" of a high stall converter yet still see some performance improvement (do a search). Add the 3.15's and get the car dyno-tuned. The combination of the "Patches" converter, upgraded gears, and a dyno tune which will adjust shift points, firmness, add timing, remove torque management, lower fan temps, and other performance programming changes will definitely give you a nice seat-of-the pants boost.
Can you do all that and replace the 3.15's with 3.42's? Sure. But as you mentioned it'll be more expensive in your case. The torque converter referenced above is $212 from a forum vendor so if the difference in rear ends for you covers that...it's a no-brainer. If not, you might want to spring for the 3.42's as it will feel peppier. However if still on the stock runflats you can say goodbye to traction from a stop without traction control. Rainy days take on a new adventure all their own. Highway mileage will suffer over the 3.15's and the higher you go in horsepower the more limited traction becomes with the 3.42's.
If this is a part of a planned modification plan and you want to build a good all around foundation for a driver then the converter, 3.15's and dyno-tune are the ticket. If it's a quick dash to see how much power you can get from this one mod then go 3.42's as they'll definitely feel stronger than the 3.15's. Hope this helps.
Que the "3.42's or 3.90's" crowd in 3...2...1...
This is very good advice. Determine what you want from the car and put a plan together. It's very helpful to check out other cars with the mods you want to do to see how they affect the car - you can't figure everything out from reading. Good Luck
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 166
Likes: 0
From: Quantico Virginia
Before the hordes of posters yelling 3.42 or higher get ahold of this post let me give you some good advice. Before you start modifying your C5...and definitely before you request opinions from others...you need to know EXACTLY what you want as the end goal of your modifications.
Do you want a daily driver with a bit more power? A street/strip machine? Dragster? Road-race setup? When you ask a blanket question such as "which are better...3.15's or 3.42's" you're going to get answers based on the respondent's view of what they value most and not you. This can sometimes lead to errors in modification and on these cars that can be quite expensive.
First criteria we need to look at is use. You say you won't be visiting a drag strip much if at all. You want to maintain good highway mileage. So I'll offer advice based on the fact you're looking for a daily driver or weekend car with a bit more power. See, I'm assuming things that may or may not be true already...
Next up...is that all you'll be changing? Will you be adding a torque converter at the same time? Will you be having the car dyno tuned or simply using a handheld scanner to change the gear ratio and thus the shift points? What other modifications does the car currently have? Any upcoming modifications in the near future?
Fill in some details and we can provide a more appropriate response based on your specific desires and vehicle...
Without these details I'd say add a baby torque converter while you're swapping out rear ends. It's very little additional labor as they'll be working on the same portion of the vehicle and now's the time to do it. I'd recommend the "Patches" Astro Van converter which has a stall speed only 400 to 450 rpm's over stock so you'll have none of the "slop" or "pedal push" of a high stall converter yet still see some performance improvement (do a search). Add the 3.15's and get the car dyno-tuned. The combination of the "Patches" converter, upgraded gears, and a dyno tune which will adjust shift points, firmness, add timing, remove torque management, lower fan temps, and other performance programming changes will definitely give you a nice seat-of-the pants boost.
Can you do all that and replace the 3.15's with 3.42's? Sure. But as you mentioned it'll be more expensive in your case. The torque converter referenced above is $212 from a forum vendor so if the difference in rear ends for you covers that...it's a no-brainer. If not, you might want to spring for the 3.42's as it will feel peppier. However if still on the stock runflats you can say goodbye to traction from a stop without traction control. Rainy days take on a new adventure all their own. Highway mileage will suffer over the 3.15's and the higher you go in horsepower the more limited traction becomes with the 3.42's.
If this is a part of a planned modification plan and you want to build a good all around foundation for a driver then the converter, 3.15's and dyno-tune are the ticket. If it's a quick dash to see how much power you can get from this one mod then go 3.42's as they'll definitely feel stronger than the 3.15's. Hope this helps.
Que the "3.42's or 3.90's" crowd in 3...2...1...
Do you want a daily driver with a bit more power? A street/strip machine? Dragster? Road-race setup? When you ask a blanket question such as "which are better...3.15's or 3.42's" you're going to get answers based on the respondent's view of what they value most and not you. This can sometimes lead to errors in modification and on these cars that can be quite expensive.
First criteria we need to look at is use. You say you won't be visiting a drag strip much if at all. You want to maintain good highway mileage. So I'll offer advice based on the fact you're looking for a daily driver or weekend car with a bit more power. See, I'm assuming things that may or may not be true already...
Next up...is that all you'll be changing? Will you be adding a torque converter at the same time? Will you be having the car dyno tuned or simply using a handheld scanner to change the gear ratio and thus the shift points? What other modifications does the car currently have? Any upcoming modifications in the near future?
Fill in some details and we can provide a more appropriate response based on your specific desires and vehicle...
Without these details I'd say add a baby torque converter while you're swapping out rear ends. It's very little additional labor as they'll be working on the same portion of the vehicle and now's the time to do it. I'd recommend the "Patches" Astro Van converter which has a stall speed only 400 to 450 rpm's over stock so you'll have none of the "slop" or "pedal push" of a high stall converter yet still see some performance improvement (do a search). Add the 3.15's and get the car dyno-tuned. The combination of the "Patches" converter, upgraded gears, and a dyno tune which will adjust shift points, firmness, add timing, remove torque management, lower fan temps, and other performance programming changes will definitely give you a nice seat-of-the pants boost.
Can you do all that and replace the 3.15's with 3.42's? Sure. But as you mentioned it'll be more expensive in your case. The torque converter referenced above is $212 from a forum vendor so if the difference in rear ends for you covers that...it's a no-brainer. If not, you might want to spring for the 3.42's as it will feel peppier. However if still on the stock runflats you can say goodbye to traction from a stop without traction control. Rainy days take on a new adventure all their own. Highway mileage will suffer over the 3.15's and the higher you go in horsepower the more limited traction becomes with the 3.42's.
If this is a part of a planned modification plan and you want to build a good all around foundation for a driver then the converter, 3.15's and dyno-tune are the ticket. If it's a quick dash to see how much power you can get from this one mod then go 3.42's as they'll definitely feel stronger than the 3.15's. Hope this helps.
Que the "3.42's or 3.90's" crowd in 3...2...1...
Wow...a piece of objective, informative, and well-reasoned advice. Let's not ruin it now with personal opinions of which is 'better' for the OP. Good stuff.
Life Time NCM #2196
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 82,610
Likes: 1,723
From: Converse TX
Team Owner
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 54,204
Likes: 180
From: S.W. Ohio. . . . . . NRA Life Member
I upgraded from the 3.15 to the 3.42 because I knew exactly where I wanted to end-up at. The 3.73 would of taken me to a spot that I didn't desire. We're all different.
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Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 860
Likes: 0
From: Jacksonville Florida
It is the "Mike Mercury" converter...