I only road race, and I don't like slicks. I built my Vette to look good, but when it comes to a race, I don't want to have to go and change my tires to hook. I am an automatic full bolt-on, cam, and now heads, and a whole bunch of nitrous. I currently have the stock 3:15 gear in the rear. That makes for a nice top end raceing, but I was thinking of going lower, like a 3:42 or a 3:73. Any ideas?

 

For road racing with an automatic, 3.42 would be the better choice.

Now you do understand that you will learn to shift that automatic. If you dont learn to shift the auto, the car will get unbalance in all the wrong places and it will feel like a bucking bronco. Down Shift at the end of the straight right before the trun in point of a corner.

In most cases you will use 2nd and 3rd, and seldom use drive and seldem ever see a top end. Most straights are not long enough to get above 140 and very very seldom 150 mph. In four years on the track I think I have seen 154 once, and 151 a handfull of times, yet 141-144 on longer straights. Many of the straights on most tracks 125-135 is all one does. Besides anyone can go fast on the straights, it takes skill to go fast in the corners. Top speed at the end of long straight is entierly based on corner exit speed prior to that straight.

It is all the short straights at WOT hard on the brakes, downshift, take the corner then hard the gas again.

If you dont have a bigger trans and diff coolers, plus oil cooler, and brake cooling time to take a good look at these items too.

Cooling or lack of cooling is the death of a corvertte on a road race circuit.

Come on over under the Corvette General forum, Auto XC and Road racing. Lots of guys over there with autos also.

and Nitrous is for drag racing not road racing. N2 cars on road race circuits dont last 20 to 40 min sessions. But each to their own.