[CFever] Gear Vendors OD unit for C5
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Joined: Oct 2000
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St. Jude Donor '03-'04
Cruise-In 1-2-3-4-5 Veteran
[CFever] Gear Vendors OD unit for C5
This month's Corvette Fever has a bit on page 12 about a new OD unit that can be fitted to a C5 with either manual or auto trans. It says eight ratios become available with a MN6 and five speeds with the MX0. Is this a solution in search of a problem?
"Gear Vendors supplied the Overdrive units for the Twin-Turbo Callaway Corvettes, so the Corvette isn't new to them, but the C5's rear-mounted transmission makes a typical Overdrive unit unworkable. Gear Vendors designed this unit to be installed directly behind the engine on C5 Corvettes. Available by the time you read this, the kit comes with a new, shorter torque tube and self-contained Overdrive. The kit allows eight speeds manually or five full-automatic speeds with the 4L60E. This Overdrive is designed to work in conjunction with a 3.42 or 3.73 differential gear. This allows the 3.73 rear gear to give better (3.09) fuel economy than the 3.15 Performance Axle option, and the 3.42's final gear (2.66) is still better than the standard 2.76's"
"Gear Vendors supplied the Overdrive units for the Twin-Turbo Callaway Corvettes, so the Corvette isn't new to them, but the C5's rear-mounted transmission makes a typical Overdrive unit unworkable. Gear Vendors designed this unit to be installed directly behind the engine on C5 Corvettes. Available by the time you read this, the kit comes with a new, shorter torque tube and self-contained Overdrive. The kit allows eight speeds manually or five full-automatic speeds with the 4L60E. This Overdrive is designed to work in conjunction with a 3.42 or 3.73 differential gear. This allows the 3.73 rear gear to give better (3.09) fuel economy than the 3.15 Performance Axle option, and the 3.42's final gear (2.66) is still better than the standard 2.76's"
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 17,602
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From: Palm City Florida
Re: [CFever] Gear Vendors OD unit for C5 (Matt Black)
I guess it's for better Gas mileage... :rolleyes:
What geek bought a Vette for the gas mileage. We already get embarassingly good mileage.
Geez, I get better mileage than anything else in my driveway (even with my foot in it) :D
What geek bought a Vette for the gas mileage. We already get embarassingly good mileage.
Geez, I get better mileage than anything else in my driveway (even with my foot in it) :D
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 1,763
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From: Austin TX
Re: [CFever] Gear Vendors OD unit for C5 (Matt Black)
I dont see how this is really useful with the M6 or A4 that we have. Now if they'd build a front mount GV overdrive with a rear mount TH400, they'd really have something.
Eric
Eric
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St. Jude Donor '03-'04
Cruise-In 1-2-3-4-5 Veteran
Re: [CFever] Gear Vendors OD unit for C5 (66ImpalaLT1)
I suppose that fuel economy might be an issue for a techno-perfectionist. If the install gives the driver with a performance 3.73 rear gear better highway mileage than the G92 option, it would be an interesting point...for the driver that piles on the highway miles.
Eight forward speeds with a manual, now...but still only six ratios to shift through? Would be another option for the driver that wants to pick that perfect gear ratio, but would you figure, on a drag strip, the unit would never engage, so there'd be no ET advantage?
Eight forward speeds with a manual, now...but still only six ratios to shift through? Would be another option for the driver that wants to pick that perfect gear ratio, but would you figure, on a drag strip, the unit would never engage, so there'd be no ET advantage?
