I have had 3.73s in my car for the past 2 years and love them. I wish I did gears as my first mode but I waited over a year to buy them. I now have 4.10s waiting to be installed. I can say that the 3.73s are very fun but I can't wait until the 4.10s are in.
To be honest, i'm not much of a 1/4 mile racer. I rarely make passes at the track, so shaving 0.1 here and there isn't that much of a big deal to me.
I just love the feel of driving with the taller gears on the freeway. To be in 3rd at 45MPH and roll on the throttle past 70 and then shift into 4th feels great to me. I've driven friend's 4.6L's with 4.30's and even 4.56's and just didn't like it. It felt like on the highway i was running out of gear and wheezing. With the 3.27's, I felt as if i could stay in the gear longer when it started pulling hard.
I dunno, i'd rather make the car faster with HP rather than gear multiplication. I HATE how short 1st gear is in my 5.0 and HATE driving on the highway with it with 3.73's
Thanks for the reply. I've read your posts for the last few years and respect what you have to say.
Of course I'm not going to say you're wrong. It's all a matter of personal preference. I've alway believed that gears may not be so great for those that drive a lot of highway miles. Oh yeah, I have no problem with making a car faster with more HP.
However, I would have been disappointed with 3.73s and am very glad I got 4.10s
Early 2.0L Honda S2000's rev to 9000 rpm and make 150 lb-ft of torque at peak @ 6000 rpm. They need the gear (stock is 4.10, I believe). (Later 2.2L S2000's only rev to 8000, but the situation is the same, and the car runs pretty much the same 1/4 mile ET/traps.) A stock S2000 is about as fast as a stock 99-04 Mustang GT, but most of that comes in the 1st 1/8, as they are ~400 lbs. lighter. With 4.77 gears, they can be a bit quicker, but the main benefit is below VTEC engagement, where the shorter gear really improves drivability.
On a car that makes 300 lb-ft of torque, I would debate the *necessity* of running the same gearing as an S2000. I'd personally rather not have to buy slicks just to run around town with 4.77's But if I was running a dedicated drag car, I might run whatever gear lets me get to the end of the 1/4 the quickest. On a modded car turning higher rpms and making less power down low, gears are a better investment, IMHO.
4.10's were my perefrence and it was the best bang for the buck every but each to ther own.
I do drive a bit of HWY @ 70 MPH 2300-2400 RPM and with the 4.10's I get around 23-25 mpg and around 14-18 in town. The only thing you need to think about it the exhaust noise
Thanks for the reply. I've read your posts for the last few years and respect what you have to say.
Of course I'm not going to say you're wrong. It's all a matter of personal preference. I've alway believed that gears may not be so great for those that drive a lot of highway miles. Oh yeah, I have no problem with making a car faster with more HP.
However, I would have been disappointed with 3.73s and am very glad I got 4.10s
I guess you need to say there is no perfect gear. The driver needs to look at his combo, his driving preference and style and make a determination as to what gear would the best for him and his car.
That's why i stopped giving automatic responses when someone asks "What gears should I run" Instead i ask what their power level is, future power levels, what type of driver they are and other questions to get a better feel for what they would be happy with. Guys like me would love 3.27's or 3.55's, while other guys love their 4.56's.