Do Gears Improve Acceleration?

does it improve acceleration- it depends on what type of performance measure you are looking at.

The gears have to be matched to your application (what event are you trying to do the best at).

As an example- Accelerating to 60mph is a common measure so most manufacturers set up the diff gear to be able to hit 60 in second gear so that they don’t lose time with an extra shift (See the attached image for a t3650 transmission and 3.27 gears). With the stock 6k redline you have to shift an extra time to get to 60 with 3.73 or higher gear ratios so your 0-60 time might be hurt with higher gear ratios. On the flip side that higher gear ratio can be optimized for better 1/8 or 1/4 mile times - on our 5 speeds you usually want to be near the top of 4th at the finish line (right balance of gear shifts and torque multiplication). There are countless threads on discussing the tire size, gear ratio, shift points, and launch points to get the best possible times.

Rough calculations (I don’t know if you have a stock transmission) - at 70mph seems like you should be near redline in 3rd. Assuming you have a Bolton v6 (and have good traction) your trap speed is probably 85-90mph in the 1/4 mile. Your gear ratio of 4.56 might be the ideal setup for your car for 1/4 mile (top of 4th gear) and 0-70 mph (top of third gear). If you swap to a v8 or add a power adder you probably need less gear to get the best possible time because you will have the power to support a higher trap speed (you would ‘run out of gear’). This is why 4.10’s are popular with NA v8 SN-95’s up to trap speeds in the low 100 mph range (i’m not adjusting tire height for simplicity).

Too much gear and you run out of gear on your event, insert an extra shift (the time shifting could negate the gear advantage), or you could multiply the torque too much that you negate your advantage by spinning your tires. So in the end - it depends if it helps with acceleration or not - it depends on your event you are trying to get better at.