Drag Racing ? (Gearing)

[blibby04gt]

I am currently looking at Rear gears for my 04 GT it has CAI,Exhaust,Throttle Body and spacer, My question is are 4:30's too steep for a Street driven car, i some times drive this car to a few area car shows and to the track, the track being 25 mins away from home or should i go with 4:10's, any questions and or advice would be greatly appreciated this is only my second full year going into drag racing.

 

[1fun281]

I daily drive my car wiht 4.30's for the last 2 years now, a little high on the highway, but other then that it does fine, my only highway miles is to the track, which is about a 35 minute ride...Get the 4.30's you wont regret it, and theyre awesome at the track!

 

[sneaky98gt]

If you are trying to gear it for best performance at the track, then you need to go with the steepest gear possible that will allow for the trap speed you are looking for.

Without knowing a desired trap speed (as well as the tire size you will be running), there's no way to suggest the optimum gear.

And if you are not concerned with gas mileage or traction on street tires, there's no such thing as too much gear on the street.

 

[bhuff30]

Depends on high fast you plan to be going at the end of the quarter. Ideally, your rpm at the top end of the track will be just above peak horsepower in 4th. Definitely make sure you don't run out of revs in 4th before hitting the limiter at the top end. If you are going to get a power adder, this could be a real concern.

 

[Deleted member 38176]

You will be hitting your rev limiter far before passing the traps, thus destroying your trap speeds.

I'd go with 4.10's

 

[Stumbaugh]

With a 26" tire, in 4th gear, at 6,200 rpm, you will be at 118mph with a 4.10 gear.
With a 26" tire, in 4th gear, at 6,200 rpm, you will be at 112mph with a 4.30 gear.

If you plan on staying N/A for a while, and just doing usual bolt on's. You will be fine with a 4.30 gear. If you plan on going with some sort of power adder at a later date, I would put 4.10's on it.

In the end tho.....DONT FEAR THE GEAR.

 

[blibby04gt]

Thank you for the input, the tire sizes are 275 45 r17, and the car will stay NA for the duration of it's life

 

[Maxpowers]

Can't comment on 4.30, but the 4.10's are perfect for me. Still able to get 21-23 highway, and have the extra performance.

I'd say go with the 4.30's, and just back off a little on the highway. Doing the speed limit, or 5 over and you will still get decent mileage.

 

[saxmanJJ]

You will be hitting your rev limiter far before passing the traps, thus destroying your trap speeds.

I'd go with 4.10's

Not necessarily.

For example, I trap at 120-121 MPH with 4.10s and 28" tires.
My rpms are about 6000 at the traps (i've looked at the tach at the traps).
Since I've set my rev-limiter to 6500 rpms, I have another 500 rpms to play with (by adding more power) before I run out of gear.
If I installed 4.30s, I would be revving at just under 6300 rpms at the traps, so I'd still be good in my case.

 

[slayerripkdc]

Saxman...what mods do you have for trapping in the 120's?

 

[Stumbaugh]

A 150 shot, long tubes, and some aftermarket cams will get you in the 121-123mph range in the 1/4.

 

[usaf_branham]

i used to run 4.10's before i put the blower on my car, i now have 3.73's. i switched them because i was bouncing off the rev limiter on the quarter mile with the kenne bell. when it comes to everyday street driving, i miss the 4.10's. they were not gas friendly and i couldnt catch traction at all in first or second, but man were they fun. i remember when i first put the 4.10's in, i actually thought that it wasnt enough gear and that maybe i should have went with 4.30's. if i were to have kept it na i would have went with 4.30 or even 4.56... dont fear the gear.