Am i the first EVER to be unimpressed with a gear swap??!!!

To each their own I guess.

I went from 3.08s to 3.73s and it was like night and day. I still have my 89 with 3.73s in my garage next to me 93 Cobra with 3.27s. 3.27s to 3.73s still feel like night and day.
 
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my first gear change was from 2.73 to 3.27's for the DD a had a shift kit installed too. it was night and day diff, then when i relieved her of DD status i put 373's in an didn't notice much change from 327 to 373, it felt slower when stompin it on the highway to pass.
 
2.73 to 3.55 was a huge difference in my 89 vert increasing repsonse in low to mid range. Agree with lang above that it does feel slower at the top end like when freeway passing. Of course, shifting the power band is pretty much what it does..
 
thread back from the dead! i am happy with the swap. I know the accelleration is improved, but i think i was expecting more of a 'snap' when i hit it, i think its because its a smooth accelleration that i'm not getting the punch i expected.....
unanswered question: if i'm at 2400 in 5th (at about 75 mph) now with the 3:73's, and was at about 1900 before, were the old gears 2:73's or 3:08's????
ok so i just did some math, and i think that makes the old gears 3:08's???? this makes no sense to me because the diff code came back as 2:73, so who would swap 2:73's to 3:08's on an otherwise COMPLETELY stock car??? ideas?
 
car was COMPLETELY stock when i bought it, and i checked the code on the diff tag a long time ago. it was 2:73, but i'll have to go count the teeth i guess. At 120km/h, in 5th i'm about 600 rpm's higher than before.....

Mine still has the 2.73 tag on it. But 4.10s reside there now! I felt a big difference! But with my 94, it had 308s and I put a 373 in it and could tell a difference, but not drasticaly. My wife couldnt tell a difference though :shrug:
 
thread back from the dead! i am happy with the swap. I know the accelleration is improved, but i think i was expecting more of a 'snap' when i hit it, i think its because its a smooth accelleration that i'm not getting the punch i expected.....
unanswered question: if i'm at 2400 in 5th (at about 75 mph) now with the 3:73's, and was at about 1900 before, were the old gears 2:73's or 3:08's????
ok so i just did some math, and i think that makes the old gears 3:08's???? this makes no sense to me because the diff code came back as 2:73, so who would swap 2:73's to 3:08's on an otherwise COMPLETELY stock car??? ideas?

are you sure you did the math right then? i don't see why anyone would waste their time with a gear swap like that. with my 4.10's, in 5th gear i'm spinning about 3k at 65ish. i haven't driven on the highway in a while so i don't remember exactly. but it's up there.
 
:nonono: Okay, I just read about 5 of the posts on here, and got tired of hearing that you're supposed to break-in gears. IF your gears are installed correctly there is NO break-in period. How many nascar stock cars do you see "breaking-in" their freshly installed gears driving up and down the street calmly and gently. Or how many funny cars do you see making grocery runs, etc.

Even if they are installed incorrectly there is no break-in period, they're going to get f'ed up no matter how you drive it. :bang:

Get gears installed professionally and drive it how you want. That's it.
I know this is a huge debate and this won't end it, but I just had to say it.

Getting back on topic now:

As far as being dissapointed; If you actually noticed the difference for the better then it worked. If not, then you either chose the wrong gear ratio or you're driving your car differently.

I went from 2.73's to 3.73's and noticed a huge difference. You're old gears should actually have the ratio stamped on them.

HP is what spins the tires, torque puts the HP to the ground, gears are torque. You don't get a lower gear ratio to spin the tires, they're designed to get the power to the ground and get a better launch off the line.
 
:nonono: Okay, I just read about 5 of the posts on here, and got tired of hearing that you're supposed to break-in gears. IF your gears are installed correctly there is NO break-in period. How many nascar stock cars do you see "breaking-in" their freshly installed gears driving up and down the street calmly and gently. Or how many funny cars do you see making grocery runs, etc.

Even if they are installed incorrectly there is no break-in period, they're going to get f'ed up no matter how you drive it. :bang:

Get gears installed professionally and drive it how you want. That's it.
I know this is a huge debate and this won't end it, but I just had to say it.

Getting back on topic now:

As far as being dissapointed; If you actually noticed the difference for the better then it worked. If not, then you either chose the wrong gear ratio or you're driving your car differently.

I went from 2.73's to 3.73's and noticed a huge difference. You're old gears should actually have the ratio stamped on them.

HP is what spins the tires, torque puts the HP to the ground, gears are torque. You don't get a lower gear ratio to spin the tires, they're designed to get the power to the ground and get a better launch off the line.

that last thing you said makes no sense. horsepower has no relation to spinning the tires.

and engine makes torque, EVERY ENGINE makes TORQUE (an actual force), no engine makes horsepower, horsepower is NOT a force, its a figure/measurment of how fast and effiecient the torque is working.

any car you ride in, if a car puts you in the seat thats torque doing that, torque does everything. horse power is nothing more than a measurment.



a set of heads, or cam, or intake that puts more air into the engine, along with more fuel you have more bang and that bigger BANG int he chamber pushes HARDER on the piston on its downward stroke, a harder pushing force is more torque. since your bringing in more air and fuel and buring alot faster and more efficiently. your horsepower figure also goes up.

as far as tirespin, alot of power makes tirespin easier to achieve, but most of it is in the driver, the tires and the suspension and the weight of the car.

a car that spins the tires easier has alot of torque, i noticed my tires spin alot more with gears. gears dont "put power to the ground" the mulitply your torque figure and thus more torque will be applied to the rear wheels, the tires WILL be more likely to spin than before, if your suspension and tires are right you will not spin. bad tires and un tuned suspension, you will spin the tires (if you werent already.) my car for instance has lots of traction problems on the street, first is completely useless, and second will spin willingly. but at the track i put the ET streets on and it becomes a new animal and leaves the line hard, if i were to put say 4.30s or something in my car now ( currently run 3.90s) i wouldnt be helping the situation, it would amplify and and spin the tires that much easier.
 
Can someone supply some info from a gear vendor stipulating that no break-in is required. At that point I might change my thoughts (though probably not since a break-in hurts nothing).


We're talkin about street cars that will have this gear for hundreds of thousands of miles here, not track cars that receive hugely expensive (and treated) parts which are inspected/replaced constantly.
 
Can someone supply some info from a gear vendor stipulating that no break-in is required. At that point I might change my thoughts (though probably not since a break-in hurts nothing).


We're talkin about street cars that will have this gear for hundreds of thousands of miles here, not track cars that receive hugely expensive (and treated) parts which are inspected/replaced constantly.

+1
 
:nonono: Okay, I just read about 5 of the posts on here, and got tired of hearing that you're supposed to break-in gears. IF your gears are installed correctly there is NO break-in period. How many nascar stock cars do you see "breaking-in" their freshly installed gears driving up and down the street calmly and gently. Or how many funny cars do you see making grocery runs, etc.

Even if they are installed incorrectly there is no break-in period, they're going to get f'ed up no matter how you drive it. :bang:

Get gears installed professionally and drive it how you want. That's it.
I know this is a huge debate and this won't end it, but I just had to say it.

Getting back on topic now:

As far as being dissapointed; If you actually noticed the difference for the better then it worked. If not, then you either chose the wrong gear ratio or you're driving your car differently.

I went from 2.73's to 3.73's and noticed a huge difference. You're old gears should actually have the ratio stamped on them.

HP is what spins the tires, torque puts the HP to the ground, gears are torque. You don't get a lower gear ratio to spin the tires, they're designed to get the power to the ground and get a better launch off the line.

The Nascar is a great comparison to a car that will see 100,000+ miles potentially.

Especially since a Nascar engine, after a race, is replaced typically.

I guess every month or so, I change out my rear-end. That sounds real practical.

Atleast, that is what I gather:)

I would also like to see a gear manufacturer say anything about "there is no break-in required.":nice:
 
Have any of you ever "broken in" gears on a brand new car???? Doubt it. Same thing, isn't it?


Break in in merely heat cycling to releive stresses. It's better to do it, but not the end of the world if you don't

How many people properly bed in their brakes after a fresh brake job?? I know my mom sure as hell doesn't, but it does help to do it
 
Most folks break in the entire car when new - they dont beat the engine or drivetrain for a little bit.

Again, just because someone doesn't feel or notice something doesn't mean it's not there or isn't doing harm.
 
lets start with this question...how useless is 1st at wot now?

1st was always fairly useless. It used to take me to maybe 40 km/h??? never really paid close attention. Now maybe 30? It's definetly an improvement in accelleration though. My point is that i was expecting more than what i got from the swap based on everyone's opinion that a gear swap is insane. As i said before, i think i was expecting to stomp the throttle and just be thrown back in the seat, which i didnt get at all. I'm still glad i did it, but i just feel like it may be hyped up more than what i thought it would bring.