Peter,
I kept my original 2.88 rearend ratio and added positraction. I also
converted my transmission to a wide ratio setup. Not only the standard wide
ratio, but I swapped the 2.78 1st gear with a 2.90 1st gear from David Kee
Toploaders. The gear ratio spread now matches the first 4 gears of a 5 speed
exactly. I am running a 331 stroker, Dan Walters Torque arm and 13" wheels,
205/60-13. First gear gives outstanding acceleration, so hard that I can't even
dump the clutch from a standing start without completely frying the tires. I
even break loose from a rolling start at 20 mph. Same in second. Granted, a lot
of that has to do with the stroker engine, but even still the ultra low first
gear is a real stump puller, regardless of the engine. The best part (other
than the acceleration) is that I usually don't get into 4th gear driving around
town, only on the highway, which is perfect for getting better gas mileage,
especially with today's prices. In college I had a Tiger with a
close ratio transmission and 3.31 gears. The gear ratios were so close that I
spent all my time just shifting. First gear wasn't nearly as low as I now have
and in fourth gear I was turning 3500 rpm at 70 mph. Now I'm at around 3000 at
70 mph. In my opinion the wide ratio (or better yet the extra wide ratio) with
2.88 rearend gears is the best of both worlds, short of installing a 5 speed
and a heck of a lot cheaper I might add; several hundred vrs several thousand.
I highly recommend it.
I have attached an Excel workbook for close ratio, wide ratio and 5 speed
transmissions conversions. Plug in your tire size, maximum shift point rpm,
wide ratio 1st gear and 5 speed 5th gear ratios (all yellow background cells)
and it will compute your speed in each gear for 2.88, 3.07, 3.31, 3.54 and 3.73
rearend ratios. Go to the indidual worksheets for close ratio, wide ratio and 5
speed to compare rpm ranges for each individual gear for every rearend ratio.
These worksheets are good for determining how your engine's torque curve fits
into your shift points. Also compare the graphs on gear setups and
acceleration. You see that my wide ratio matches the 5 speed, except for
overdrive.
Hope this helps.
Gary
P.S. My brother-in-law went to Wharton. He's a self made millionaire. Good
luck.
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