I can't understand why anyone would want an effective 5th gear ratio which
would spin the motor over 2000-2500rpm at 70mph. 5th should be a deep
overdrive, IMHO. You do all of your racing, obviously including autocross,
"ex" 5th
gear. Even for road racing, given the Tiger's weight and the nature of its OHV
V8 motor (unless you've built an absolute on/off switch of a motor, which is
not going to cut it for road racing anyhow), you don't need more than 4
gears, with 4th being right at a 1:1, direct drive. If you're "out of the
powerband" at 70mph in 5th, DOWNSHIFT...it makes more sense than the
compromises of
having a useless 1st gear and trying to effect an awkward 4th-5th shift
while racing. Now, if 1st was out of the H-pattern and needed to get a car
with a
very peaky motor rolling and 5th was a direct top (like racing 5 speeds), I
might think differently Save that T-5, 5th gear for its intended purpose.
Just my two cents-
Mike Wood
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