At 01:55 PM 3/11/2006, you wrote:
> O.K., time for a new thread. Even though Bob Hokanson
> deserves the all time 'flushing out the lurkers' award, everyone
> glorying in their dotage is getting depressing. Bob gets the
> credit for this one too, since he provided the Excel sheet for
> trans calcs on T.U. which prompts my question.
> I'm hoping to do a 5 speed , but without a lot of experience
> actually driving a Tiger (as contrasted with years of squirming
> around on my back underneath one), I'm not sure what I'm seeing in
> the numbers I get on Bob's calculator. Steve Laifman, for one, has
> been effusive about the advantages of the wide ratio trans in the 4
> speed and the various 5 speeds are roughly identical in ratio to
> this in 2nd, 3rd and 4th. And since the .80 5th seems to be
> relative unobtainium without greater cash outlay, I'll exclude that for now.
> But 1st is more variable. The drop in 1st from 2.32 to 2.78
> made a lot of difference evidently. The drop from 2.78 to 3.35 is
> even greater. Is it worth trying to fiind a 2.95 1st gear box? Is
> dropping below the stock 2.88 rear end ratio with a 3.35 1st gear
> box a bad idea? My question is: from a real world [read
> 'driving'] point of view, what have the 5 speed people found to be
> good 'all around' combinations of 1st gear and rear end ratios and
> tire size. By 'all around' I mean something that can still
> embarass the occasional Porsche off stop lights without hitting 6
> grand at 10 mph and a reasonable agility in daily driving,
> autocross, and the occasional road race (not asking much am I?).
> Since 5 speeds are still a relative minority, people are
> welcome to reply off-list. Thanks for any input!
> Chris Hill
>
>All of the 5 speed transmissions I have sold and even the one in my
>blue Tiger are of the 2.95 first gear variety. This is the one you
>want to use. The 3.35 is too low even with the 2.88 OEM
>gearing. Some owners have reduced their differential ratios and
>most are happy in the 3.07 range with the 2.95 1st gear. Those with
>3.31 or higher (numerically) find that 1st gear is almost
>unuseable. I'm talking basically about street operation. For
>emphassis on autocross, sometimes the lower 2nd, and 3rd gears could
>be an advantage, so you have to decide on which is most important
>for your application. The 2.95 1st gear T-5 is very compareable to
>the wide ratio toploader on a driving basis, and you have the
>benifit of the OD gear.
I always wanted to put a 3.35 ratio T-5 in my 86 SVO Mustang, cause
the 3.50 4 cylinder 1st gear in that car is way too low. Another
project still in waiting.
Tom Hall
ModTiger Engineering LLC
www.tigerengineering.net
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