Graphs of wheel torque vs. speed for various gears...

[hatsharpener]

Ask, and ye shall receive...
4.56 gears vs. 3.27 gears' torque to the wheels vs. rpm

Sweet!

Notice that no where on this graph does the wheel torque in 2nd gear (blue lines only or red lines only) ever equal the wheel torque in first gear. Thus you want to keep first gear all the way until redline. This should help illustrate what I was saying in the last thread for those who were confused over there. Thanks Dingleweed.

*edit*
Also, the differential gear is just a constant multiplier so the only different between the blue lines on all charts is the same amount across all RPM band. This is why gears make you feel like you get more power from your car.

 

[quick01snake]

sweet....and to think, these are w/ stock power levels....so w/ 4.56 gears in my car.....first gear would max around 5200 lb-ft at the wheels....DAMN....

 

[Sanchez]

I don't fear the gear but don't want to be a slave to one either. Those of us more interested in cruising than racing don't want to have to shift all the time (not that shifting is a bad thing mind you). I'm looking for a happy balance between not enough gear (3.27's) and maybe too much gear.

You don't really have to shift any more often with a steep rearend. With my old 4.56's, I just skipped 3rd gear when I was feeling lazy. The only real consideration about what makes too much gear is how much you drive on the highway and what speed is comfortable for you. 65 mph was a great cruising speed with 4.56's, and that was fine for my daily driving. If you drive on the highway more than me, you might want to go with 4.30's instead.

 

[hatsharpener]

You don't really have to shift any more often with a steep rearend. With my old 4.56's, I just skipped 3rd gear when I was feeling lazy. The only real consideration about what makes too much gear is how much you drive on the highway and what speed is comfortable for you. 65 mph was a great cruising speed with 4.56's, and that was fine for my daily driving. If you drive on the highway more than me, you might want to go with 4.30's instead.

I have 4.56's as well, and I am in 5th gear before I leave the intersection if I am shifting below 2,200 RPM. I never have to shift again once I hit 5th gear. She'll pull on most other cars without breaking a sweat in 5th gear even if I am only giving her minimal gas. They are fun. It does make long trips further than 270 miles a bit more interesting though :rolling: