Guys I'm just wondering why I rarely read about gear upgrades. Honestly almost any modded GT will have 4.10s, its a must have mod. I'm just curious why most terminator owners don't upgrade the rear gearing, what gives:??:
Originally posted by larryc7777
There's a couple of ways to look at 03 gearing. Usually, lower gearing is used as a substitute for torque. That's why small engines with big tires NEED big gears, even if they make good HP at the upper rpm range. You can't launch a car very well that doesn't have decent low end torque.
Our situation is somewhat different. We have a fairly small engine, BUT we have massive torque(especially pullied). Lower gearing, in our case, mandates tire upgrades. The stock tires are marginal at best.
Another aspect of our cars that comes into play is the DURATION of our power. My car makes over 450 ft lb of torque from 2500-6000 rpm. With this much available power, I feel that it is beneficial to allow the engine to "pull" in each gear. Too low of a gear ratio can "flash" through a gear too quickly. If the tires break loose, you have to "pedal" to regain traction or shift to the next gear so that the torque is less. Then the tires can get a bite again.
The stock 3.55s are a pretty good compromise for street and occassional strip use. If you tend to spend more weekends at the track, then 3.73s or 3.90s will still give decent street service but traction will be harder to comeby with street tires. For those hardcore drag strip junkies out there, 4.10s AND some good slicks are the way to go. Get a good shifter & clutch setup and be ready to hammer those powershifts cause they will happen quickly.:beer:
Originally posted by ntechnic
They're popular as hell with me, I LOVE my 4.10's. Car works much better with them.
Originally posted by Voice of Reason
Is there anyone out there running 3.73's? I would think this would be a great compromise gear. Just a little more than the stock 3.55's but not nearly the traction problems that 4.10's would give on the street.