04BlackSSS2

my buddy here has a 2000 camaro ss auto (212). he dose a lot of highway driving. he ran a 8.8 in a 1/8. the door jam sticker says hes got 3.23. he wants to put in 3.73, but is afraid of the highway speed (gas milage) what do you guys think about the 3.73 on highway? what gears do you suggest

TXZ28LS1

iTrader: (5)

i went with 3.73.. but i was coming from 2.73...

if u do alot of highway driving look into 3.42's.

JHL88

if he wants to feel a better difference go 3.73's and it also depends on how heavy his foot is if he likes to race from a roll or just hammer it down while he's cruising.

omcar

iTrader: (10)

If he's not racing don't do it.

Irocem99

I have a 99 TA with 2:73's argg..I'm thinking about going to 3:73's Its my daily driver,but I don't go too far..Just want more punch..3:42's or 3:73's..? pro's con's?

DevilDougWS6

iTrader: (8)

3.42s are ok for a 6 speed car esp on the highway, 3.73s is what im going to for my ws6 m6 for racing. im assuming you have an automatic? i would go 3.42s

Irocem99

I do have an a4.. I'm just worried about keeping the tires on the ground with 3:73's

EnfuegoZ28

3.42 is a happy medium between good driving performance and good racing performance. 3.73s are alot better for racing. So it really depends on what you are going to do with the car, mostly driving with a little racing I would say 3.42s, mostly racing with little or no driving I would say 3.73s for an A4.

Irocem99

I had an Iroc with 3:45's,M5 it was really fun.Quick.. My friend had an 83 Daytona 500 recaro edition TA with LG4,M5..He had 3:73's ,That was really fun..Blew the gears,told the shop to put in 3:73's they screwed us and it felt like 3:23's,the car was a total dog,no fun to drive..

robdawg13

My 3.73's are supposed to be delivered today . I thought about going with 3.42's since we don't really race the car, but the guy I talked to at Thunder Racing said most people with A4's that buy 3.42 end up coming back later for 3.73. Came down to that I want to do it once and do it right. Hopefully I won't be sorry.

caliswangin916

iTrader: (3)

went from a 10 bolt 3.23 to strange s60 3.73. 373's keep the rpm too high for my liking. on the freeway, i'm at 2700 rpm at 80mph, when stock 3.23's were at 2250 rpm. haven't done any had launches yet but from about 60-70mph and going wot, it feels really good. trap speed remained the same at around 105 mph for a virtually stock ss a4.
another thing you should consider is gear whine/noise due to a taller gear that can happen. i've got whine but can handle it so far. a few different things can cause gear noise and supposedly a taller gear is one of them from reading on here.

TORK?

iTrader: (27)

3.73 from 2.73 here. The rpm difference on the highway is pretty dramatic. The best way I could describe it is like driving around with the shifter in 3 on the highway. 60mph=~2,000rpm 65mph=~2250rpm and so on. I've just changed my driving habits on the highway to compensate. I used to cruise at like 75 and it was barely above 2k. Now I stay about 65-67 and its nearly the same.

You definitely don't want to get 3.73 is you like to go 80+ for long periods of time.

Irocem99

Is it because its loud or what? Is it just the sound that bothers you or is it seeing the RPM's so high?

DevilDougWS6

iTrader: (8)

the higher the final drive gear ratio, the higher rpms you will be at when driving, depending. if its a daily driver, then i would get 3.42s, they come stock in the ws6s and are good for racing but dont over kill on high rpms on the highway. 3.73s are going to be too high for that car. but believe me, they are not going to lift the tires off the ground, you need alot more than that to pull wheels. and its not even the AMOUNT of work you have, its the right setup (weight transfer from the front wheels to the rear)

DevilDougWS6

iTrader: (8)

and at a higher rpm you are going to guzzle fuel.

Irocem99

I'm not worried about gas mileage.. My buddy had 3:73's and the car was super fun to drive..

RAGENZ28

iTrader: (5)

The difference from a 3.42 to a 3.73 isn't going to be a big difference. People might try to tell you it is this huge difference but you can use a calculator and see that couple hundred rpm is obviously not a huge difference.

I had a 3 speed auto with 4.86's, that's a big difference on the freeway. 3.73 for an auto is a great gear, you can run 3.42, but I would only run a 3.42 if you're going to go FI or add nitrous later. For an all motor car with an A4 3.73 if the way to go.

TORK?

iTrader: (27)

Both for me. I'd imagine it would drink gas like a sailor if I kept it at a constant 80. Avg highway mpg went from about 25 to 22.

I'm not dissing 3.73 in any way. I wouldn't change a thing. You just have to adjust your driving habits a bit and take the downsides with the positive. And believe me, when you mash the gas you'll forget about the highway stuff

Not sure where you're getting your info, but all WS6 A4's came with 3.23's. And as for lifting the tires I'm sure there are hundreds of people on this board pulling tire with 3.23's let alone 3.73. Fwiw, my left front tire came off the ground on my 1.58 60' run with stock suspension.

jebuzws6

iTrader: (5)

about how much more gas will the 3.73 waste than 3.42? Because I was thinking about getting some 3.73 for quicker racing... but I also drive 70miles a day and if I go to school its like 130miles a day

Irocem99

I'm not going to really race the car..And I don't drive that far to work,like 15 miles. I just want to,as some people refer to it as waking the car up..I just think it would be so much more fun to drive..And even with 2:73's I'm impressed with how fast it is.1st gear must be really deep in the A4 to get it to take off so good..I'm curious why anyone would want 4:11's in a M6..You would have to almost start off in 2nd gear,1st would go so fast,how would that be fun..Even for racing that sounds like it would be worthless..