Take rear w/3.42's out of formula for free???
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TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 612
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From: Northside Rocktown, AR
Take rear w/3.42's out of formula for free??? A guy in town offered me his rear w/factory 3.42's(mabey 3.23s cant remember now) for free and he'd swap it out for free, but im wondering if thats even worth the trouble for him, i have 2.73's factory now and was eventually going to upgrade to 3.73's, so should i wait and just keep my rear in and do a gear swap or would i do okay in benefitting from 3.42's/3.23's
TECH Apprentice
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 363
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From: tega cay, SC
Re: Take rear w/3.42's out of formula for free??? its almost faster to just swap out rear ends if you know what your doing. swapping gears is a pain in the *** even if you know exactly what ur doing.
Re: Take rear w/3.42's out of formula for free??? No question, swap the rear. Especially if it will be a direct swap, i.e., TCS to TCS setup.
It is MUCH more involved doing a gear swap than it is a whole rear-end swap. Plus if you ever want to "upgrade" (if you want to call it that) to a 3.73, you'll need the 3-series carrier from the 3.23 or 3.42 ratio diff. The 2.73 uses a 2-series carrier.
IMHO, the 3.42 is the perfect choice for an A4. I just installed a set of 3.42s to replace my 2.73s. I like it.
It is MUCH more involved doing a gear swap than it is a whole rear-end swap. Plus if you ever want to "upgrade" (if you want to call it that) to a 3.73, you'll need the 3-series carrier from the 3.23 or 3.42 ratio diff. The 2.73 uses a 2-series carrier.
IMHO, the 3.42 is the perfect choice for an A4. I just installed a set of 3.42s to replace my 2.73s. I like it.
TECH Fanatic
Joined: May 2002
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From: CT,
Re: Take rear w/3.42's out of formula for free??? 342s is a great all around gear for an A4. Just installed them in my car great feeling compared to 273s. IMO 373 in an A4 is leaning towards a track car, your car will top out alot faster with the 373s.
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 521
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From: Farmingdale NJ
Re: Take rear w/3.42's out of formula for free??? I have 3.42's in my car. Picked the rear up after I blew the stock 3.23's. Not a huge jump but it did make it feel a little better. From a 2.73 to a 3.42 you will definately take notice. Either way, if you plan to go 3.73 you'll have to forgo that 2.73 carrier anyway, so you will NEED that rear, or at least the carrier from it, anyway. It's a win-win either way, go for it 
