3.73 gears?
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 128
Likes: 0
From: NJ
3.73 gears? I curently have 3.23 (stock) A4 gears on my z28, the original owner of the car gave me 7" 3.73 gears and told me i should install them.
Since i dont know much about rears, would upgrading to the 3.73 gears help? anything i should be aware of? any bad things that go with this rear? they seem pretty popular so i doubt its to bad but i just want to be sure
i usually city drive (its my DD) but during the summer i do alot of highway driving.
Since i dont know much about rears, would upgrading to the 3.73 gears help? anything i should be aware of? any bad things that go with this rear? they seem pretty popular so i doubt its to bad but i just want to be sure
i usually city drive (its my DD) but during the summer i do alot of highway driving.
3.73 is about as low as you wanna go, you will notice a difference in acceleration, and a slight increase in cruising Rpm. and lose a lil milage, to do it right, you need a master install kit that comes with the bearings and other stuff needed to do the job. If the gearset is used dont expect it to be quiet, if its new thats ok, however I believe the stock ring gear diameter is 7.5 not 7.
Launching!
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 260
Likes: 0
From: SOUTH CAROLINA
Hi,gears are good for the street/strip. You will find a big difference in the torque/power curve. I'm running 3.73 in my a-4........ You will need someone with good working knowledge to set everything up properly. Good luck and have a blessed day.......jim
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Joined: Dec 2001
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From: Central Indiana Honors: 4th grade spelling bee contestant
I have them in my A4-equipped '00 'bird, and I like them. Accelerating is much more fun
As already mentioned above, a decrease in gas mileage & higher RPM's are a trade off. You will also want to have the car tuned for the 3.73 gears. The shift points will be all out of whack. Don't bother with a handheld unit like a Hypertech. Save your money and have it done professionally.
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Brett Foote Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 128
Likes: 0
From: NJ
They won't really "help" anything....more like "contribute"
I have them in my A4-equipped '00 'bird, and I like them. Accelerating is much more fun As already mentioned above, a decrease in gas mileage & higher RPM's are a trade off.
You will also want to have the car tuned for the 3.73 gears. The shift points will be all out of whack. Don't bother with a handheld unit like a Hypertech. Save your money and have it done professionally.
I have them in my A4-equipped '00 'bird, and I like them. Accelerating is much more fun
As already mentioned above, a decrease in gas mileage & higher RPM's are a trade off. You will also want to have the car tuned for the 3.73 gears. The shift points will be all out of whack. Don't bother with a handheld unit like a Hypertech. Save your money and have it done professionally.
TECH Fanatic
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 1,358
Likes: 0
From: Michigan
my gears, kit, oil...330$ I just called to see what the total install was===325$
frost tune 150$..can't fking wait...but it just dumped 1/2 inch ice and 4" snow in michigan after 3 day's of 50degree weather.. don't know how I'll drive it back to storage with the new gears..dammit
If I were you..
I would sell the gears and install kit and buy a nice converter. Ptc sells an amazing converter for 500$ shipped, buy a good trans cooler for 50$ and you are ready to go.
Why?
The gears are going to hurt you mpg wise anything above 60mph. A converter will drive exactly like stock above lockup, usually around 40mph. In pure city driving you can expect about a 1-2mpg decrease. If you had 273 I would say go for it, the difference between 323 and 373 is very small though.323 gears are a great gear for a street car that sees limited track time.
Gears are going to maybe, and big emphasis on maybe pick you up .2, I would expect more like .1 reduction. A decent converter is a guaranteed .5+ reduction.
Full bolt ons with 373 will get you in the 1.8 60'... stock gears full bolt ons and converter 1.5-1.6 range.. big! Difference.
A converter should be the first mod to an a4, it is the heart of most any build. It is a necessity for a cam, etc..
I would sell the gears and install kit and buy a nice converter. Ptc sells an amazing converter for 500$ shipped, buy a good trans cooler for 50$ and you are ready to go.
Why?
The gears are going to hurt you mpg wise anything above 60mph. A converter will drive exactly like stock above lockup, usually around 40mph. In pure city driving you can expect about a 1-2mpg decrease. If you had 273 I would say go for it, the difference between 323 and 373 is very small though.323 gears are a great gear for a street car that sees limited track time.
Gears are going to maybe, and big emphasis on maybe pick you up .2, I would expect more like .1 reduction. A decent converter is a guaranteed .5+ reduction.
Full bolt ons with 373 will get you in the 1.8 60'... stock gears full bolt ons and converter 1.5-1.6 range.. big! Difference.
A converter should be the first mod to an a4, it is the heart of most any build. It is a necessity for a cam, etc..
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 128
Likes: 0
From: NJ
If I were you..
I would sell the gears and install kit and buy a nice converter. Ptc sells an amazing converter for 500$ shipped, buy a good trans cooler for 50$ and you are ready to go.
Why?
The gears are going to hurt you mpg wise anything above 60mph. A converter will drive exactly like stock above lockup, usually around 40mph. In pure city driving you can expect about a 1-2mpg decrease. If you had 273 I would say go for it, the difference between 323 and 373 is very small though.323 gears are a great gear for a street car that sees limited track time.
Gears are going to maybe, and big emphasis on maybe pick you up .2, I would expect more like .1 reduction. A decent converter is a guaranteed .5+ reduction.
Full bolt ons with 373 will get you in the 1.8 60'... stock gears full bolt ons and converter 1.5-1.6 range.. big! Difference.
A converter should be the first mod to an a4, it is the heart of most any build. It is a necessity for a cam, etc..
I would sell the gears and install kit and buy a nice converter. Ptc sells an amazing converter for 500$ shipped, buy a good trans cooler for 50$ and you are ready to go.
Why?
The gears are going to hurt you mpg wise anything above 60mph. A converter will drive exactly like stock above lockup, usually around 40mph. In pure city driving you can expect about a 1-2mpg decrease. If you had 273 I would say go for it, the difference between 323 and 373 is very small though.323 gears are a great gear for a street car that sees limited track time.
Gears are going to maybe, and big emphasis on maybe pick you up .2, I would expect more like .1 reduction. A decent converter is a guaranteed .5+ reduction.
Full bolt ons with 373 will get you in the 1.8 60'... stock gears full bolt ons and converter 1.5-1.6 range.. big! Difference.
A converter should be the first mod to an a4, it is the heart of most any build. It is a necessity for a cam, etc..
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 593
Likes: 0
From: Pinetop, AZ
I think you'd like the gears, and what a custom dyno tune for your car would do, especially if you are not going to the track where a converter MIGHT help some. (you'll need sticky tires to take advantage of it)
Or do them all one at a time and performance wise you'd be pretty impressed.
A good dyno tune will adjust the speedo as a side light, but not only get at the power your car has, it can actually pick up some hp and mpg.
Or do them all one at a time and performance wise you'd be pretty impressed.
A good dyno tune will adjust the speedo as a side light, but not only get at the power your car has, it can actually pick up some hp and mpg.
Make sure since yours is mainly a street car to pay attention to the shift extensions. I would look at something around a 3600 with a 2.2STR or so, I highly recommend a PTC.
I'm not fan of gears in a stock 10 bolt if you already have 323s to begin with. More stress on the 10 bolt with minimal performance gains and also hurts Mpg, big deal with a mainly street car for most people.
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 128
Likes: 0
From: NJ
I would sell your converter and gears and buy a different converter, you might even have some left over after that, use it for the install or whatever you want.
Make sure since yours is mainly a street car to pay attention to the shift extensions. I would look at something around a 3600 with a 2.2STR or so, I highly recommend a PTC.
I'm not fan of gears in a stock 10 bolt if you already have 323s to begin with. More stress on the 10 bolt with minimal performance gains and also hurts Mpg, big deal with a mainly street car for most people.
Make sure since yours is mainly a street car to pay attention to the shift extensions. I would look at something around a 3600 with a 2.2STR or so, I highly recommend a PTC.
I'm not fan of gears in a stock 10 bolt if you already have 323s to begin with. More stress on the 10 bolt with minimal performance gains and also hurts Mpg, big deal with a mainly street car for most people.
Ill look into the PTC 3600. Im not sure what the 2.2STR means but ill try to find it lol
