Jayjay2397

What's the perks of aftermarket gears?
Any good aftermarket gears for a DD , a little street racing here and there but nothing major.
I have a few mods that is an intake and exhaust system and torque arm but with the summer coming up im going to really mod my 2002 TA . Im going to throw in a cam , longtube headers , throttle body , possibly a fast manifold and some nitrous just to purge through the nostrils of the hood. Soo with that being said what are some good gears ? Any you recommend , do or donts when buying some .

SteveC

What transmission do you have A4 or M6?

Most people run 3.73 in A4 and 4.10 in M6. Here is a link to help you figure it out:

https://web.archive.org/web/20150205...ody.org/gears/

Jayjay2397

I have an A4 , but thank you very much!!

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

I would forget about a gear swap and upgrade the torque converter instead, that will negate much of the gains of a gear swap and give significantly better gains overall - at similar cost (assuming you can't do the gear swap yourself.) For a (mostly) street driven car, ~3500 stall speed range would be a good choice for both your current bolt-on setup as well as cam and headers in the future.

SteveC

I would not agree with this statement, first, you need to know where the power band starts in your engine. Sara (2001 Z28 LS1 5.7ltr (348cid) makes her power starting @ 3k rpm. I found that using 3.73:1 gears ALONG with a performance TC kept me closer to the power band than the stock 3.23:1 gears when the transmission shifted.

So Performance TC yes, along with the correct rear end gear ratio, DOES make all the difference in the world.

JMHO

Mike TA

iTrader: (6)

Not sure if budget is a concern but if it is, TC before gears for sure. You'll likely need one if your doing a cam anyway. A good TC is one of the best bang for your buck mods for an A4.

I ran 3.90s in my A4 and loved it.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

You will find that in real world track testing with LS1/4L60E combos (specific to drag racing, anyway) the gains going from 3.23 to 3.73 gears are limited to 0.1 second of ET reduction, maximum, usually less, when a 3500+ stall speed converter is already in place. Even a 2.73 to 3.73 swap is usually worth no more than 0.10-0.15 seconds of ET reduction. Many of us have seen this personally, many threads and posts on this site have cataloged it.

Gear ratio changes between the range of 2.73 to 3.73 just don't have much effect on measurable acceleration performance behind LS1/4L60E combos where a 3500+ stall speed is already in place. For stock converter applications, gear swaps produce better results but, again, this is mostly negated by the converter swap. The flash stall speed and improved shift extension of a 3500+ converter will keep your LS1 well within an optimized rpm range regardless of gear ratio ranging from 2.73 to 3.73 - which is why the ET reduction from such a ratio change, post-converter install, is so small.

The only real benefit to a gear swap once you already have a 3500+ stall speed is for those individuals who are bothered by the "looseness" of part throttle acceleration with the higher stall speed. This is rarely an issue when using a high quality, top shelf converter, but some are more sensitive to it and then the cost (and other downsides) of a gear swap may be worth it.

Jayjay2397

Then ill definitely keep these as options with out a doubt i highly appreciate all the info and advice guys!

SlasherVRGR

iTrader: (1)

An ls1 is 346ci, but that's beside the point. If your power comes in at 3k rpm and you get a 3500 stall, no matter what rear gears you have you'll always be over 3k at wot.

As previously stated by others the stall is a much better option in an auto. I made the mistake of going to 3.73s from 3.23s and it did really nothing for performance. The major difference really is my speedometer is off, that and my highway mileage went directly into the toilet.

Worst part about my whole situation is I paid for the gears and bearings and 400$ for install. If I would have just bought a good converter I could have installed that myself and gained more, paid about the same if not less, and still had an accurate speedometer.

If you do decide converter over gears, be sure to grab a trans cooler aswell. Gotta keep the fluid temps down.

SteveC

Well sir, you have your opinion and I have mine, and oh by the way 5.7ltr = 347.837 inches, so rounded up it is a 348 cid, but as you state "it is beside the point".

I average 18.5 mpg on the open road with a Y3000 and 3.73:1 gears. With the stock setup I was averaging 23 mpg open road, however Sara is a lot more fun to drive now.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

The LS1 isn't a true "5.7L" though....that figure is already rounded. It's more like 5.665L, which equals 345.699ci - but they are rounded to "5.7L" and "346ci", respectively.

Exactly.

This topic tends to bring out a lot of strong feelings, mostly because a gear swap within the above mentioned ratios *feels*, to many people, like it has done a lot more for performance than it actually has. Those who haven't done, or researched, specific before-and-after track testing are often surprised to discover how little actual performance difference there is from a 3.23 to 3.73 swap (or even a 2.73 to 3.73 swap) with an LS1/4L60E car that already has an optimized stall speed. Track results aren't a matter of opinion or perception, and they have been documented many times.

On the other hand, the part throttle "looseness" of a higher stall *is* largely a matter of opinion/perception, and in that area a gear swap might noticeably improve the driving experience for individuals who are particularly bothered by this condition. In this regard, converter quality also plays a huge role - cheaper converters will often feel much looser, even at lower stall speed ratings, than a top shelf unit. Never cheapen out when it comes to converter selection.

SteveC

I stand corrected, thank you for the information