3.73 gears
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3.73 gears 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
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From: ATL, GA
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.
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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..
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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.
. 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. 
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.
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.
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.
You definitely don't want to get 3.73 is you like to go 80+ for long periods of time.
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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.
You definitely don't want to get 3.73 is you like to go 80+ for long periods of time.
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)
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.
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.
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
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)
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
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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..