Question for you guys. I got a 95 z 6speed manual from what i understand i have 342 gears or somthin around there. if i was to put 373 gears in there how much of a difference would i notice. would it throw you back in your seat more than b4? second ? is i do most of my own work on my car. how much of a project is it to change the gears >?

 

not tht hard to do but when you put the new gears in it you have make sure they sit right

 

ive heard its very difficult. That being said, I believe as long as you know how they are supposed to sit it is possible for anyone to get them there, you just have to be very strict with yourself because there is very little tolerance

 

6sp with 3:42 ratio is the best set up for a street car. My guess is you have been reading too many Posts about gear swaps. Unless you have money to burn just leave well enough alone. A lot of stories about gear changes that went wrong. Not a DIY type of job. My opinion.

 

the t56 suffers out of the hole because of a tall overall 1st gear ratio. 3.42 is used in these cars because the tranny needs at least that. My car basically idles at highway speeds in 6th gear. that translates into: room to grow. The only downside to this work is lower gas mileage, but its not even noticable until you are cruising around 3.5k on the highway. My old mustang had 3.73 gears (different tranny mind u, and 5 speed, so that rpm does not apply to the fbody 6speed) and going 80-85 on the highway id be right at 3k rpm. got 21mpg.

I fail to see why you believe stock gearing is ideal. Have you ridden in or driven a geared car? a gear swap wakes the car up unbelievably. almost everyone ive talked to who has does gears has wished they went bigger, me included. When I get some extra money lying around I will do a 9" with either 4.10s or 4.30s, and my mpg will drop maybe 3 points and ill still be in the 20s highway.

 

Belive what you want and spend the money and get it done. I stated a opinion about a street driven car and not one on drag strip.

 

Why is it best? because its your opinion? F that man, people spend too much time hiding behind the "its ok because its my opinion" shield. Not everything can be catagorized as an opinion. you can believe something, but even if you think it, it can still be dead wrong.

lets straighten one thing out, 3.42 is the best setup for a STOCK car, not street car. i didnt mention the track in my post, my car is a street car.

the OP is asking about difference in feel, he wants to know if it will throw him back in the seat more. the answer is yes, but the 3.73 swap wont be noticable because it isnt much bigger.
----so in this regard your "opinion" is wrong, because the 3.42 is not best for the throw-back feeling in a street car

Lets talk performance: the 3.42 suffers from the issues I already outlined. a steeper gear helps the car get out of the hole, it get the car up into the power rpm range faster (this is why cam manufacturers require steeper gears with some of the bigger cams), gear swaps will improve accelleration across the entire rpm band for every gear (for some reason people think it helps only down low but high end accel suffers..... these people havent thought about the mechanics of the gears....) so performance wise, all else being equal, a 3.73 car will run down a 3.42 car
----ur opinion is lookin kinda sickly here

how about gas milage: at cruising speeds 60-70 in 6th gear these cars are just above idle. contrary to popular belief you are not getting the best milage at lowest rpm, at excessively low rpm at higher throttle the engine experiences more load. better to be around 2.5 k where the motor is breathing and has more torque to work with. Lower load=better mpg. This is why I can go 80mph on the highway and still get 25mpg (actually calculated 26 on a trip from midwest to TN this summer).
----not sure why 3.42 would be ideal here either.

The factory will throw a gear into a car to meet certain specifications and requirements. this doesnt mean they are doing things "best". and the only reason im going off on you is because of your "i stated an opinion" statement. This is an full on cop-out that I hear way too many people use. Ive had arguments with people who have opinions about scientifically proven facts but heaven forbid i tell them to change their minds, because its their opinion.

as far as the money to burn, istn that what this is all about?arent all mods part of a "if you have money to burn" situation? "man, i wish I could send johnny to college, but I have to get that roll-cage for the camaro" [>:]
and what about an intake? someone obviously thought the intake for these cars was ideal, and it was a factory researcher who figured the average joe wants the intake and valvetrain to be quiet during driving, thats why we get the parts we do stock, not because they are best, but because the research shows that most people will be willing to sacrifice performance for a quiet solid-feeling ride. not everyoen wants to shout over their exhaust and feel every bump in the road. but then again, how many of those people will join a car enthusiast forum? how many of the members here (besides 1st gens [&:]) scream about keeping their cars completely factory?

aside from that, you dont even own a 4th gen, you dont know what the tranny and gear combo are like. Many people post about it because many people do it, and see real performance results. The people around here know their ****, this is why the turbonator threads get poopoo'd on and anything of value gets praised. u want numbers? my buddy picked up 6mph on his trap going from stock gears to 4.10s with headers. He couldnt be happier with the swap. Id reccomend this mod over an intake, because a

 

You just stated OPINIONso I guess it is written in stone now. Yes I do not own a 4th gen car but I am the original ownber of 87 IROC-Z28 which I bought, in all likelyhood before you were born. But a 10-bolt is still a 10-bolt regarless of the year & gears. So be a boy street racer......[sm=closed.gif]

 

the 10 bolt from 78-87 was 8.5", the 10bolt in the 4th gens is 7.5. These things dont take long to learn, so my age is irrelevant. Also gear strength was never brought into this discussion which is the only reason for discussing the 10 bolt in 4th gens. My only opinion is that you spouted off without knowing what you were talking about. Everything else I said is fact.

lets recap
1) steeper gears will increase the "seat of the pants" feel (this is a result of the increased torque)
2)gears will increase overall performance, acceleration, 1/4, whatever
3) steeper gears have an effect on gas mileage, but it is minimal in a t56 (oh wait, minimal is relative and therefore opinion oriented) the difference is 2-3 mpg going to 3.73 from 3.42.

my opinion is that your opinion is wrong

 

dammmmm so can you feel the difference or would it be a waste of time. please only people that have made the change and know the difference apply... damm didnt mean to make everyone fight on here lol