Who Runs Steep Gears on the Street?

[67Satty]

I'm talking about people who run 4.30 and above and still drive their car on a regular basis on the street and to the track and back to make passes? Anyone? What gear ratio and what diameter tire?

Right now I'm running a 3.91 with a 27" tire but thinking of moving to a 4.30 with a 28" tire because I'm shifting into third at my 1/8 mile track right before the stripe. And I'm not holding my breath that Fontana, our only hope for a 1/4 mile track will be opening again anytime soon.

My roundtrip to the drags strip is about 100 miles. That's pretty much the only time I take my car on the freeway. Otherwise, it's used for around town where speed limits are anywhere from 30 mph to 55 mph.

Thanks!

 

[RustyRatRod]

I don't now, but I used to have a 65 Valiant, 12:1 360, 509 cam, stout 904, 3500 converter and 4.30 gears I drove everyday about 12 miles one way to work for almost four years. It had 28/11.50/15 ET Streets on the rear. I drove it about 50 miles one way to the track in Reynolds, Georgia an back home probably 3 or 4 times a year. It was a mid 11 second car. I am building a 65 Coronet now that will have either a 4.30 or more likely a 4.56 gear. I don't plan to drive it as much, but it will get driven.

 

[68 HEMI GTS]

i run 4:56 in my dart with a 29" tall tire. not to bad at all. obviously your not going to cruise at 80 but she has no problem rolling 55-60 for long periods. wouldn't try it with a short tire, but them tall one's really cut into the gear. i use to run a 3.91 with a 26" on my belvedere. wasn't much different from how the dart is with the tall tire.

 

[RustyRatRod]

Nice lookin little A body you got there.

i run 4:56 in my dart with a 29" tall tire. not to bad at all. obviously your not going to cruise at 80 but she has no problem rolling 55-60 for long periods. wouldn't try it with a short tire, but them tall one's really cut into the gear. i use to run a 3.91 with a 26" on my belvedere. wasn't much different from how the dart is with the tall tire.

 

[67Satty]

Yes, nice Dart!

 

[Cranky]

Ran 4.56's in my 71 340 Cuda with 275-60's and a 4.10 in my 66 /6 Belvedere with 225-75's. The Belvedere was my daily driver back and forth to work...15 miles one way and took it to the track a lot. The Cuda was my local cruiser/street brawler. Both were fun! Had about 8 miles worth of freeway driving to work and didn't care about the /6 being aired out lol.

 

[ZR9B]

ran 4:30s in my last two cars... first was a 70 cuda 340 4spd ....drove that car from '86 to '90 no problems ...that car was my only car year round... from street racing to the few trips a year to northern mi.... to work and every where in between ....92 to present that gear is in my 72 charger with a 440 auto 3500 stall 28 tire ...I would love to try a 3:91 now...ps the charger ran 12:5s ...I think the Cuda was faster but never took it to the track..

 

[Meep-Meep]

I had 4.30's in my 66 Bel and I drove it like everything else. That means 70 on the HWY but I wouldn't want to drive to LA like that. Not that the car would care so much but rather my head will be pounding after 6 hrs of 4300 RPM and 3" noisemasters.

 

[Roadbird]

I know somebody here in my area offering a 3:91 for $500. Currently my 70RR doesn't have a center section but the broadcast sheet says it had a 3:23 ratio SG. Would this 3:91 with 15 or 16 inch draglites with 26" or 27" 8 - 10 inches wide in the rears be a good set up with a mild build 383 H.P. Upwards of 450 to 500 horsepower engine be a good combination for the streets? Any info and anybody have or had similar set up like I just mentioned please post here or Roadbird's 1970 Roadrunner restoration thread. Thank you all for all the useful post here and hope to here more about your rear wheel and rear drive set ups.

 

[RustyRatRod]

Yeah, it'd work ok. I think a 383 would work better with more gear because of the short stroke and it likes to rev, but the 3.91 will suffuce.

 

[Darter6]

As a kid in the mid 70's my 340 4 speed Duster had 5.13's and was driven everywhere. Course when you are 17 you loved the sound of the revin' engine.Today is way different. My old truck has 4.10's and feels(and sounds) like 7.17's at 70 mph on the freeway.WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

 

[RustyRatRod]

5.13s. I bet that wass FUN. I had a 63 Dodge M37 military power wagon years ago. It had 5.83 gears in both axles.....FULL TIME. Although it's top speed on the data plate was 43, I could cruise it comfortably at 50. The thing is, it'd do 50 up a tree. lol I loved that old truck and were it not for it, we wouldn't have gotten moved out of Macon. It moved everything we owned back in 2002. I want an M35 next though.

 

[67 B-body]

ran 4:30s in my last two cars... first was a 70 cuda 340 4spd ....drove that car from '86 to '90 no problems ...that car was my only car year round... from street racing to the few trips a year to northern mi.... to work and every where in between ....92 to present that gear is in my 72 charger with a 440 auto 3500 stall 28 tire ...I would love to try a 3:91 now...ps the charger ran 12:5s ...I think the Cuda was faster but never took it to the track..

I'm going to be searching for 4.30's to replace my 4.10's.....
I would say " Wanna meet up and swap rear ends?" but someone here would take it the wrong way!!!... LOL!!!! Just kidding....

 

[lyndondb]

I am running a 456 dana in my 69 R/T; In all honesty it isn't driven every day, or for that matter every month. 72k actual miles.

 

[Stumper]

I'm running 4:56s with 28" tires but my car is only used for local cruise ins and car shows. Anything over a 25-30 mile I usually trailer it (its cheaper). At 55mph I run 3100 rpm. It is not a good set up for the street. The only reason I have not changed gears yet is because I run a Dana 60 rear end and would need to change the carrier to drop to lower gears. A drop to 4:10s is also probably the only option I could get away with because the next step for a Dan is all the way to 3:73, and then I'd likely have converter issues...

 

[67 B-body]

http://www.wallaceracing.com/Calculators.htm

Might be of some help for calculating RPM / Gear Ratio combos...... Lots of other good formulas for ballpark ideas...

 

[anmracing]

We run 4.10s with a 27" tire, 255/50-17. Runs strong but a pita on the freeway.

 

[99ss]

LOL, I run 3.90 right now and am thinking about dropping them to 3.58 in my Camaro 6 speed 600+ rwhp
The z28 had 3.73 and would run at 3500 rpm 65 mph and eat gas like no ones business.

My thought is unless you're under powered you dont need steep gears on the streets.. racing is another story
But the 3.90 just about eliminate first gear as it is for me anyway... I like cubic inches and hp better than gears.. have enough and you dont need to worry about tricks... I could be 100% wrong as usual but thats my observations.. gears ruin gas miles and at 4.15+ per gallon.. If you dont mind the gas money gears make it quicker ... I mind...LOL

 

[Hemirunner]

Unless it's an underpowered bracket car, most guys don't even run steep gears on the strip.... I run 3.73's and my new car will be running 3.54's.

 

[67 coronet]

the change you list(op)is not a ton.
3.91 with 27 inch tires at 65mph is 3162.76 rpm
4.30 with 28 inch tires at 65 mph is 3354 rpm
so not a huge change in drivability.200 rpm change is not gigantic at 65 mph so it is very doable.all depends on your driving habbits for street use on higher ratios.i have driven cars with 4.90's with 28 inch tires on the street.i am not a good judge for this,since i drive like a maniac all the time.as stated above,it more comes down to your noise tolerance rather then drivabily on the freeway.