Looking for people that run 3.23 gears

[Turbo6Smackdown]

Just doing more research. I got a lot of advice from a lot of people. Very good advice. Now I'm looking for the people that actually have the 3.23's installed in their cars.

How do you guys like them? What sort of converters do you guys run? What kind of tires? How does your car hit when you hit the throttle at say 40 mph?

 

[bison]

The gears don't matter the final ratio at the pavement is what matters. A 5.5% difference in gearing is barely noticeable. Tires will typically have a much greater impact on the gearing the that. Once your car is nailed down to the point where it's making a lot of cylinder pressure and you know you need a little bit more room and have a good enough converter that can couple the power then you would consider a 3.23 ring and pinion with the taller tires not as a substitute


BPE2013@hotmail.com

 

[Turbo6Smackdown]

Is my converter good enough now? Then should I be going to 3.18 then?

 

[trbojo]

doesn't a 28" tire with the 3.42's equate to a 3.23?

 

[Turbo6Smackdown]

doesn't a 28" tire with the 3.42's equate to a 3.23?

I thought it did but I never did the math.

 

[bison]

doesn't a 28" tire with the 3.42's equate to a 3.23?

You would have to have a before comparison. What tire height previously


BPE2013@hotmail.com

 

[turbocamino1]

i can tell you from first hand experience that you are leaving performance on the table with the converter. Save the $ from the ring and pinion job and your half way to getting your converter.

 

[Turbo6Smackdown]

This converter was suggested by Dusty Bradford specifically for this combo. What's wrong with it? Too tight?

 

[Turbo6Smackdown]

You would have to have a before comparison. What tire height previously


BPE2013@hotmail.com

26" to 28".

 

[ZNix]

No reason to change the gear. Lot of people going fast on a 3.42. Step up to a 28" tire.

 

[turbocamino1]

This converter was suggested by Dusty Bradford specifically for this combo. What's wrong with it? Too tight?

Its a decent converter...but there are much better choices regarding slip %/coupling. if you told dusty your shooting for 12's...i imagine he would recommend the 10"/2800. He always asked my goals when we picked mine. Tell him your going to run 30Lbs and looking for 600+ hp....see what he says.

 

[Turbo6Smackdown]

I know there's a lot of people going fast on stock gears. With 30" tall tires or a super nicely prepped track-neither of which I have nor want.
That's the whole point; I don't want a 28" tire. I don't really care to struggle with fitment issues, lip rolling, or any of that other stuff. Even though in the end I plan on having a really fast car, I hate the way fast, straight line lead sleds look. Those are for burn outs with Skid Row jean jackets & long hair. That's not me. I really want to keep the stock look.
I'm here trying to get what I would sacrifice by changing to that gear. So far I can't find a one single person that can give me an honest to god real world account of why it would be a bad idea. Not saying it would be a GOOD idea, but I don't know, that why I ask. I'm just saying that I haven't found it yet. I got a lot of "this works the best" but when I ask of the alternatives, I get crickets. I see a lot of people that have been bottlenecked into doing what they are doing now, because they've never questioned it. And that's cool, but now they'll never really know why, only that they've done it because they were told to, and that's the only way it's ever been done before, and for no other reason. And that's cool too. But that's not me. I gotta know why.
And to get that, I ask the folks that have done it, to see the real deal pros and cons of the item/modification. I know they're out there. I just gotta find them.

 

[Turbo6Smackdown]

Its a decent converter...but there are much better choices regarding slip %/coupling. if you told dusty your shooting for 12's...i imagine he would recommend the 10"/2800. He always asked my goals when we picked mine. Tell him your going to run 30Lbs and looking for 600+ hp....see what he says.

I did tell him my goals. 99% street 1% track, a few 10.9 passes on the track to verify and then detune a little for the street and leave it at that. How far off is my converter then? What am I leaving on the table?

 

[turbocamino1]

I did tell him my goals. 99% street 1% track, a few 10.9 passes on the track to verify and then detune a little for the street and leave it at that. How far off is my converter then? What am I leaving on the table?

There are many guys here that can give you the technical math #s regarding slip % between the 2 at x power level..i'm just saying there is a considerable difference...i first had the 10" L/U 2800 and now a 9.5 N/L... the way it couples at top RPM and just after the shift is something you cant miss. My g-tech pro says 10 mph..at 1320... b u t i did make other changes as well. Its noted all over this great site of ours,=you cant skimp on the converter...you get what you pay for. FWIW...if you went with a 8" rim,with 4-4 backspace ,you will have no issues fitting a 275/60/15 28" tall tire. Also, as for the tall gearing,3.23, IF you make enough HP and can pull that gear..you can go faster and quicker...how much power do you need to take advantage? there may be math that can tell you that as well?..im not that smart. Otherwise you are slowing the boost building, RPM making capability of your street car.hope this helps.

 

[Turbo6Smackdown]

Thank you for that. Though it may not look like it from my signature, but my car is really good at building boost lol. And that was at 20 psi. At 25, I canNOT imagine what it would do to my tires lol. So basically you're saying my converter sucks? (I'm ok if you are.) Let me have it. Tell me where I need to be then. I got no problem with advice. 9.5"? Different company?

 

[BMR]

I dont have any buick specfic help for you. I can tell you my sbc will run mid 9s whether it had 3.42s or 3.08s with a 28" tire. 14X mph either way. I say give it a shot. I am actually looking for some cheap/free 2.73s to see what it does with them. The benefit of a taller tire is more contact patch. Plus i really enjoy trying things people say won't work just to see what happens.

 

[BMR]

What trans do you have?

 

[Turbo6Smackdown]

I dont have any buick specfic help for you. I can tell you my sbc will run mid 9s whether it had 3.42s or 3.08s with a 28" tire. 14X mph either way. I say give it a shot. I am actually looking for some cheap/free 2.73s to see what it does with them. The benefit of a taller tire is more contact patch. Plus i really enjoy trying things people say won't work just to see what happens.

Lonnie Diers stage 1 200R4.

You and I must be cousins... I too, want to know why, and if you won't tell me why, I'll go the opposite direction just to see. It's not that I won't listen. Not at all. I listen very well. But you must tell me why. If you do, I wont forget it for the rest of the my life. But I gotta know why.

I have some rear springs to try, some posi clutches to inspect, and another set of radials to try. I'm actually pretty confident my car will hook a lot better. If it doesn't I got a lead for 3.23 or the next one down for about 750 installed. We shall see. Till next season...

 

[turbocamino1]

PTC all the way imho...again,your 10" is fine...but the ptc 9.5 N/L has less slip...4% or so. If you have spent the doe on making it fast ,why not get it all? Get ahold of Dusty Brandford from ptc... he will spec one for your exact combination...will even make a free adjustment to your stall if your not happy....will also talk to you on the phone and educate you where needed.He is very knowledgeable.He took time to answer all my questions more than once.

 

[BMR]

He already stated he has a dusty bradford speced converter for his setup.