Hi guys, I'd appreciate any advice you have about a question that's been asked a few times. I've searched the forums for everything I could find but I'm still left wondering. First off my car is currently N/A with 3.55 gears and all the mods in my signature, including stock 18" fan blades. I plan on getting an Edelbrock E-Force soon and running about 7psi of boost (I don't plan on going with new internals so I want to keep it somewhat safe...if you think 7psi unsafe, please say so!). Another thing I'm most likely doing soon is getting 20"x9" Razors probably with 265/35/20 tires all around. My question revolves around throwing in the gears. Right now, I've got 3.55s and I'm debating going up to 3.73s (from what I've read, 4.10s aren't a good idea for TVS blown cars).

Do you think gears with labor are worth the cost? Or will I not even notice them with the blower?

The trade offs I see are that with gears I can get the same acceleration with less boost but for a higher cost. Additionally, the gears will help deal with the extra weight put on by the 20" Razors. Without gears, I save a bunch of money but need more boost (which translates into greater risk for the engine) to get the same effect. Really, I'm in this all for the fun factor. I'll take the car to the drag strip a few times but I'm not hell bent on racing or going for anything specific (though to make this easier, lets say high 11's for the quarter mile are my goal). I also don't really care about fuel economy and MPGs, so that aspect of the gears doesn't bother me.

If I've said anything in error, please let me know. I'm just looking for advice and I realize that no one can tell me my own preferences. Thanks in advance, I appreciate the insight!

-Matt

 

I say get the blower and 20s on the car. See how it feels and go from there..

 

I agree with Sonicboost.

I am running a base kit E-force with a dyno tune and am very happy with how the car runs with 3:55's. Start with the E-force and see how it performs before making any other changes. I plan to hit the track this year and have a sub 12 second goal... but I know that will require some sticky tires along with a little more power that will come via a CAI, gt500 pumps and 3.5inch pulley that are sitting in my garage (along with an updated dyno tune) to get me to the 450 RWHP range

 

Don't fear the gear!

How often are you at wot throttle at or near redline? I mean really think about how much time you spend there. Most of the time your car is idling around at low speed and at low rpm.

Gears, regardless of what's on top of the motor is going to make the car feel lighter and quicker on it's feet in daily driving.

Now that's not to say that you should definitely go with a 4.10 with that e-force. You're going to have plenty of grunt. I wouldn't hesitate putting in a 3.73 though. Especially if your car is driven in the city for the most part.

I have 4.10's coming for my daily driver. I made this decision primarily based on how I use the car. It sees most city driving and my commute takes me on roads with a 45 mph speed limit. Driving at that speed in 4th is just a bit too much rpm, but upshifting to 5th lugs the engine with my 3.31's. 4.10's solves that issue by increasing my rpm in 5th gear to were it won't lug the engine at that speed.

I also don't spend much time on the freeway, so it makes sense for me.

If you are somebody that has a lot of freeway driving to do with the car, going with a steep gear could really suck. But then, having that steep gear, with the blower and a suspension and tire choice that can back it up would be really fun!

 

I have a couple of friends with E-Force blowers. One with 3.31 gears (who wishes he had more gear), and one with 3.73 gears (who loves the combination). With a TVS blower, I really believe that 3.55 or 3.73 gears are ideal since you already have so much low end grunt! I went with 4.10's, but I have a centrifugal blower with very little low end grunt (but lots of power up top).

 

4.10's on a Saleen twin screw can be a handful, but its also fun as hell. I don't have to push the car at all, nor could I ever floor it on a city street. Which is fine. I started out with 3.31's and immediately went to 4.10's whole still NA. I added teh blower a year later or so and it is definitely fun. I say get the blower and then wait on the gears. Honestly the blower should more than keep you entertained for at least a year. And being you have 3.55s you might be happy with what you have. I think if I had to do it over again I'd probably go 3.73s from my original 3.31s, but if I had 3.55s who knows what I would have done.

Yet even if I had an extra $300-400 laying around to do the swap I don't think I could bring myself to pull the 4.10s out of the car right now for anything.

 

With positive displacement units I feel the 3.73's I have are about the right gear. If you get a centrifugal unit I would say 4.10's. JMO ...

 

I have 3.55's, but with a taller rear tire, it makes it a little higher gear than that. I would like a little lower gear, maybe a 3.73. But, I get 28.9 mpg at 50 mph, and the third gear pull on the highway is awesome, so I'm not going to change it out.

 

+1. I will hopefully withing the next 2 weeks be ordering my e-force blower and I'll be up around 15psi and I have 3.73's in my car.

 

Had 4:10s when car was Procharged. It was also a 5 speed manual back then. A real PITA to drive around town with the manual.

 

I did the same thing as 2K7gtcs, I went 4:10s then went a Saleen twin screw. This car is my DD and I put over 60 miles a day on the car, I have thought about changing to a 3:73 for gas mileage but I go to the drag strip 5 or 6 times a year and with the 4:10's it is a blast! I will not change but its not for everybody but I like it!

 

Thanks for all of the responses...I'm thinking that maybe I should just wait to install the 3.73s, I've got some soul searching to do!