I do agree with all Bill Babcock and Glen Effinger have already said.
PROPERLY USED, hanging an OD on the back of a close ratio gearbox can be a
good thing. IMPROPERLY used, or learning to rely on it and then it breaks at
a bad time, can be bad and lead to very expensive consequences.
When I started racing, I ran a race prepared OD with a stock TR4 gearset. As
I was using all my mental capacity to just keep the shiny side up, there was
no way I used the OD to it's fullest potential. What I found is I was unable
to mentally process what to do with that switch, plus the clutch and
shifter. Ken Gillanders suggested ditching the OD box and building a close
ratio box without an OD. Lap times decreased instantly.
Now that I have been doing this for a while, I find I encounter places where
I run out of revs but think I will lose time if I upshift just to
immediately downshift again. These are the times I really want my OD back.
But I keep asking myself if this will really decrease lap times? Not sure,
but it would save some revs on my motor. On race day I find I never grab the
next gear, I hold the loud pedal to the floor and have been rewarded with
some outstanding numbers on my telltale!
Has someone looked at the math using the commonly available close ratio
gearset with an OD? I know 3-OD is taller than 4th, so you would never use
that accelerating up a straight. Where does 2-OD fall in relation to 3rd?
Probably pretty darn close, again making it not something you would use for
faster straight line acceleration.
JK Jackson has figured out the ultimate gearset to use with an OD. Gives 7
well spaced gears. THAT makes sense, but makes for a pretty busy cockpit.
Tony Drews has a bunch of seat time in both the JK box and a straight close
ratio box. Care to comment?
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