Blake,
My memory is that you live in the wide open spaces of western USA.
Along the east coast there are places where even the byways have become
fast roads. Posted limits of 50 mean 'drive at 60+'. Roads that
actually lead somewhere, the ones necessary to get to MG events for
example, are fast roads shared with crowds of SUVs and tractor trailers.
It's not that an MG driver chooses them for relaxing driving, it's that
he must use them if he wants to get somewhere. F'rinstance---a RR 20/25
driver here in town (Guilford, CT, 15 mi east of New Haven) goes to Deer
Isle, ME every summer. Thanks to his relaxed schedule, he can take
byways all the way to Bangor, then on down to Deer Isle. He uses three
full days to do it. Were he not a professor at Yale, he would most likely
not have the time. From here to Boston takes a full ten hours by byway.
And even then, the secondary roads join the primary roads and interstates
to cross rivers. It is not at all unusual to have a two mile backup of
traffic where Rte 1 joins the interstate I-95 to cross the Connecticut
River.
My thought on this debate is that the change of ratios is necessary if
one wants to be able to drive his TD on radial tires in this part of the
country. One finds that he needs to set up his car for the driving
conditions of the area. I don't think it's a cost issue so much as a
not-being-run-over issue.
Bob
On Tue, 09 Sep 2003 15:24:29 -0500 Bullwinkle <yd3@nvc.net> writes:
> I have a Stage 2 TD with a 4.875 rear gears. I don't know how much
> wind you guys have, or hills, but there has been many occasions when
the
> engine will barely pull 60 MPH against a strong head wind. It might
> be okay for those limited access roads, but there are none where I
> live. I need to have some accelleration to get by the gray hairs going
50 in
> a 55 or 65 MPH zone. So, I live with the 3,800 RPMS at 60 MPH.
> Besides just how much interstate cruising do you need to do to offset
the
> cost of installation? Isn't the freeway drive the antithesis of what
> these cars were made for?
>
> Blake
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