It's not uncommon for car manufacturers to use really tall differential ratios
to lower the revs to avoid gas guzzler taxes. In doing this they save money
for every purchaser, even the ones who change the gears, because the cost of
replacing the differential gears is usually less than the cost of the gas
guzzler tax that would be charged if the car were shipped with shorter gears.
Panoz did this with the Roadster, and Dodge also did this with the Viper.
These cars in stock form have ridiculously tall gearing, over 80 mph redline
in 2nd gear. You buy the car and then the first thing you do is change the
diff ratio to what the engineers intended it to have, which is usually 10 - 15
% shorter putting 2nd gear redline in the low 70 MPH range.
For a big lux boat Lincoln, you probably want the tall gears because it makes
the car quieter and you don't care about acceleration.
-----Original Message-----
From: Scot Zediker [mailto:roadsterboy@earthlink.net]
Sent: Thursday, October 25, 2001 15:49
To: mrclem@telocity.com; craig boyle; Pat Kelly; John J. Stimson-III
Cc: ba-autox@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: Classes and course speeds
----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael R. Clements" <mrclem@telocity.com>
To: "Scot Zediker" <roadsterboy@earthlink.net>; "craig boyle"
<craig_autox@yahoo.com>; "Pat Kelly" <lollipop487@home.com>; "John J.
Stimson-III" <john@idsfa.net>
Cc: <ba-autox@autox.team.net>
Sent: Thursday, October 25, 2001 3:44 PM
Subject: RE: Classes and course speeds
> At 90 MPH, I just assumed it could never be 1st gear. It's got to be in
2nd
> gear at least -- and even that's some pretty tall gearing.
I never got it to the rev limiter, but the automatic in my Z would carry 2nd
to at least 80.
Scot
----------------------------------------------------------------
We make attorneys affordable.
http://www.prepaidlegal.com/go/szediker
|