kinda stupid question
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Freshman User
Joined: Nov 2006
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kinda stupid question
whats better in a reaer diffrential higher gear numbers lower i need some explaning of rear end gear ratios andwhat higher numbers do and lower numbers do for you. thanks guys.
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THe higher the gearssh the more power at the bottom end and higher rpms at the top end.
The lower the gears the more slugish it will be off the line and lower rpms at highway speeds. which will mean better gas milage.
Usually somewhere in the middle so you get the best all around. This is just a short expanation, someone else will come in and tell more.
The lower the gears the more slugish it will be off the line and lower rpms at highway speeds. which will mean better gas milage.
Usually somewhere in the middle so you get the best all around. This is just a short expanation, someone else will come in and tell more.
Posting Guru
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From: shawnee KS
I read that reply 3 times and still read it as wrong but it's not. The higher the gear, is the lowest of the numbers, for example 3.55 gears this is a highway gear (to most). The lower the gear, the higher the number. For example a 4.10 or higher is gonna be a gear for pulling say a heavy trailer. You'll lose some top end but it is much easier on your motor if you put a load against it on a regular basis. What texcan probably should have said is the higher the gear NUMBER, the more power at the bottom end and higher rpms at top end. The lower the gear NUMBER,the more sluggish it will be off the line, and lower rpms at highway speeds. I AM NOT CORRECTING HIM! He is right, I hope this just clarified his post a little bit.
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OK, how about this... everything else being equal...
4:56:1 gears = stump puller
3:08:1 gears = freeway flyer
Everything else is a combo somewhere in the middle.
Best all around gears tend to be 3:55:1 to 3:73:1
Just my experience... YMMV...
Ed
4:56:1 gears = stump puller
3:08:1 gears = freeway flyer
Everything else is a combo somewhere in the middle.
Best all around gears tend to be 3:55:1 to 3:73:1
Just my experience... YMMV...
Ed
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Originally Posted by hydro_37
The bigger the tire you run the higher the gear ratio will work out to be. For example if you run a 35" tire with a 4:10 gear it will actually work out to be about a 3.73 final gear ratio.
Yes, there is that. I just run stock sized tires so didn't even
consider this in my previous post. It's a good point, though.
My son is into off-road stuff and recently went from 39.5"
tires to 44" tires on his Chebby based rock buggy. Don't
know what gear ratio he runs but 5.13 wouldn't surprise
me. He also runs dual transfer cases, just to spice up the
final gear ratio calc. Over-kill, IMHO, but hey... I'm just
his Dad and don't know anything.
Ed
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From: shawnee KS
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From: So Cal
What gear to use also depends on the engine. Some engines make their power at high RPMs some at low.
As extreme examples....
Ricers make a lot of power but thye need to scream at something like 8,000 RPM. Not much good for towing.
A Diesel is a low RPM motor, usually. They make a lot of torque at low RPM and are excellent for towing.
A Ford 5.0 is an RPM motor, the 460 is a torque motor. The new modular engines are RPM motors.
SO in short you need to match gears to the engine and what you are going to do. A 5.0 with 3.08 gears may be fine for daily commuting. If you need to haul with the 5.0 you are going to need high RPMs. A 460 will just loaf along with low # gears(some of the old Lincolns did this I think, but to make towing power you will want 4.10 or so.
A ricer almost never will make a good tow vehicle.
Good Luck,
Jim Henderson
As extreme examples....
Ricers make a lot of power but thye need to scream at something like 8,000 RPM. Not much good for towing.
A Diesel is a low RPM motor, usually. They make a lot of torque at low RPM and are excellent for towing.
A Ford 5.0 is an RPM motor, the 460 is a torque motor. The new modular engines are RPM motors.
SO in short you need to match gears to the engine and what you are going to do. A 5.0 with 3.08 gears may be fine for daily commuting. If you need to haul with the 5.0 you are going to need high RPMs. A 460 will just loaf along with low # gears(some of the old Lincolns did this I think, but to make towing power you will want 4.10 or so.
A ricer almost never will make a good tow vehicle.
Good Luck,
Jim Henderson
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Originally Posted by jim henderson
What gear to use also depends on the engine. Some engines make their power at high RPMs some at low.
Exactly so, Jim. A buddy of mine has a Dodge 2500 with the
Hemi engine. He uses it to pull a 32 foot 5th wheeler. It
will tow it OK but he really wishes that he had bought the
Cummins. The torque from the Cummins is all in the low
rpm range (1400-1800 rpm), right where a tow vehicle
needs it and not in the 4000-4500 rpm area where the
Hemi shines.
Ed