Rear gear Ratio Opinions/Suggestions

[MikeB]

Originally Posted by HO455

For my GTO with a T400 3.55's with a 26" tall tire was perfect for me. But I wouldn't have been happy with 28" tires.

In my Burban I run 3.73's with a Gearvendor (Which I got off Craigslist for $600. It was the 3rd one I've bought used.) on 28" tall tires.

I must be a wuss, because I can't image driving at anything above 55-60mph with a 3.55 and 26" tires. And back in the 90s a buddy of mine with a 71 or 72 C10 went from a 3.08 to a 3.73. I was thinking about doing the same, but he told me no way should I do it. And that was probably with 235- or 225-75x15 tires.

Funny, but in my teens and 20s I had a few 55-57 cars with 3.55 axles, and even a 3.70, and drove those cars on highways quite a lot. Of course 60-65mph was the norm. I never once thought the revs were too high.

Finally, I had a co-worker 10-12 years ago, who back in the day had a brand new early 60s Corvette with a solid lifter 327 and 4.11 gears. He said he drove that car from Dallas to Houston a couple times/month to see his sweetie, but didn't remember the revs bothering him. However, his latest car--a mid-70s Nova--had a 3.42 and he was planning to go back to a 3.08.

So, I salute you guys with 3.55-3.73 axles!

As for Gear Vendors, that's got to be a great way to go if you have the budget or can find a deal on a used one.