Overdrive!?!?!

[muscletruck]

we all know that 4.11's are not the best highway gears, but they are fun at the track....i would like to get some deeper gears but still be able to drive on the highway without blowing my motor to go 65mph...if i had a 700r4 with 4.11's would that overdrive keep me at a reasonable rpm range at higher speeds??? THANKS ALL

[bigjimzlll]

http://www.prestage.com/carmath/ you can go here and it will show what rpms and stuff..its a great site

[ckhd]

A 700r4 will lower your cruise rpms by 30%. If you hit 3000rpm at 65, then with a 700r4, you'll hit 2100rpm.

Just multiply what you have now by .7 and that will be the new rpms.

[Dean23]

With 4.11's your final ratio in over drive will be around 3.06. In first gear it is close to 13:1 which is awesome for off the line as well

[PICKMUP]

Maybe even closer to 2.87. I run that setup: 4:10 rear with a 700R4 behind a 292 six. I don't know what the RPMs are, because I can't keep the engine together long enough! LOL ( a little bit).

[nate68]

get a 9" so u can swap street gears and track gears fairly easily.
overdrive trannys are sweet too. i think 4.11's with the low first in the overdrive would be way too low, itd be like having a granny gear auto

[mikep]

I dont know how much hiway driving you do but having owned quite a few cars and trucks with 4.11 or 4.10 gears in 9 inch Fords and dana 60's I'd have to say Its really not that obnoxious to drive one without an overdrive transmission . Yeah you rev a little higher but if you are running 3.54 gears now for example and go to 4.10's you are only going to pick up a few hundred RPM at cruise.

My last "Car " had 4.10 gears behind a 450 HP 351 cleveland and a 1:1 final gear C6 with 295/50-15 tires and it didnt have any problem hitting 115 miles an hour ( in a tad over 12 seconds ) and it would cruise 80 mph all day long. Still got 10 mpg.

[Longhorn Man]

Everyone thinks that the super low first gear is a big deal, but no one (hardly) mentions that the gap between 1 to 2 is so big that it hurts acceliration.

[TERRYP]

The 200R4 has a much better 1-2 shift, taller overdrive, can be made beefier, are cheaper at the wreckers, are lighter, need no vacuum controls, and I like 'em! I'm running one with a 3.08 rear, 1700 revs at 65, have rv cam, sometimes run out of torque on 75mph hills, so a 3.54 would be ideal for my panel.

[muscletruck]

i was thinking of a 200r4, but my mom has a 88 monte ss with one and it is about to vomit...one of the bands broke in the overdrive or sumthing, and she doesnt have over drive any more, so basically shes driven with a th350 with a little extra weight, it really blows, .....i always heard the 200r4s are more expensive becasue they arent alot out there.me whatever, any overdrive is a good overdrive..thanks everybody

[Longhorn Man]

the 200 4R is more common than you may think.
It came in most every Buick, Olds, Pontiac, and mid sized Rear Wheel Drive Chevy all through he '80's, and most have a dual bellhousing bolt pattern.
They are not as tempermental on set up as the 700 R4, but they are a little weaker in box stock form.
A couple other advantages to them...the TH350 yolk slips right in, it has the same overal dimension as a short shaft TH350, and if I'm not mistaken, it has a cable driven speedo.
The mounting point for the cross member is further back, but it ends up in the location of the TH400 cross member...making it real simple on our trucks.

[sam's 72]

I agrre with longhorn, that 1st gear to 2nd gear shift, you lose a lot of RPM, unless you have alot of torque, you can really feel the RPM lose.
Sam

[Fast68Chevy]

2004r are very common were used only in montes and cutlasses and regals and the other G body cars 82-up and are with both bolt patterns on bell housing- 10 bolt holes altogether, and beleive it or not but alot of caddy big blocvk guys spend sometimes thousands of dollars on these trannies and run them behind MEAN caddy big block engines on track, so.,,,,

check out MTS boards and see for yourself,.
just when you thought you seen it all..... !~
i havent looked at a 200r4 the same way since then,

good luck

[DeepPurple]

200-4R vs. 700-R4

Essentially there isn't much difference between the two of them. They'll handle similar amounts of power (with proper buildup) and have their advantages and disadvantages.

Chiefly in favour of the 200-R4 is the better set up 1-2 gear (which can mean quite a bit in a stop-light duel) and the fact that the rear seal is much better than it is in the 700-R4 (if you ever have the chance, check how loose the yoke is in a 700 in comparison to a 200, it's rather odd...) Some have a cable driven speedo (of course some 700-R4's do also) although later models did have electric stuff attached to them.

Weighing heavily against them is the weaker stock form (unless you can find one out of a Buick Grand National/Regal T-Type) and more so than that is the cost to upgrade. Most local speed places will know how to build up the 700, but won't know how to do so with the 200-4R. Additionally it just flat costs more. More internal stuff will need to be done (the clutch packs blow, period. And the bands are pretty bad. The sprag gear is fair enough but it's one of the easier upgrades) to it to take the same amount of horsepower that the 700 would need with less work.
Also there was more call for hop-up parts for it as it came in camaros and trucks, vs. full size "luxury sport" cars.

The 700-R4's merits and demerits have been argued here ad nauseum. Needless to say unless it's after 86-87 it's weak (of course this means you have to get the electronic stuff) and the 1-2 jump is so stupid you have to wonder if that engineer is still gainfully employed.

The 200-4R isn't weak, but it takes money to fullfill it's promise.

Me? I say for for the 4L80E or better yet figure out a way to convert that new Allison behind the Duramax Diesel to your truck (5 friggin gears in an auto!)
Course it's not my money...