Hey all, I have a 1980 corvette with a turbo 350 trans, and I was wondering if anyone would be able to tell me how much 373 gears would affect my 1/4 mile as opposed to 308 gears. Would it be worth changing the gears, or is there another solution to getting a quicket 1/4? The car has a 350 330hp crate engine in it built by phoenix engines. Any information you have is greatly appreciated! thanks!

 

The stock answer is "depends"
Depends on your tires
Depends on the surface
Depends on many things.
Explanation: Lower rear gears do not always result in shorter 1/4 mile times. If your present combination lets the engine pull longer at torque peaks and hits the lights just at shift point then a gear change might hurt your times. If the lower gear allows you to spin the tires more,the change will hurt your times. If you have a manual transmission and the lower gear requires you to shift more that could hurt your times since you're not accelerating while you're shifting.
Generally,a lower gear DOES help standing start acceleration,especially for short distances(stoplight grand prix) but for the above reasons,not always!
On a drag strip where traction is very good,tires wouldn't be likely to be a problem, On the street,traction could limit the benefits of a lower gear. A 3.73 probably wouldn't initiate wheelspin except in poor conditions.
Good Luck!
Ron

 

Thanks for your help partsman41! I have never run the car in the 1/4 mile I just purchased it recently. As for the tires surface, Im thinking mainly paved roads with just basic street tires. I have called Phoenix engines and they sounded confident that with the set up I have and the engine I'm running, a 373 gear would almost give me another second off the 1/4 mile anywhere. I just wanted to see if anyone has ever ran the same set up as I am to see if they were able to notice a big difference. Mainly what im looking for is a much stronger launch, the ability to do big hole shots, and just a stronger pull while going through the gears. Again thank you very much for your help! I am new to building cars (im only 19) so I appreciate all the help I can get!! =)

 

The 3.73's will give you more punch off the line for sure and won't absolutely destroy your gas milage. If you decide to go further in the future,4.11's or even 4.56's behind a 2004R trans will launch really hard and with the overdrive in the trans will still allow you to drive the car without having to buy Chevron.
I would really like to have you run the car on the clock a few times before and after the gear change. I will be VERY surprised if the change is over 1/4 of a second!
BE CAREFUL! Racing on the streets is dangerous!
Ron

 

Thanks a lot Ron, And I dont street race, its dangerous and dumb! Also I will do passes with the two different gears and let you know how it went! Thankyou for your assistance.
-Mike

 

USA1: Welcome to the forum.

Definitely let us know how it works out. Make sure whoever sets up your rear end is experienced.

What size tires are you planning on running?

 

I am just running regular street tires 225/15 I believe they are.