Silver Sport Transmissions Gives Us A Math Lesson About Gearing

sst4aJust when you thought it was safe to go about your business withing doing any math, Silver Sport Transmissions‘ Misty McComas provides us a lesson on gearing for our street machines. Yes, there is math, and if you thought you could skip this class, there will be a pop quiz later when you’re bragging to your buddies at how fast your car is.

The math in this latest blog post from SST is about rearend gearing, and how to choose the right gearing for your musclecar. Gearing isn’t just about speed, it’s about torque, it’s about economy, and it’s about engine rpm – and don’t forget to throw in tire diameter for good measure.

sst3Growing up in the 1970s when there weren’t a lot of overdrive transmission (read that: basically, none) we always heard our friends bragging about their “four-elevens” and how fast their car was. While their car was likely a bit quicker off the line, a few other traits became the by-product of getting off the line a little quicker, as McComas points out in the tech article: Choosing a Gear Set 101.

In order to get off the line a little quicker, a shorter gear set will do the job and help get the power to the pavement a bit better, but the drawback is that cruising speeds need to be kept a little bit lower than normal. If someone said they had “five-twelves” (5.12:1 gear ratio) it was automatically assumed they were running big tires and they drag raced their car. If someone had “freeway gears” it was assumed the car likely got better economy and was a bit slower off the line. Gas was cheap back then, so more gearheads opted for quicker acceleration and didn’t worry much about fuel economy.

sst07Older cars today, with the higher gas prices, need freeway gears for a couple of reasons: better economy and lower engine RPMs at freeway speeds. It’s pretty common to have a friend who doesn’t like cruising long distances because of a shorter gear in the reareand. Their car was quick, but the engine RPM was a bit too much for extended periods and engine temperatures would rise quickly, especially during the hot summer months.

To combat the high RPM vs. poor off-the-line performance, the best of both worlds is now available to owners of classic musclecars with popular overdrive transmission swaps from Silver Sport Transmissions. There are several transmissions available, whether a manual or automatic is preferred, and these kits will allow you to run a quicker gear and still get decent economy by way of an overdrive gear as low as .67:1. A standard drive gear is 1:1 without overdrive, and if your vehicle is turning 3,500 RPM then you can expect about 33 percent lower, or approximately 2,400 RPM with overdrive. You can figure some of this out with SST’s online Speed Analyzer.

Overdrive puts your car back into the cruising category and while still running a shorter gear. Silver Sport Transmissions is in the business of making our musclecars better, and regular tech information can help answer some of your questions. Check out the blog from Silver Sport and see what McComas has to say about rearend gearing.

If you’re searching a new rearend for your car and don’t know how to choose one, you can find a complete unit ready to bolt in with plenty of tech support to put you in gear. You can even purchase turn-key crate engines ready to bolt in, and of course the Perfect Fit transmission kit that Silver Sport is well known for. That makes Silver Sport Transmissions a company that can provide you with a complete drivetrain solution for your classic. And don’t forget to bookmark the website for their regular teach articles and information on new products, too.

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About the author

Michael Harding

Michael is a Power Automedia contributor and automotive enthusiast who doesn’t discriminate. Although Mopar is in his blood, he loves any car that looks great and drives even faster.
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