I have 3.08s and happy with them. Acceleration is good and it doesn't scream at 60mph. Good on gas too. If I had the $$$ I would go with 3.90s or 4.11s along with a 700r4.
I changed the 3:25 gear out to a 3:70 in my car with the tall 29” tires it was lugging around town with the 700 4r. Some said just drive in 3rd in town. If you have to do that might as well just have a 350 trans. Happy with the change and sold the R&P to another Hamber spreading the joy around.
I ran around with 5.14 and 4spd, never even fazed me. 60 mph would be around 3700 rpm. Most of my driving was at 40-50 mph so never really had to shift much. 6 yrs of that then went to 4.11, Nash 5spd which made 5.17 in 4th gear, just about 3000 rpm at 60 mph, 15 years of that. Went to 6spd, .76 OD. 2280 rpm at 60 mph, 2625 at 70 mph, just about 3000 rpm at 80. Same engine, still together, still doesn't faze me.
Yeah, I get that but, eventually you'll be on the highway. Wouldn't be nice to have the option for OD? One thing I didn't like with the 3.90s was it really used a lot of gas.
Remember that a 4 speed has no slippage at all. A 3 spd automatic typically has no torque converter lockup, so there is slippage which increases rpm. So, an automatic might require a slightly higher gear to turn the same rpm's as a manual transmission. Pay your money and take your chances..
I think you misunderstood my reply. I meant with the 700R4 I have in the car the 3:25 gears along with my tire height when it did shift into OD around town I felt the engine was lugging. Now with the shorter (higher numerically) 3:70 gear that’s been eliminated. Freeway speeds the engine is in its sweet spot.
Hello, In all of the 55-58 Chevy cars that were used when we were teenagers, the standard was 3:55. My friend’s hot dual carb 283 57 Chevy Bel Air with a 4 speed, came with a 3:55 and when we put in a 4:11, he was so much faster in all aspects of driving. My 58 Impala started with the same 4:11 Positraction we put in the 57. It was ok at the drags and all around So Cal for driving and those encounters with other teenagers. But, when we installed the 4:11 in the 57, my 58 had 4:56 gears. Now, that was the top set up for street cruising and the sometimes high speed encounters on the “Cherry Avenue Drags” location. The problem with going fast and being fast was that it did put a strain on the whole driveline while trying to go freeway speeds or just cruising down coast highway to Newport Beach or Laguna Beach. But for everyday stop and go driving, it was acceptable, knowing at any time, I may have to step on the gas pedal for a quick acceleration against someone else. The 57 with the 4:11 was a close second every time versus the 58 with the 4:56 gears. Would I recommend 4:56 for overall driving? Yes, if it is just in town and no more than a 20 mile jaunt around town. But, get on the freeway and it will be slow lane, sounding like you need to shift to another mysterious gear that is non-existent. We also put in a 3:73 in a stock 56 Chevy with a 265 motor. It helped his sedan be a little quicker and for the long road trips to Big Bear Mountain and down to the beaches, it was just the right amount of oomph coming from the 56 sedan. When we were switching those third members, a stock 265 was slower and had street power, but again, with the 3:73, it improved tremendously. The final set up for our cars was: a 4:11 in my 58 Impala, a 3:73 in the 57 Chevy and the stock 56 went back to the 3:55. He had no future in drag racing, as his car was a mild custom with tuck and roll/ chrome rims/ shiny silver paint, plus accessories. Our cars were fast, his car looked fast, but was powered by a stock 265 V8. When we knew we were going down the coast to the OC from Long Beach, it was the 57 with the 3:73 gears. If any encounter was going to happen, that was enough for a victory for the 57. The farthest road trip with the 4:56 gears in the 58 was south Orange County from Long Beach. It was a killer uphill climber and racer in the higher elevations of Big Bear Mountain areas. But the freeway speed trip to and from with the 4:56 gears was a little crazy and not good. Jnaki So, with our experience with SBC motors and a big 348 Chevy, the 4:56 gears was good for racing. The 4:11 is good for everyday driving to/from high school/work and cruising. And if long distance driving is always being done, the 3:55 is set up for that. But, from our experience, the 3:73 just seemed to be the most trouble free smooth cruising experience in the 56 and 57 Chevy sedans. The noise was not as high strung as the 4:56 gears or even the 4:11 gears. One could not want a better gearing of a 4:11 or definitely a 4:56 for high power acceleration on those street encounters that do happen on Friday and Saturday nights. Let alone at the local Lions Dragstrip on Saturdays. Daily driver to high school, after school job, Saturdays at the drags, and total cruising all over So Cal weekly. From 1957 to 1964 (and beyond with a friend who bought it from me.) The choice is yours, but the 3:73 seems like it would give the best overall results. These days, with what little driving we do, if we still had the Impala, we would put in some 4:11 gears just for the enjoyment of knowing it will pull the sedan a little better in any acceleration runs than the 3:73s. It would probably be negligible, though. If I remember the action at Lions Dragstrip, the 58 Impala turned in trophy winning times with the 4:11s. But the best time and speed came from several runs with the 4:56 gearing and me driving instead of my brother. (Although, He won more trophies...) During our racing days, it was nice to have the spare 4:11 third member for weekly exchanges prior to the drags. The 4:56 gears also did time in our 56 Chevy rear end of our 671 SBC, 1940 Willy C/Gas Coupe. YRMV THANKS, BOB...
I had 3.73’s in my Pontiac with a mild cammed 455 back in the early 80’s. Drove from Long Island to Cheyenne Wyoming, spent a year in school and then back to NY. Had L60’s in the back. Gas mileage wasn’t too bad if I remember correctly. Somewhere around 17mpg. Throttle response was excellent. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
In 1980, I broke the 3.73 gears in the truck, on the starting line at the drag strip. Found some 4.56 gears, the were great. Until I took a few highway trips, then out they went. And that was when the speed limit was 55 still.
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