Hey guys i have a 1965 nova ss with a Muncie 4 speed and 4:56 gears. Could i get some ideas on cruise speed? can i take this thing past 55 cruising on the highway? Thanks
How tall are your rear tires ? I'm running a 29.5 tall tire with 4.30 gears and at 60 mph I am turning 3,000 rpms and at 70 mph 3,500. Not exactly highway friendly, but I have learned to live with it. If you give us your tire diameter we can give you some representative revs. Don
Tire height will effect final rpm so it's just a rough idea. But, with a 28" tall tire, you'll be turning roughly 3010 at 55 mph with those gears. Can you take it past there on the highway, yep..but i wouldn't do it for long hauls if it were mine. A overdrive would sure be helpful in keeping the low gears. edit: you guys type fast! hahahaha Tony
I wouldn't do it.....I had a 57 Belair with the same motor/trans but with a 4:11 and it was screamin at highway speed. I never drove it on the highway much.
I can't drive 55! Unless you're running a 40" tall tire, I'd say about 4000 rpm at about 60 mph. In other words, it'll suck more than just gas.
Well it has already been done and i just want a stop light to stoplight car, im in highschool so im gonna try to work with what ive got, as soon as i get some spare money im thinkin 3:42 for better highway and still good acceleration. The tires are 237/70r15s about 27 or 28"s tall. thanks guys
Thanks waddayacare, ive worked saved and spent it all on this car. Its a project but runs great and looks decent, not a single car in the parking lot even near as cool
I ran 4.56s behind a 427 and a Muncie with a 26" tire.... great stop light to stop light, but 4 grand on the highway wasn't fun. Only stayed that way for 10 years or so... Devin
So with your tire at 28 inches at 55 MPH: Rpm= MPH X Trans Ratio X Axle Ratio X 336.13 / Devided by Tire Diameter So 55 X 1.0 X 4.56 X 336.13 / 28 = 3010.76 R.P.M.
327's like to rev anyway. Buddy of mine bought a new Vette in 1964, 340 horse 327, 4 speed and 4.56 gears. It was a blast to drive and I remember he and I and two Girlfriends racing down the Schuylkill expressway in Philadelphia, racing a 365 fuelie vette. Even with two girls, one on the hump and one on my lap, we still pulled the fuelie at every light. Ah, those were the days. Don
I ran 88's in my '62 Vette back in the 60s when Sunoco 260 gas was $.32/gal. It was mostly used for cruisin' the burger joints in town and occasional highway use a quarter mile at a time. It was still burning a hole in my pocket. You're going to get run over if you're only doing 55MPH on the highways today, and with gas at nearly $4.00/gal you'll be going broke, not to mention the wear and tear on your ride. As you can see, at 55MPH you'll be taching three grand with your current set up. At 65MPH with 3.08 gears, you'll still be taching 2400 RPM's. They're not great gears for racing, for sure, but a lot easier on the wallet. Besides, I bet you do have the coolest ride on the high school lot. Best of luck with your project Nova SS!
I have a 62 Chevy II, I've run just about every size small block with a 4 speed. I used to run 4.10 gears, great around town but bad on the highway then I switched to 3.50s. Still to low, 3,000 rpm on the highway so I made the easy T-5 switch. Now I can run all day on the highway at a little over 2,000 rpm. The first four gears are about the same as the old Muncie I had. I can't see any way to run 4.56 gears on the highway nowadays with gas prices like they are. I'm real happy with mine and I run 2 fours. Good luck.
i bought a c30 ramp truck and hauled 2 stock cars had a fresh 350 and factory tach had 6.17 gears and 18 in tires it run 5500 at 55 mph thats all the faster i drove it put quite a few miles on it, raced a year in winnepeg canada hauling 2 cars would not pull hills to save your butt with the sbc was real bad being in 3rd gear and running about 30 MPH!!!!! finaly bought a dualie with a 454 went fast but ate gas!!!!
My Duster with 3.91s and 27" tires was a real drag on the highway, and the 360 burned mucho fuel at 65 mph - tried not to drive on the highway unless I had to.
Everybody is used to todays cars, 2000 rpm at 65 mph. What you have was the hot set-up back in the day. I drove across the country more than once in 60's trucks with 4:10 gears. Now that is a bit less rpm because of taller tires, but it was a 6000 mile trip. A young guy like yourself it is doubtful that you are going to do this these days, you probably going to take something that gives better gas mileage anyway.
I used to have a 66 Nova back in the day that had 4.33's and a 26 1/2 inch tall (G-60 x 15) tire. I drove it pretty much every day and it kept pace on the highway fine, though I wouldn't recommend 75mph for very long stints. It's mostly a matter of what you're willing to live with... Al in TN
I doubt you can run a tire as tall as recommended here on that little Nova,unless it was tubbed-. TAKE THOSE DAMN DRAG STRIP GEARS OUT AND REPLACE EM WITH A 3:73.....THAT WAY YOU CAN ENJOY YOUR STEREO AND YOUR CAR,PLUS IT WILL SURVIVE A LOT LONGER AS WELL.....sorry caps!
2 of my Unibody pickups have 4:56's and with 31" tires on the one does 2800 @ 60mph. I am at somepoint put in a t-5 or just re-gear it down to like 3:73's. That's what the truck came with from the factory, their both F250's. Michael
Best thing you can do is simply try it out. Then you'll know exactly how you want to adjust it if at all.
You can always save up for a Gear Vendors OD unit so you can have the best of both worlds. Too-tall gears can sure ruin the experience for you, but some are more tolerant than others. When I was a teenager I had just built my first hot rod, a '65 GTO with 421/tripower/M-22, and a local racer offered me a free set of 5.57 Zoom gears. Everyone told me "don't do it" but being a teenager, listening to advice was not in my job description. Those gears lasted about two weeks in that low-revving Pontiac. Sure would get it from a dig, though.
Here is your answer to the can you have your cake and eat it too question, www.gearvendors.com, the answer is yes you can. These baby's are almost indestructable!!!, TR
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