posted
I HAVE A STOCK 01 SS WITH 323 GEARS,WILL THE CAR STILL BE HYWAY DRIVEABLE WITH 373 GEARS.ALSO IF ANYONE KNOWS WHERE TO BUY THEM CHEAP ?
Posts: 4 | From: EDMONTON,ALTA,CANADA | Registered: Feb 2004
| IP: Logged
posted
3.73's will still be good on the highway.Not as good fuel economy as the 3.23's but not that worse. As far as a set of cheap gears...either look at swap meets or message boards for someone selling a gear set.The problem with used is they may have changed them since the gear was noisy. I would recommend buying the 3.73's right from the Chevy dealer. Just ask for the gear set for an S-10 pickup and have them installed by someone that knows how to set them up correctly. Posts: 5682 | From: Dearborn,Mi. | Registered: Feb 2002
| IP: Logged
quote:Originally posted by SUNSET01SSRAG: I HAVE A STOCK 01 SS WITH 323 GEARS,WILL THE CAR STILL BE HYWAY DRIVEABLE WITH 373 GEARS.ALSO IF ANYONE KNOWS WHERE TO BUY THEM CHEAP ?
I would strongly suggest you stay away from used ring & pinion sets, unless they have been marked as to the teeth placement when they were taken out. If they not installed in the same position as they were in when removed, you can bet your life they will be very noisy. You can order a set from Zeke's in Montreal http://www.zekesauto.com or Phil at Fast Toys. http://www.fasttoys.net These are both Canadian operations so you won't have to deal with duty or brokerage from the U.S. To determine rpms at specific speeds with specific gearing, go to: http://www.f-body.org/gears/ and enter your info.
posted
I am thinking about a set of gears also. (3.73), but I hear a Torque Converter is the way to go
-------------------- SLP OEM air-lid (painted) with Donaldson filter and CAI, GMMG Chambered exhaust,GMS 200 MPH white gauges,3.73 Rear Axle, SS grille with silver logo, 5-Spoke ZR-1 Chrome Plated Wheels, SS Front Floor Mats, Commemorative Portfolio, Custom FRC's, D Goetz signature series SFC's and STB, Gentex Mirror, Power antenna,T/A shifter handle,clear corners, 160 Therm., HPP3 and Silver SS emblems with 345 hp decals painted calipers with Camaro decal car # 10252 41U Onyx Black -1 of 174 A4 verts
Before purchasing my '01 SOM SS, I owned an A4 '99 Z28. It came equipped with the 2.73 set up and I upgraded to 3.42's. I had 3.73's in a previous A4 car and found it to be a little too much gear for daily driving.
I would say it depends to some extent on how you plan to use the car. If it's a weekend or sunny day only toy, the 3.73 is a good gear. However, you'll pay for it at the pump and your car will drive at a higher rpm when cruising down the highway. If that isn't a concern, I'd say go for it.
If the car is a daily driver, you might want to consider the 3.42. The car will get a little better mpg and won't rev as high while cruising compared to 3.73's. You won't notice as big a difference stepping up from 3.23's as I did coming up from 2.73's, but let me tell you, with the 3.42's I could get good 2nd gear rubber on the 1-2 upshift and under the right conditions, a touch of 3rd gear scratch on the 2-3. For mods, the '99 had the free ram air and egr mods, y-pipe, Borla catback, Whisper Lid, K&N, and an HPP3 tune. The HPP3 came in handy to recal the speedo after the gear change.
I bought the gears from DTS. I also purchased an Eaton carbon fiber posi at the same time. The gears were very quiet and I never had an issue. Just make sure you are metaphysically faithful to the break-in procedure, otherwise they'll be howling. For me, it was an effort to drive it the 500 break in miles and not put my foot in it. But it paid dividends in terms of how quiet the rear end stayed when I did start stepping on it.
Teaming up a gear change with a TC will definitely wake the car up. Not these things need much help to begin with....
Best of luck whichever way you decide to go.
Andy
-------------------- Back Home Where She Belongs... 2001 SS #3122 M01-3122 Sunset Orange Metallic / Ebony Leather M6, All GM Options SLP Options:Bilstein, Dual-Dual, Chrome 10 Spokes, SS Grille, Mats, Key Fobs, Dash Plaque, Car Cover Posts: 214 | From: Pepperell MA USA | Registered: Jan 2001
| IP: Logged
posted
As I recall, Doug, the '99 would tach around 1600-1700 at a 70mph cruise on the stock 2.73's. After I did the 3.42 swap, I believe it was right around 2000 rpms to maintain the same speed. The HPP3 did a good job recalibrating the speedo, but more importantly, it reset the shift points perfectly. In normal driving, it shifted itself at the same rpms as stock, except a slightly slower mph. I had the HPP3 before I swapped the gears and had set mine up to boost the shift firmness and everything felt the same afterwards. You absolutely could not tell the difference in normal driving. I also liked the 3.42 over the 3.73 because it's OEM for that differential.
At WOT, the car shifted itself at 6000rpms, very firmly and quickly with no slop. I had to feather the throttle at launch in 1st as the car would try break the tires loose anywhere in that gear if I got on it all the way. The 1-2 upshift at WOT was good for a solid 20ft of posi scratch. The acceleration was pretty ferocious. 2-3 was very solid and quick, once again, no slop. 3-4 shifted as quickly as 1-2 but not as hard, obviously.
Since this car was my daily transportation at the time, I really enjoyed the fact that it behaved so well for the ride to work, etc., and that it could rip your head off when it was safe to play. The Borla exhaust was the only give-away on the outside that the car wasn't stock, so I enjoyed the "sleeper" aspect of it too.
I highly recommend the parts from DTS. They were an easy install and proved to be very quiet and reliable. For me, the 3.42 balanced the desire for more performance with the reality/practicality of daily use.
Andy Posts: 214 | From: Pepperell MA USA | Registered: Jan 2001
| IP: Logged
posted
I really wanted the 3.73's but you guys have just about got me talked in to the 3.43's. Not sure if it's worth the money though coming from the 3.23's. Maybe with a good TC it will be just enough to make a difference.
The car is a daily driver but it only gets driven around town. We take the family car if we go on any long outings so maybe the 3.73's wouldn't be so bad.
Yeah, for around town driving, the 3.73 should be fine. Coming up from 3.23's, you probably won't notice a big difference going to 3.42's without doing a TC as well. My car was spending time on the highway, hence the desire for something more reasonable. Also, in my situation, I was coming up from 2.73's, so it was a really noticeable difference for me.
With a TC and gears, your car should be a beast.
Good luck, Andy
-------------------- Back Home Where She Belongs... 2001 SS #3122 M01-3122 Sunset Orange Metallic / Ebony Leather M6, All GM Options SLP Options:Bilstein, Dual-Dual, Chrome 10 Spokes, SS Grille, Mats, Key Fobs, Dash Plaque, Car Cover Posts: 214 | From: Pepperell MA USA | Registered: Jan 2001
| IP: Logged
posted
I REALLYWANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR THE INFO . 373 SHOULD BE OK FOR MY MOSTLY CITY CRUISING .ANY ONE KNOW WHAT MY SS SHOULD RUN IN THE QUARTERMILE?
Posts: 4 | From: EDMONTON,ALTA,CANADA | Registered: Feb 2004
| IP: Logged
With 3.73's, you should be able to break into the 12's.
I would avoid trying to buy used gears. It's a lot of trouble waiting to happen IMHO. When I bought the 3.42's and EATON carbon fiber posi, I was out the door for around $400.00. That also included an install kit with bearings, shims, lube, etc...That's fairly easy money for the performance gain you'll get.
For mostly city cruising, 3.73's will definitely get you out of intersection quickly. I think you'll be surprised just how easy it will be to light your tires up. Do yourself a favor and follow the mfg's recommended break-in procedure faithfully. It'll give you the best chance of having a long-lasting, reliable, quiet mod to your car.
My break-in for the 3.42's from DTS was as follows: Do an initial run in after the install. Just 3-4 miles up the road. Light to moderate throttle only. No WOT or they'll howl like crazy. Let the car cool down for about 30 minutes, then do 3 8-10 mile cruises at regular throttle for normal driving. Do NOT exceed 50mph. Let the car cool for 30 minutes between each cruise. After the last cruise, let it sit over night. For the next 500 miles, drive conservatively. Keep your speeds below 60-65mph and do not try anything WOT. After the break-in, let 'er rip.
Different mgf's may have different procedures, but this is what the folks at DTS told me to do and it turned out great.
Good luck, Andy
-------------------- Back Home Where She Belongs... 2001 SS #3122 M01-3122 Sunset Orange Metallic / Ebony Leather M6, All GM Options SLP Options:Bilstein, Dual-Dual, Chrome 10 Spokes, SS Grille, Mats, Key Fobs, Dash Plaque, Car Cover Posts: 214 | From: Pepperell MA USA | Registered: Jan 2001
| IP: Logged
Printer-friendly view of this topic
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Confused]](confused.gif)
![[Cool]](cool.gif)
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
