Re: Gear Ratios

[Huw Powell <human@nh.ultranet.com>]

Don Muirhead wrote:
> 
> Huw:
> 
> This has been bugging me for quite some time and I'm looking for a sounding
> board.  I know you went the other way (4th for 5th and so forth) but, I'm
> actually thinking of doing the opposite for a few reasons but primarily
> because of my driving habits.
> 
> 1. A few more horses were added when I had the engine rebuilt last summer
> as part of the restoration.
> 2. Although I have a high mileage engine (963,417 km as of today) the
> engine has never seen 5,000 rpm.
> 3. 90% of my driving is highway/rural at speeds between 110-140kph.
> 4. I rarely use 1st gear unless starting from a hill and no, I never had to
> replace a clutch (although I installed a new HD clutch when I had the
> engine done).
> 
> Since Audi has such a wide variety of ratios available, I've been seriously
> thinking about increasing (lengthening) 1st and all other ratios.  Why -
> I'd like to be able get the rpm's down to about 2,800 at 120kph...think of
> it as a poor man's over-drive.  I realize the potential for carbon/parti
> culate build-up but what else am I missing - or am I completely nuts.

Don, I hope you don;t mind me taking this public (in hope of
knowledgeable input...)

As I mentioned a while back, i would like to have the lower gearing of
the later coupe/4k box in low gears without sacrificing my long legged
5th.  In fact, if i were to play mix'n'match I would want the lower
1-2-3-4 and the high 5.

BUT, that lower gearing I speak of is acheived through a different final
drive ratio.  the gears themselves are the same.

So my next thought was to swap in the lower final drive to my good spare
gearbox (since my current box ticks in reverse, quite annoying, but it's
done it for 60,000 miles now...).  I'd do it this way 'cause most of the
lower geared boxes are set up for hydraulic clutches whereas mine is
cable.

What you might want if possible would be a longer final drive.

I dont'k know -

1. how easy it is to swap in the low geared final drive
2. if it is possible to regear the guts of the box
3. if it possible/easy to get a different final drive ratio "to order"
or from another car.

and, Don, if your car has the short final drive, a swap to the tall one
would be no harder than my desire to swap to the short one.

Again my ideal would be a lower 1-2-3-4 and the same 5 I have (82 coupe)

-- 
Huw Powell

http://www.humanspeakers.com

82 Audi Coupe; 84 4kq; 85 Coupe GT
http://www.nh.ultranet.com/~human