[Tigers] trannies

[Gary Crandall]

Peter,
   
  I kept my original 2.88 rearend ratio and added positraction. I also converted my transmission to a wide ratio setup. Not only the standard wide ratio, but I swapped the 2.78 1st gear with a 2.90 1st gear from David Kee Toploaders. The gear ratio spread now matches the first 4 gears of a 5 speed exactly. I am running a 331 stroker, Dan Walters Torque arm and 13" wheels, 205/60-13. First gear gives outstanding acceleration, so hard that I can't even dump the clutch from a standing start without completely frying the tires. I even break loose from a rolling start at 20 mph. Same in second. Granted, a lot of that has to do with the stroker engine, but even still the ultra low first gear is a real stump puller, regardless of the engine. The best part (other than the acceleration) is that I usually don't get into 4th gear driving around town, only on the highway, which is perfect for getting better gas mileage, especially with today's prices. In college I had a Tiger with a
 close ratio transmission and 3.31 gears. The gear ratios were so close that I spent all my time just shifting. First gear wasn't nearly as low as I now have and in fourth gear I was turning 3500 rpm at 70 mph. Now I'm at around 3000 at 70 mph. In my opinion the wide ratio (or better yet the extra wide ratio) with 2.88 rearend gears is the best of both worlds, short of installing a 5 speed and a heck of a lot cheaper I might add; several hundred vrs several thousand. I highly recommend it.
   
  I have attached an Excel workbook for close ratio, wide ratio and 5 speed transmissions conversions. Plug in your tire size, maximum shift point rpm, wide ratio 1st gear and 5 speed 5th gear ratios (all yellow background cells) and it will compute your speed in each gear for 2.88, 3.07, 3.31, 3.54 and 3.73 rearend ratios. Go to the indidual worksheets for close ratio, wide ratio and 5 speed to compare rpm ranges for each individual gear for every rearend ratio. These worksheets are good for determining how your engine's torque curve fits into your shift points. Also compare the graphs on gear setups and acceleration. You see that my wide ratio matches the 5 speed, except for overdrive.
   
  Hope this helps.
   
  Gary
   
  P.S. My brother-in-law went to Wharton. He's a self made millionaire. Good luck.

 
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