Next up: what rear end ration is bestđ
1 Like
Why wouldnât you want an overdrive trans? Fuel economy govt mandate lead to ev cars. All about using less/no gas. And emissions.
My untechy friend drove his 5spd OD manual trans car for a year till I mentioned he had 5th/OD gear. He had assumed it was a 4speed non od car. The shift knob was not marked with contrasty paint to easily see the markings. It was a fiat.
That is so bad a$$, I would love to read about the complete build with pics⊠I read what you wrote on this forumâŠ
Just to throw out a reminder bit of trivia, in the 40s, 50s, 60s, and possibly in the 30s, cars/light trucks with overdrive transmissions usually came with a lower rear end ratio.
Better off the line acceleration, yet better cruising gas mileage.
3 Likes
Itâs a pretty simple question, what the best number of gears in a manual trans, for you, the driver.
You seem to be saying you think a manual trans with 100 gears would make for a better drive than one with 5 gears? Is this really what you mean to say?
At least according to some folks here Iâm going for the gold! Still in second place as far as I know. Am I gaining ground on the number one poster , or is that poster trying to stay ahead? Avis says being in 2nd place makes you better than number one, b/c you try harder. Do I appear to be trying harder?
BTW, if you folks prefer this forum not be cluttered with this sort of nonsense, suggest to not post about it.
The nice thing about a manual, you donât have to use every gear available.
1 Like
Same with automatics, I lock out upper gears in mountain driving.
1 Like
Iâm happy to continue discussing my number two status here, as long as you continue to invoke the issue. It remains puzzling why youâd be more concerned about the number two poster than the number one? Are you attempting to make it into a contest?
Now you are just being ridiculous. Maybe you should just stop starting silly Topics for a while .
2 Likes
Get an external combustion engine, single speed tranny is fine.
If thatâs the case there must be a lot of interest ,so at least tell us the score! Am I still number 2? Whoâs in number one? And by how many posts?
My take , youâre attempting to drive more potential new posters away from the forum by continuing to invoke this sort of nonsense,
In âPosts Repliedâ
#1 is the late the_same_mountainbike - 36.6k
#2 is George_San_Jose1 - 35.1k
#3 is VDCdriver - 34.3K
But to be fair, in âTopics Createdâ
#1 is VDCdriver - 993
#2 is George_San_Jose - 715
#3 is RandomTroll - 527
1 Like
Is this really the sort of discussion potential first time posters really want to read about? Iâm seeing very few new posters these day , and this sort of nonsense may be the reason. Suggest to those who want to discuss this topic, do so elsewhere, in your private messages amongt yourselves etc. Otherwise IMO theyâll be few if any first time posters here at Car Talk. Car Talk was a very popular radio program, and I donât recall this nonsense ever being discussed there. Maybe thereâs a good reason for that? Suggest to focus the content here about cars, and stop w/the posting stats.
But if you prefer to continue to discuss posting stats, you know what to do.
Thatâs meaningless. Thatâs like asking whatâs the best color ( another topic beaten to death here ) for the driver. If thatâs your criteria the best transmission is the one you, the driver, prefer.
There are any number of criteria for âbestâ. Again, a transmissionâs function is to keep the engine in its most efficient RPM range while transmitting power to the drive wheels. If THAT is your ONLY criterion for âbestâ thenâ yes, 100 gear ratios would be best.
Nobody in their right mind would actually want that many gears, so nobody in their right mind would use only that criterion for determining âbestâ.
EVERYTHING is a compromise, âbestâ becomes simply a matter of somebodyâs opinion.
Finally, back to cars. But donât you have an opinion on the optimum number for your car and your style of driving? Or is this not pertinent to your current car situation, so thereâs no need to hold an opinion in your case? Iâve stated my preference, 5. The choices available are 3, 4,5, & 6.
Perhaps the question is too personal and donât ask for anyoneâs favorite color, you might get a punch in the nose.
1 Like
Youâve stated your preference. That doesnât make it âbestâ.
My first car was a â65 GTO. 389 engine, later replaced with a hot rodded 400 out of a â69 Firebird. 4 speed Muncie Rock Crusher transmission. I loved driving that car.
3000 RPMs at 60 mph, definitely NOT the best transmission. A 5, or even 6 speed would be far and away better for normal driving, but in a car like that with that much power the 5 and 6 speeds could never survive. So the 4 speed was better. Far better.
âBestâ is subjective.
That isnât the transmissionâs fault, it is the rearend gear. It is all about multiplication.
A 3.0 rear gear with a 4 speed transmission with a 2.5 1st gives a 7.5:1 ratio accelerate the car. A 1:1 3rd gear leaves a 3:1 final drive and a decent gap for 2nd and 3rd to fill.
That same final drive with a 4:1 1st gear gives 12:1 ratio. That provides a serious launch and even bigger gaps for 2nd and 3rd but 4th gives the same final drive. It takes a broad torque curve to get from gear to gear. A 400 Pontiac would likely do that. A 3.6 liter V6, not so much. That engine will need 1 or 2 more gears.
Now put a 2.5: final drive with that 4:1 1st gear giving 10:1 to launch the car but it gives a much lower rpm at highway speeds. Same trans, different final drive.
My 2013 Mustangâs final drive is 3.15. My former 2007 Mustang had a 3.55. The 2013âs 1st gear gives exactly the same multiplication as the 2007s 5 speed manual. Both turn the same highway rpm because of different 6th and 5th gears but the final ratio is the same.
2 Likes
@VDCdriver thinks youâre getting too close, @George_San_Jose1 back off! 
I think some of the topics you create are goofy, but keep it up. It gives us something to do when other posts are in short supply. For the most part they generate a lot of response and thatâs a good thing.
1 Like