Thanks, ProSport. I'm not sure of this PTC 9.5's efficiency; car's been trapped in my shop due to winter, haven't driven it in a couple months. Yeah, the taller the gear, the less "leverage" so to speak, so the slippage & stall increase. Similar logic applies to shorter tires' grip vs input torque at the hit.
Funny thing is, my old 438" Hemi 4-speed car with 4.10s & 28" tire was happiest at & above 3500 and it didn't bug me to run it that way; it was like a ginormous SBC in that respect. I spun it to 7500. But in my mind, once the stroke hits 4", one can take advantage of the torque available at lower RPM. I think it'll last longer as well.
70RT: I've done a couple of 446s, one pretty stout & edgy on the street. My real racecar is a low-10s ex-SS/IA SB Duster. Of the 5 cars & 2 trucks currently, every one has a job, and this car's job is to drive to the track & have fun and be a bit more carefree.
I appreciate the info & comparisons so far, thanks!