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Whats the best cruising gear?
Posted By: 70RT Charger
Whats the best cruising gear? - 05/18/09 12:22 AM
Im getting closer to start restoring my rear end and I plan on doing alot of cruising.I plan on making small trips,hitting the interstate and doing local cruise ins.My setup that I have is a mild 440-4-speed-391 gears and when I was driving it before it really tached up there when I hit the interstate.I thought about the 323s,then I thought that maybe to high.Just want some opinions what would be the best gear to go with.Thanks,Chris
Posted By: Neil
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 05/18/09 12:25 AM
Depends on your tire diameter. 3:55's are a good compromise and it's what I usually run.
Posted By: johnedod
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 05/18/09 12:25 AM
For cruising I like 3.23s.
Posted By: dOc !
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 05/18/09 12:42 AM
THINK about it .... how often do you use a "cruiser" or streeter for stop-light/drag-strip action ?
NOT MUCH.
So I now have ...in a light-weight(for a B-body) car ..with a torquey 440 .... a 2.76 gear.
I drive-it ... and LOVE IT.
SURE ...it does not 60-foot like a 4.56 gear ... but for a streeter... you will LOVE the cruise-speed and MPG
Posted By: Pacnorthcuda
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 05/18/09 12:46 AM
EVERY gear is a compromise in one way or another. I run 28 inch rears. 3.55 for me.
Posted By: DaytonaTurbo
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 05/18/09 12:51 AM
Get an overdrive transmission. Best of both worlds. Why compromise? If you have a 4-gear, passon makes an o/d gearset or you could do a 70's/80's o/d 833 for cheap. If that doesn't sound appealing, play with this calculator:
http://vexer.com/68rt/speed.htmlI've got 3.55's and a 727 and it's basically 3000rpm at 65mph. Livable but I don't like to see my motor revving that high needlessly so I have an overdrive trans in the garage waiting for me to get to it.
Posted By: Mr.Yuck
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 05/18/09 12:53 AM
3.73 w/ a 275/60/15... best of both worlds. 3.55's are ok but in heavy car they can drag some out of the hole.
Posted By: stumpy
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 05/18/09 12:58 AM
For daily driving and the Eway I'd go with 3.23s.
Posted By: Alexdodge
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 05/18/09 12:58 AM
I took out the 3:55 out of the 64 and put in 2.93 posi. With the 440 its great. Only used for touring and cruising.It still has a powerful top end!
Alex in Ohio
Will be taking it to Tennessee this weekend. All four lane driving for about 6 hours.
Posted By: Michael
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 05/18/09 01:02 AM
I like 3.55
Posted By: 1_WILD_RT
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 05/18/09 01:03 AM
Lots of freeway 2.76 or 2.94... Best all around 3.23, around town 3.55 or 3.73.. Hotrod 3.91 or more.. Build a stroker & 2.76's can still put you in the 12's...
Posted By: sixty7gtx
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 05/18/09 01:24 AM
3.23 for my charger RT, 3.55 for the GTX. any taller may be too much for long distace?
Posted By: sixty7gtx
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 05/18/09 01:25 AM
Quote:
3.23 for my charger RT, 3.55 for the GTX. any taller may be too much for long distace?
charger RT
Posted By: sthemi
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 05/18/09 02:13 AM
with the 4 speed I would recommend the 3.23, if you run taller (like 2.76) with the torquey 440 and the 4 speed in a heavy car the clutch will not be happy at all.
I run a 275-70-15 on my stock 440 68 Charger and it is fine on the highway with excellent off the line.
I also have a 68 300 with a stock 440 and 2.76 and it is a highway monster, but off the line is not so happy...
Posted By: stumpy
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 05/18/09 03:20 AM
This might help you figure out what you need.
http://vexer.com/68rt/speed.html
Posted By: 68Bullit
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 05/18/09 03:23 AM
Quote:
Get an overdrive transmission. Best of both worlds. Why compromise? If you have a 4-gear, passon makes an o/d gearset or you could do a 70's/80's o/d 833 for cheap. If that doesn't sound appealing, play with this calculator:
http://vexer.com/68rt/speed.html
I've got 3.55's and a 727 and it's basically 3000rpm at 65mph. Livable but I don't like to see my motor revving that high needlessly so I have an overdrive trans in the garage waiting for me to get to it.
Overdrives are totally the way to go. A Gearvendor is pricey, but It's paying for itself each time I drive the car. 4.30's and a Gearvendor behind my 904 with 25.7" tires puts me at 70 mph @ 3100 rpm (plus or minus a mile per hour or two). I just drove my car on the first small road trip yesterday after the GV install (about 1.5 hours each way). Man it was nice. In overdrive, I have the equivalent of a 3.35 gear.
Posted By: DennisH
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 05/18/09 03:58 AM
Keisler TKO / 354 DANA.
Nice combo.
Posted By: SomeCarGuy
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 05/18/09 04:13 AM
3.23 has been the best for me. I drive a ton and those help a bunch.
On the eastern KY two lanes I don't think you will want a 2.94 or higher gear. I run into enough traffic over there that it would cause some extra shifting as the 3.23 almost does sometimes.
If you are running a stock size tire the 3.23 will turn plenty of RPMs on the interstate. A 3.55 would be getting close to unbearable for me. But if you find a deal on one I wouldn't turn it down, I know parts in our part of the world can be hard to come by and new stuff is spendy.
Posted By: Dusted_Ya
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 05/18/09 04:19 AM
It depends on how much you cruise and at what speed. I, for example like to cruise at between 75mph and 120mph which 2.73gears are ideal...
Posted By: DAYCLONA
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 05/18/09 04:44 AM
Quote:
Get an overdrive transmission. Best of both worlds. Why compromise?
Exactly,......I enjoy 4:10 gears on the street,.......and with my Keisler 5spd TKO .64 OD they equate to 2.64's in 5th gear cruising on the interstate,......running a 275/60/15 tire, MPG can range as high as 22 MPG, and MPH in the 140/150 range with a 440/6, with 4:10's.......if "originality" is your thing,.....put a Passon transmission in it?, why compromise on rear gear sets, or desired tire size?
Posted By: SomeCarGuy
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 05/18/09 04:54 AM
Sure an OD is the way to go if you want to drop that amount of coin in your car. Or you can buy a high gear for a few hundred and spend the other 3 grand or so on other things.
Posted By: DaytonaTurbo
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 05/18/09 05:00 AM
Quote:
Sure an OD is the way to go if you want to drop that amount of coin in your car. Or you can buy a high gear for a few hundred and spend the other 3 grand or so on other things.
It doesn't have to cost all that much. A 518 can be installed behind a small block for dirt cheap and put behind a big block with a help of a $300 JW ultrabell. A far cry from 3k, but still costs $ over doing nothing. All depends on how bad you want that steep gear and highway driveability.
Posted By: DAYCLONA
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 05/18/09 05:08 AM
Quote:
Sure an OD is the way to go if you want to drop that amount of coin in your car. Or you can buy a high gear for a few hundred and spend the other 3 grand or so on other things.
Well,.....you know the old sayin,.."Speed cost money son,...How fast do you want go?" 
Posted By: Dartman75
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 05/18/09 05:15 AM
3.55's and find a set of OD gears for your current manual or a swap to one that has an OD. 3.55's are a reasonble ratio, but still a bit of a screamer at highway speeds without the OD.
I had a 2.94 which was actually quite nice for the highway, still a bit tall but not bad, but on a stock motor it was a bit sluggshg betting up and going. 70MPH was about 2700-2900 RPM and ideal kick down RPM range for the motor as it'd upshift at 80. From that I switched to a 3.55 and the RPMS get into the 3500+ range which was quite annoying and no downshift from that speed. I added a GV OD which is roughly 0.78 ratio. Makes the 3.55 feel like a 2.76. Now that is the best of all worlds. 2600-2700 highway RPMS, really strong kickdown range (2nd gear with the OD on) with lots of room to mile it up before it shifts. But the Gear Vendors overdrive is a very pricy change if you're on a tight budget.
If you have a low gear set in first(no idea on mopar ratios) you can probably do quite nicely on 3.23's or even somethign isn the high 2.X range. If the tires go up easily just on motor torque, you dont need more gear advantage. 440 is a torque monster and as a non sligh wearing street car it will do nicely with taller gears that most will recommend from the performance crowd.
Greg
Posted By: 70RT Charger
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 05/18/09 09:32 PM
Thanks guys for the replies,so many options,Ill probably go go with the 323s,hopefully down the road maybe go with a GV unit,or tko,to many irons in the fire right now.Thank,Chris.
Posted By: 70Cuda383
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 05/18/09 10:52 PM
when you get to it, consider the TKO over the GV. my TKO has a 5th gear OD of .64, much lower than the OD in the GV. with a 28" tire, and 3.21s, I was idling down the freeway, doing 75mph at 1800 rpm. Not good for me because the speed limit is 65, and if I drove that slow, my RPMs were low enough that the motor was getting choppy, lumpy, surging, etc. on the cam, since the cam I have doesn't really smooth out till 1800 rpm.
Off the highway, where speed limits are 55mph? forget about trying to use 5th gear!
so, I went "extreme" and put some 4.56s in the rear end. I haven't driven it yet, but the math says that I can do 65mph at 2200 RPM in 5th gear, or 75mph at 2600 RPM.
hmm...4.56s for hard launches, and still turn less around 2500 rpm while cruising down the highway
Posted By: DaytonaTurbo
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 05/18/09 11:10 PM
Quote:
hmm...4.56s for hard launches, and still turn less around 2500 rpm while cruising down the highway
Sounds great, so long as your motor will turn enough rpm to make it down the 1/4 mile before hitting redline in 4th!
Posted By: 70Cuda383
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 05/18/09 11:48 PM
Quote:
Quote:
hmm...4.56s for hard launches, and still turn less around 2500 rpm while cruising down the highway
Sounds great, so long as your motor will turn enough rpm to make it down the 1/4 mile before hitting redline in 4th!
I guess we'll see! 500 hp, 4200 lbs, aero of a brick...redline with that cam is probably 6200-6500 or so, on the engine dyno, power started to fall off at 6200 though.
6,000rpm in 4th gear, at 1:1, is about 109 in the 1/4. if my truck does a 109, I'd be happy with that, since it should put me into the 12s.
if I find that it's redlining way too soon, I always have 5th gear!
Posted By: 68Bullit
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 05/19/09 12:38 AM
Not saying it hasn't been done, but definitely way harder to justify a TKO for someone already running an automatic, ESPECIALLY for someone watching their coin. I did look into a TKO a good bit before I made the decision for the GV. Cost of a total conversion was a big deciding factor.
I like my GV, but I do wonder how much I could have saved by considering a good 518 with a little extra strenghtening
Posted By: 70Cuda383
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 05/19/09 01:14 AM
Quote:
Not saying it hasn't been done, but definitely way harder to justify a TKO for someone already running an automatic, ESPECIALLY for someone watching their coin. I did look into a TKO a good bit before I made the decision for the GV. Cost of a total conversion was a big deciding factor.
I like my GV, but I do wonder how much I could have saved by considering a good 518 with a little extra strenghtening
This is true...if you're already set up for an auto, you're gonna have to get EVERYTHING! (Flywheel, bell housing, clutch disc, pressure plate, gear box, shifter, clutch pedal, clutch linkage and or hydraulic lines, throw out bearing, clutch fork unless it's a hydraulic throw out bearing....
if you're already running a manual gear box, you can skip most of that and get just the gear box and driveshaft.
I basically did an "auto to manual" conversion, because I was putting a big block, TKO combo into a V6 Dakota, so all I had in place that I could use, was the clutch pedal, none of the V6 stuff was the same.
I spent $4K on my set-up, which included shipping to my door.
but it sure is worth it! 
Posted By: DaytonaTurbo
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 05/19/09 03:38 AM
Quote:
I like my GV, but I do wonder how much I could have saved by considering a good 518 with a little extra strenghtening
Biggest expense would be the JW Ultrabell, which costs a little over 300 bucks, that and having your driveshaft shortened a few inches. Not a bolt-in deal though, some models need floor surgery and/or torsion bar crossmember modding. Plus you have to chop up your auto trans crossmember and fab it to hold the 518 up. If you're willing and have the ability it could be done for a fair price. And rebuilding a 518 doesn't cost much more than doing a 727. The .7:1 4th gear would sure be nice.
Posted By: Dartman75
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 05/19/09 04:08 AM
Quote:
when you get to it, consider the TKO over the GV....
Ditto that. For the price of the GV and work to get it mounted on a manual you can go with with a full TKO tranny. GV really only makes sense on an automatic unless there is a special circumstance.
In the mean time the 3.23's will work well for you. And when if you do get a TKO some day that 3.0ish range low gear will make that 3.23 come alive a bit more and make first gear useful and you'll have a nice tall crusing RPMS' in the 2000 range like any modern car.
Greg
Posted By: SomeCarGuy
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 05/19/09 07:05 AM
I asked about a 518 swap in a truck that I looked at and most seemed to think the OD unit would fail behind a 440 pretty easily.
How about running a 2.76 rear gear and spending the extra money for an OD on a supercharger or better heads or...
Posted By: 1_WILD_RT
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 05/19/09 07:32 AM
Quote:
I asked about a 518 swap in a truck that I looked at and most seemed to think the OD unit would fail behind a 440 pretty easily.
How about running a 2.76 rear gear and spending the extra money for an OD on a supercharger or better heads or...
Theres an awful lot of Cummins powered trucks around with O/D Torqueflites that live just fine...
Thats a 618 but the parts from a 618 & a 518 are interchangable...
Posted By: BDS871Cuda
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? 3.08 nice and simple - 05/19/09 09:23 AM
I had a 66 Charger 383 auto. 8 3/4 rear posi with
3.23 gears and 295/50/15's. It was ok for 55 to 65
mph hyway driving, but for the freeway no way!
My 68 Chevy CST pickup has a 383 stroker (350)and
400 auto trans. No need for high dollar O.D. stuff.
3.08 gears with a 32" tire and 80 mph is as easy
as 2600 rpm.
At 4600 RPM, well, you do the math, let's just say
were flying!!!
Posted By: DaytonaTurbo
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 05/19/09 03:49 PM
Quote:
Theres an awful lot of Cummins powered trucks around with O/D Torqueflites that live just fine...
Thats a 618 but the parts from a 618 & a 518 are interchangable...
The 518 will survive just fine behind most street or street/strip performance cars. Unless you're dumb enough to engage the lockup converter or the overdrive gear while you are nailing the the throttle! The o/d and lockup should be setup to automatically disengage any time you are raping on the throttle. The o/d functions should be used for cruising only.
Posted By: SomeCarGuy
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 05/19/09 05:08 PM
Quote:
Quote:
I asked about a 518 swap in a truck that I looked at and most seemed to think the OD unit would fail behind a 440 pretty easily.
How about running a 2.76 rear gear and spending the extra money for an OD on a supercharger or better heads or...
Theres an awful lot of Cummins powered trucks around with O/D Torqueflites that live just fine...
Thats a 618 but the parts from a 618 & a 518 are interchangable...
The truck guys pretty much said to use the 618 parts- but there is more money.
Posted By: Paul_Fancsali
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 05/19/09 05:47 PM
I wonder why everyone worries about wearing out there engine with gears? So it rev's up I hold 4K and don't think nothing about it. My street cars run 4.10s and 4.56's the 4.10s run with short tires and the car still pulls like crazy to redline. Too tall a gear and the stall speed on a conv will be a problem and frankly in westren Pa with the hills I like to know that I can go up them just as fast as on the level. Most of the so called cruiser's of today are just plain slow due to carbon build up put a decent exhaust with something besides flow masters and the noise will not be the issue. Just my 10cents
Posted By: stumpy
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 05/19/09 05:54 PM
It's not wearing out the engine it's eating up gas. I know my engine will run at higher RPMs but why spend all that money on gas when a better street gear will save gas and wear and tear.
Posted By: Dartman75
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 05/20/09 12:26 AM
Gas mileage, noise, heat, wear and tear on the motor, and face it when people pass you on the highway and your car sounds like it's about rev'd the the RPM limit, they look at you like there is something wrong with you. And lets face it, there is something wrong with us, but lets not let outsiders know
Besides on the highway, when you need to accelerate up a hill like you're on the level, just down shift because second gear on a tall rear is probably about where drive is on a 4.10 geared car, and having that extra drive gear ready won't limit your top speed for rounding that top attempting to lauching into near earth orbit
Greg
Posted By: 68Bullit
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 05/20/09 01:38 AM
Quote:
Besides on the highway, when you need to accelerate up a hill like you're on the level, just down shift because second gear on a tall rear is probably about where drive is on a 4.10 geared car, and having that extra drive gear ready won't limit your top speed for rounding that top attempting to lauching into near earth orbit
Posted By: BurntOrange
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 05/20/09 02:50 AM
ROTFLMAO
I like my 2.76s in the Fury for daily use and longer trips.
3.23 in the RR is fun too.
Posted By: MoparJoe
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 05/20/09 03:28 AM
I like 3.91's-4.10's, 70mph is about it for hwy cruising but they're fun around town, If I want something that gets good mpg and goes 140+mph I'll drive my Charger.
I'd rather have it geared to low than too tall, my daily driver truck has 3.55's and shifts 2-3 at 95mph and it's a 5 speed- It really needs some 4.56's
Posted By: Paul_Fancsali
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 05/20/09 01:46 PM
My suggestion is what I do with the 4.56 car I put on 30inch talltruck style tires and last checked got near 1 mpg better. Example ith 3.55s I got 12 with 3.90s I got 10 with 4.30s I got 11 with 4.56s I got 12 again with the tall tires. I love to check things and see the results but Yes they do rev but why di I have it to drive it! So if you have big block use the 2.94's no question but if you have a 7.5 comp small block you need to take advantage of every trick you have and still run on mid grade or regular Anyway you look at it have fun thats the key!!!
Posted By: patrick
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 05/20/09 03:46 PM
How tall of a tire? 26" tall or less, I'd probably go 2.76. 27-29" tall, 2.94, 30-32" tall, probably 3.23's
I had 3.55's and 27" tall tires and HATED it on the interstate (speed limit 70). was buzzing along at 3000-3300 RPM. I'd get a headache after about a half hour from the noise. I kept them but put in an A500 OD, and dropped it to an effective 2.45....
another option would be to use an A833OD (.73 OD) or a Passon OD (.8 OD). would turn your 3.91's into 2.85's or 3.13's effectively....
Posted By: Anonymous
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 11/23/09 10:36 PM
hey i have a 77 dodge d100
im putting a 318 in it with 400hp and 400tq
with a 727 torqe flight and 9 1/4 rear end and im just using it for street put i also want it to be fast so what would the best gear ratio be for me?
thanks for eny of the repliys
Posted By: ireland383
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 11/24/09 12:15 AM
3.55's here, I think you get the best of both worlds with this gear.
Posted By: stumpy
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 11/24/09 12:21 AM
3.23s will give you a nice cruise and still allow you to smoke a tire.
Posted By: patrick
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 11/24/09 02:33 AM
Quote:
hey i have a 77 dodge d100
im putting a 318 in it with 400hp and 400tq
with a 727 torqe flight and 9 1/4 rear end and im just using it for street put i also want it to be fast so what would the best gear ratio be for me?
thanks for eny of the repliys
how tall are the tires?
what are the cam specs?
Posted By: dirtybee
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 11/24/09 04:05 AM
just a thought but if you run an 8 3/4, what i do is cruise with my 2.76 and throw in the 3.91's for the track. after a few times it only takes about an hour, and by the way my car came withe 3.91 which i love, but when i put the 2.76 in for a road trip, i also loved them..... awesome, i'm gonna get one of everything, or at least a 4.10 or 4.30 or 4.56 with a spool with my spare housing.
Posted By: 1_WILD_RT
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 11/24/09 04:48 AM
Quote:
just a thought but if you run an 8 3/4, what i do is cruise with my 2.76 and throw in the 3.91's for the track. after a few times it only takes about an hour, and by the way my car came withe 3.91 which i love, but when i put the 2.76 in for a road trip, i also loved them..... awesome, i'm gonna get one of everything, or at least a 4.10 or 4.30 or 4.56 with a spool with my spare housing.
FWIW I do the same thing & to make it easier I added a drain plug to the axle housing... And I keep the correct speedo gear in the same box with 3rd member...
Posted By: dOc !
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 11/24/09 05:20 AM
Let me add ......
I don't think I would ever stick a steep-gear in my 62 ever again.
The car is a 12-flat car now ...with the 2.76 gear .....and is an absolute BALL to drive on the street.
The last time I drove to the track... 60 miles(120 miles RT) .... I stuffed a couple of Stangs, a Vette and Crumb-aro in the weeds.
As was said in Dirty Mary/Crazy Larry .... the top-end is uNlimited !
Posted By: PlumCrazy73Dodge
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 11/24/09 06:42 AM
All depends on what YOU are looking for out of your car while cruising...
Just to cruise and enjoy yourself with the occasional stomp - 3.23's
Cruising more locally with more stomping - 3.73's
The choice is yours
I have had 4.56 in my challenger...that did not last that long....I was tached out at like 50 mph
I run 2.76's now and it just dogs too much, but on the highway it keeps going and going and going...which is nice to drop the hammer and hit trip digits
Posted By: dOc !
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 11/24/09 07:03 AM
Quote:
I run 2.76's now and it just dogs too much, but on the highway it keeps going and going and going...which is nice to drop the hammer and hit trip digits
You need a BIG TORQUE motor to pull that gear.
When driving it real REAL easy on the street ...I can start-off in 3rd gear ...from a stop-light. ..... ......
Posted By: nz383man
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 11/24/09 07:52 AM
I ran 323's behind 383 auto in Barracuda, great cruiser but a bit flat (440 should be fine though)
Changed to 391's for more fun & quicker drag times, great fun on short hauls but pulls 3,300 at 60 Mph!
Posted By: cptn60
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 11/24/09 02:48 PM
What is your target cruising speed and your combo's "sweet spot"? Just gear according to those two things, keeping in mind your intended usage. For out of town trips, I take my Monaco with 2.76 gears. For in town, the RR has 5.13's. Different rides, different purposes.
Posted By: patrick
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 11/24/09 02:56 PM
point of reference, that there's more to it than just gear ratio...all calculations assuming no converter slip.
at 70 mph, a 2.76 rear with a 26" tall tire is turning 2500 RPM
the same tire (26") with a 3.23 is turning 2900 RPM
the same gear (3.23) with a 28" tall tire is turning 2700, and with a 30.5" tall tire is turning 2500 RPM at 70, the same as a 2.76 with a short tire....
Posted By: Anonymous
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 11/24/09 03:01 PM
the overdrive in my ride w/4.30 gears makes it act like a 3.01 gear. also running 295/50/15 BFG drag radial.
the 3+:1 first gear makes it a killer on the street lol. cruises like a dream @ 80mph on the open road.
Posted By: Anonymous
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 11/24/09 03:06 PM
what kind of overdrive unit are you using ? I know that when I buy my dart it will have 3.90 or 4.11 gears but I want to also use and overdrive cause I drive to shows.
Posted By: Anonymous
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 11/24/09 03:17 PM
Quote:
what kind of overdrive unit are you using ? I know that when I buy my dart it will have 3.90 or 4.11 gears but I want to also use and overdrive cause I drive to shows.
GM700R4.
cheapest/easiest/most reliable way to put an automatic OD in a MoPar. jmo.
Posted By: Reggie
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 11/24/09 03:40 PM
Quote:
3.55's here, I think you get the best of both worlds with this gear.
Best all around gear if you drive it often.
Posted By: JoesMopar
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 11/24/09 04:02 PM
I'm running a 3.55 in my '69 Charger with a 440, 727, 3000-3200 stall, and 295/50/15 BFG's.
@ 70 mph it's around 3200 rpm, on the back roads which are 45 mph zones it's under 2500 rpm.
I don't mind driving it on the interstate, but it does get annoying. Farthest trip I've taken was about 35 miles (70miles RT) and that's enough for me.
But the way I see it, it's not a daily driver for me anyway, just a fun car. I don't have to drive it 100 miles one way and as little cruising as I do in town, the 3.55's are suffcient.
I have an '89 Diplomat AHB that has 2.94's and it is much more relaxing to drive it on the interstate. Around town though the car really isn't the dog you think it would be, but, it has the A999 in it which I think may have a lower first gear.
If I did build another car to do it all with, I would consider the 518 swap if I had an automatic, or saving up and spending the dough for the Keisler if I had a manual.
Posted By: Anonymous
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 11/24/09 11:19 PM
29 inch tiers and a comp cam extreme energy 230/477
Posted By: NachoRT74
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 11/25/09 07:47 PM
I'm on 3.55 with 255/60R15. I had 3.23 on same wheels. Got plenty happy and variation is not that BIGGER to get worried.
Both of them works for cruise, then mileage is what you will need to think. Myself I don't care the 10% mileage change ( Ok I pay US$ 3 to fill my tank on a 74 Charger, so who cares milage LOL ). I mean 10% cause that's more less the gear variation.
overall, 3.23 is the best gear setup for highway to win torque from 2s gears. For street, both works great really. If you are going down from 4s, I think 3.55 is the best to keep some of the high gears you had and FEELS you are not loosing a lot.
Posted By: dustergirl340
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 11/25/09 09:16 PM
I went from 3.23 to 3.91's with 28" tall tires in the Duster and it was like night and day. LOVE it. I do a lot of freeway driving too, and it doesn't bother me a bit. Maybe my tolerance is higher than most, lol.
I also have an efficient PTC converter, which lowered my RPM by a couple hundred compared to the stock converter.
Posted By: DennisH
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 11/25/09 10:35 PM
Keisler Tremec TKO, 3:54, 14's. Sweet-spot cruising all day long.
Posted By: MarkZ
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 11/25/09 11:45 PM
I'm running a 28" tall tire with 4.10 gears behind an A500 overdrive trans. Runs a tick under 2500 RPM at 70. OD was one of the best modifications I made to my car.
Posted By: HotRodDave
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 11/26/09 03:28 AM
Quote:
It depends on how much you cruise and at what speed. I, for example like to cruise at between 75mph and 120mph which 2.73gears are ideal...
but I use 2.76 gears 
I am thinking of adding an A-500 on top of it, with 550 Ft LBS it should be fun running across the wide open spaces here
Posted By: R70RUNNER
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 11/26/09 03:38 AM
Quote:
but I use 2.76 gears
I am thinking of adding an A-500 on top of it
about a 2:00 final?
Posted By: Robbins
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 11/26/09 11:57 AM
Quote:
I'm running a 28" tall tire with 4.10 gears behind an A500 overdrive trans. Runs a tick under 2500 RPM at 70. OD was one of the best modifications I made to my car.
That's interesting.....I'm gong to be running a 2 wire 518 behind a 440 with 4:10's and 30" to 31" tire in a RC. I was wondering where my tach was going to fall at 70. Oh.....mine will be higher I guess cause I don't have a lock up.
I've ran 3.55's behind my OD 833 in my swb probably 6 to 7 years....which it ran around 2100 rpm at 70. I've also had 2.76's in the same truck twice an now it runs around 1700 at 70. I think the next gears I'm going to try will be 3.23's, because I have them to try.
I know in my 64 valiant I had 2.76 behind a regular 833 with a low first gear and it would run around 2100 rpm at 70. I can't remember what size tire I was running back then.
Posted By: dmerc
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 11/26/09 12:05 PM
I have a 2.26 ration in overdrive.(3.23 axle) Very relaxed cruising at 70 MPH, about 1900 RPM and good gas mileage.
Posted By: stumpy
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 11/26/09 03:39 PM
I'm running a 518od and 3.91 gears with a 28" tire at 2200rpm at 70.
Posted By: a12rag
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 11/26/09 03:54 PM
Well . . it certainly all depends what you use your car for . . . in my 74 Duster360 (stock), before going to Carlisle years ago, I swapped out the 8.25" rear end (complete) that had 3.55:1 gears, for another that was 2.45:1 gears !!! Yes, that high . . . with the 360, 727auto, 235/60/14 tires, cruising 70mph = 2500rpm !
With the torquey 360, it has no problem spinning the right rear (yeah a one legger), and love the passing power on the highway !!! Not to mention getting 22mpg @ 70mph !!!!
As I have always said, you have to build the car for you . . .for what you want to do. I like driving LONG distances to car shows, not being a drag racer or street fighter. So the car works for me !! Course I miss my big ole C Body for long distance cruising . . . .
Just my
Cheer
Mark
A12rag
Posted By: Robbins
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 11/26/09 04:17 PM
Stumpy, is yours a 3 wire?
Posted By: plumcrazycuda
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 11/26/09 05:14 PM
I had 3.23 to 4.30 in my purple car over the years. At first you think you are going to drive it a lot,but now if I put 500 miles a year on it its a lot. I ended up putting a 4.10 Dana in it and love it. My blue car has 3.55 in it,but I drive it more,about 2000 miles a year. If I ever get the 70 done it going to have a 3.54 Dana in it.Because thats what I have for it. If you are going to drive a lot,2500 miles or more then go with 3.23,but I bet you will end up changing to 4.10 because these old car do alot of sitting and 4.10 are a lot of fun on the street. Just my
Posted By: DAYCLONA
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 11/26/09 06:37 PM
Quote:
Keisler TKO / 354 DANA.
Nice combo.
.......My Daytona runs a Keisler TKO 600 5spd, .64 OD....27" tire 275/60/15,..4:10 Dana.....awesome on the streets with 4:10's...or crusing on the highway in 5th at 80MPH@ 2200-2400 RPM,...with a top speed of 140-150 MPH @ 5700 RPM....your best investment is an overdrive transmission rather than a compromise in gearing
Posted By: stumpy
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 11/26/09 10:24 PM
Yes it is. The switches I used give me a lock up at 50 and od at 55. I also have an on-off switch hooked up to the vacuum switch that kills both.
Posted By: momopar
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 11/27/09 04:01 AM
With the tourque of a True 10:1 + 440 c.i. or bigger ~28" tire the 3.23s are a very good choice.You can still get it out on the interstate. And roast the tires around town at will. And no overdrive needed for 140+ top end!
Posted By: Pentastar440
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 11/27/09 05:45 AM
With an A-518 doesn't it downshift out of overdrive when vacuum goes to zero ? If so how do you go 'full-throttle' while in overdrive ?? Will the transmission even go into overdrive while under full throttle ?
Posted By: stumpy
Re: Whats the best cruising gear? - 11/27/09 03:24 PM
If you stomp the gas it will come out of OD but if you ease into it no problem.