Re: Axle Ratios

From: GSWillhite (GSWillhite@ualr.edu)
Date: Thu Sep 17 1998 - 18:25:46 EDT


Can't get any clearer than that, well said Shaun.

>
> Axle (or any) Ratio is fairly easy to figure out. The idea is to compare
> turns of the drive shaft to turns of the tire. I think the first number is
> turns of the drive shaft and the second is turns of the tire. So if you have
> a 3.92:1 ratio, it takes 3.92 turns of the drive shaft to turn the tire once.
> A 3.55:1 ratio takes less turns of the drive shaft but requires more torque
> from the engine to move the vehicle since your gearing is closer to 1:1. A
> 4.10:1 ratio takes minimal torque to turn the tires but your "top end" speed
> is less since you're spending all your time and power turning that shaft so
> much.
> One thing to keep in mind is that if your engine RPM's are 5000, your tires
> certainly can't turn that fast, so your transmission and your diff gang up to
> bring the RPM's down to a lower rate and more "torque" to turn the tire.
> Depending on the type of racing you want to do determines the kind of rear end
> you want on your truck. Ratios are a double edged sword. A shallow ratio
> like 4.10:1 may help a weaker engine take off faster, but it will also keep
> the top speed of the vehicle down. If you have a strong enough engine to
> power a steeper ratio, you may want to go with that. 3.92:1 seems to be the
> middle of the road solution. Hope this helps or makes you less confused than
> I am...
>
> Shaun H.
>



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