What are the merits of a short ratio box on a track?, Will it make significant reductions in lap times? Options

[nine14cats]

I've got a stock ratio G50 box in my track car. Currently I'm using 2nd through 4th at Infineon, Buttonwillow, Laguna Seca and Thunderhill. I haven't been to Reno-Fernley yet but will be there later this year.

Would it make a significant improvement in lap times to shorten the gearing between the 2nd through 5th gearsets and take advantage of the 5th I'm not using? I wouldn't do it during the season, as I'm still getting used to the car and my RPM' (and speeds) entering turns should go up as I gain more experience in the car. But I just don't see getting into 5th pretty much at all on any of the tracks....

Thanks,

Bill P.

[flesburg]

I honestly do not know, but I think:

that if you have an engine with not a lot of torque, and you are loosing so much power on an upshift that you "lug down", and if you are a really great driver and are currently getting 100% out of the car, then shorter gears may help.

However, if you have a lot of torque, and are pulling hard at each upshift, then I doubt that you will cut off much lap time. A race engine with a very narrow torque range, that makes most of its torque at high rpm, say from 6500 to 8000, and it is a dog under 6500, and you are dropping off to say 5000 after each upshift, then a set of shorter gears might help.

In our DE car we are using a basically stock 3.2 L engine and a stock geared 915 trans, and at HP I use only 3rd and 4th gears, and I really only want to go to 2nd after turn 6, and am well into the torque range of the engine on every upshift from 3rd to 4th. I do not think I could gain much from gear changes. I can gain a whole lot more by growing bigger ****s and turning in at higher speeds, IE the car has more potential than the driver currently has. And gears will not help with that..