Originally Posted by
Tommy R
What's the tallest gear some of you have run on more open layouts? So far I've run as tall as 3.62, but I may need to step it up a bit. I always monitor my motor temps, but I'm just curious....how high have you geared your motor before it's either got too hot or maybe become too sluggish?
Would there be a potential benefit to running less timing (presumably more torque, right?) when running a taller gear?
I experimented with this last year during the ROAR Nats in Joliet, IL. after watching another car find some new speed by doing the same thing. The track layout made the straight away roughly 180 feet. I compared 2.98:1 at the stock 30 degrees of timing to 3:27:1 at 45 degrees. The numbers are to the best of my recollection because I lost my notes. The lap times were about the same but I remember the motor being slightly cooler, maybe 5 degrees with the 2.98 and stock timing. The temps stayed under 130 either way using a fan. Ultimately, I ran with the higher timing and shorter ratio because the car just felt better to me. Could just have been a "mental" thing too.