gear change

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Anonymous

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Hi all I am thinking of changeing the 3.54s in my Galaxie to a 3.00 or 3.25
what do you all think will be a good gear ?
223 with a 3 speed

Thanks Brent
 
CoupeBoy":37b4yt5v said:
Welcome to the forum!

What size tire are you running?
What is your expected usage for the car?

-ron
the tires are 215/75/14
its just a cruser but want it to run more than 60 down the highway
at 70 its realy buzzing
 
According to this Tire Chart your tires are 26.7" tall. You said 3spd so I assume its a 3-on-tree? With a manual transmission we know that in 'highway gear' you are at 1:1 ratio through your gearbox. I know there are better calculators out there but I used the one found at Dirt Road Magazine I scrolled down to the one that was titled "Find RPM" I plugged in 60MPH, axle ratio 3.54 transmission ration 1 transfer case ratio 1 (since you don't have one) and tire diameter of 26.7 (found above) it says you are turning 2673RPM at 60, 3118RPM@70mph

I'll give you a couple sets of numbers based off that second website.

With your 3.54
2673@60MPH
3118@70MPH

With 3.25
2453@60MPH
2862@70MPH

With 3.00
2265@60mph
2643@70

It's not always about rear gearing either, let's say for example you decide it's time for new tires and wheels with your current 3.54:1 rear, I've never seen a galaxie that couldnt hold a bigger tire.. so

With your 26.7
2673@60MPH
3118@70MPH

27.7 (215/75R15)
2577@60
3006@70

28.3 (225/75R15)
2521@60
2942@70

Or even a combination of tires/gears, or you can chose a gear then 'fine tune' your RPM with tire selection. This is just me, I'd go with the 3.25 then swap to a taller tire later on.

FWIW using 3.25 and a 27.7" (215/75R15) would put you at 2759@70mph, which is darn close to your current 3.54 with 26.7" tires.

Things to think about.

-ron
 
Hi Ron thanks for the info. with out p/s I dont think I will change the tire size the 3.00 would be easy to get I think most V-8 auto cars came with that gear.
 
Those RPM calcs are off by a little bit. You cannot use the nominal tire diameter to get revs/mile. Most of the manufacturers publish it as separate data. you can find it on their web sites or on the Tire Rack. According to them, those tires roll at about 780 revs per mile. That gives:

2340 RPM @ 60 MPH with 3.00 gears
2535 @ 60 with 3.25s
2760 @ 60 with 3.54s
 
Thank you all for the info I think I will try the 3.00 and see if I like it
Brent
 
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