A: You also have to take into account for the size of tires on your vehicle when calculating gear ratios. Too many offroaders wonder where their power went when they slap oversize tires on. I know my own power dropped a lot when I put 33" on (from 26") but going to 3.73 helped that. When I switch to AW4, I'll probably have to drop down to 4.10 to keep adequate power. From: farna@xxxxxxx Subject: Re: 304/290/200R4 - now V8 Fuel Mileage To: mail@xxxxxxxxxxxx Message-ID: <ADVANCES62ednHM3SOl0000003e@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> Yeah, the thing would never pull that axle ratio in OD, and would probably put a strain on the engine in the lower gears. First gear total reduction is only 5:1 (4.96:1) instead of the more normal 7:1 for stick shifts. That's a big drop! Now gear it so that the final drive in OD is 2.22 (2.92 axle) and it MIGHT work well with a carefully built torque monster engine. That would give you a 6.5:1 total first gear reduction. Of course finding a 2.92 would be a chore -- 3.08 is the closest common gear I know of (6.87:1 first reduction -- close enough!). In a light car like a Hornet/Concord it would be a great combo and a nice little hot rod in traffic! Top end would be limited, but 60' times on a strip should be very good!