Most Reliable Power per Dollar Spent!?

[Mysticle31]

I'm not to interested in 'put the engine in your wallet' although I do recognice that you need to pay for the good stuff..

So what's the best way to make power good and get optimal use of the gearing? Mabey a slighly taller third. I'm not as much interested in the amount of power I have, as much as I want the ability to use what I have. (although willing to add more as long as it's useable)

[Mysticle31]

My train of thought is this: Making the most of the power you have (or finding a good range/power to get) for optimal take offs per your tirers grip.

That way if I had a really tall 1st gear to make use of the power then. Sure I could take it up to 50mph, but the top end would be useless becouse all the other gears would be adjusted accordingly. And I don't need a car with a top speed of 160.

I can generate more power perhaps, and optimise the gearing. Mabey see if I can wind the engine out to 7, 8 grand instead?

[TitoRay]

Originally Posted by Mysticle31

My train of thought is this: Making the most of the power you have (or finding a good range/power to get) for optimal take offs per your tirers grip.

That way if I had a really tall 1st gear to make use of the power then. Sure I could take it up to 50mph, but the top end would be useless becouse all the other gears would be adjusted accordingly. And I don't need a car with a top speed of 160.

I can generate more power perhaps, and optimise the gearing. Mabey see if I can wind the engine out to 7, 8 grand instead?

He can custom build your tranny any way you see fit. The engines have enough power to easily start in second gear but first gear is an extra "burn-out gear." Just say you want to get to 120 mph as fast as possible based on the power of the engine and the setup of the car. He can make the gears do that.
I'm not sure if you mentioned it and apologies if its a silly question, but have you driven a beetle yet??

[Mysticle31]

Now to throw another stick in the loop (mabey) its not about geting to 120mph as fast as posible. It has to be balanced with the ability to accelerate out of corners/danger just by mashing the gas in the gear that you are in. Unless you want to do it REALLY fast, you downshift (to get peak power). Does that mean close ratio? I don't mind at all if the 3rd to 4th gear shift is a little aqward as long as I can go fast enough in 3rd. (so essencially when I shift to 4th I'm not in the peak powerband but I'm already going way to fast (street) and for the track peak power band aproches rapidly. (Say I was in the middle of noware (AZ, death valley.) I'd like to be able to cruse at a good 90-100.

Of corce..there are sacrafices to be made when I realise how much power I will have vs. how much money to spend will make me a little more realistic about something I will never (or extremely rare) that I do (ie..cruising all day at 100)



Someone onece said autocrosers prefer a 14:1 total 1st gear. And I've seen drag racers use this SUPER short ones. How is that gearing good for them? And their generating all this power on top of it! It seems to render my little "efficency of power delivory and takoff" theory inaccurate.

No I've never driven a super beetle but I have driven many underpowered way high geard cars.

[NO_H2O]

The perfomance type 4 has a W I D E torque band that should do what you want.

[TitoRay]

Originally Posted by NO_H2O

The perfomance type 4 has a W I D E torque band that should do what you want.

Yes, as in power from ANYWHERE. Drop the hammer from any rpm and you're goin!
And, there is something to be said about driving a bug with the tranny it has! You have to experience it.

[Mysticle31]

I was just analising and compareing gearing of what I think of modern fast cars. M3, several Porsches, Viper, Vette. I also did BMW 325is, 944, some celicas, corrado VR6

They all share many characteristis. Though all different (except the V8's first gears are WAY different) They all can take 1st to about 40, second to about 70, 3rd to about 100. Which is about what I want to do. With a Cruseing 4th.

Although 1st to 50, 2nd to 80, 3rd to 110 would be spiffy the power and RPMs to get there would be way out there. And would no doubt have to spend much more money. And I am unsure how confident it would be pulling out of corners becouse of the RPMs required to go at X amount of rate. You'd be making X amount of power. But you'd need X amout of power to take off in 1st smoothely, however unless made up for the with sheer RPMS (ie reving to 8 grand) the 1st in this set up would probibly be simililer to 2nd in the stock setup becouse of the custom gearing that there would be no real point except for better regulating of top speed?

New M3 @ 8k. 40, 68, 102, 139, 171, 206. (under 10:1 HP:lb)

911 (Turbo, Carerra. The same form about 96+ 8k (8200 redline but I took the numbers at 8k) 45 80 111 143 173 203
9k 51 91 125 161 195 229 Both of which are WAY powerful

It was interesting to see Viper (also way powerful) @6 grand
57 86 117 152 206 305

My VR6 @7 (under 10:1 HP:lb)
40, 68, 101, 128, 157


All of these are interesting to ponder on. Some of these 5/6 speeds you think hmm I could have made the gearing way lower (who wants to accel on the street over 100 anyway?) but then 1st, 2nd becouse way useless. No burn out gears!!


I did these with factory tires on the cars. It's interesting to see vipers advantage not only in HP but there is so much power there he can wind those gears out bigtime!

[Steve Rock]

I have to say that a rotary is the best way to go. Check out www.nopistons.com (I post on there too) Everyone there is very knowledgable. You can also go with carbs or EFI. My bro has a 1975 Mazda Repu (Rotary Engine Pick-Up) with about 250hp and it is a perfect daily driver. You can make as much power as you would ever want in a VW and the engines last forever as long as they have oil and gas. However if you dont change your oil, you loose an engine. Or if you run out of gas (or get fuel slosh) you loose an engine. They are fixable but you usually need a new houseing