Performance Rear Gears for the 350Z?
11-16-2002, 07:24 PM
#1
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Performance Rear Gears for the 350Z?
Anyone heard of any Rear Axle Gears (3.55, 3.73 or 4.10) for the 350Z?
By changing your stock taller rear end gears (numerically lower) with shorter gears (numerically higher), you can significantly improve your acceleration. Typically cars equipped with taller gears, i.e. 2.73, 3.08, etc. trade off slower acceleration for better high-speed performance. On the other hand, cars equipped with shorter gears, i.e. 3.73, 4.10, etc. will accelerate much quicker in the 1/4 mile but have a lower top speed. Upgrading your rear gear ratio by two steps can decrease your ¼ of a mile times by about 3 tenths of a second or more. This is equivalent to finding 30 horsepower hidden under your hood. Cars with already high horsepower (over 300HP) generally do not need as much gearing. A gearing mod seems like a logical and inexpensive first mod for the Z. Hopefully someone will offer gears for the 350Z soon.
By changing your stock taller rear end gears (numerically lower) with shorter gears (numerically higher), you can significantly improve your acceleration. Typically cars equipped with taller gears, i.e. 2.73, 3.08, etc. trade off slower acceleration for better high-speed performance. On the other hand, cars equipped with shorter gears, i.e. 3.73, 4.10, etc. will accelerate much quicker in the 1/4 mile but have a lower top speed. Upgrading your rear gear ratio by two steps can decrease your ¼ of a mile times by about 3 tenths of a second or more. This is equivalent to finding 30 horsepower hidden under your hood. Cars with already high horsepower (over 300HP) generally do not need as much gearing. A gearing mod seems like a logical and inexpensive first mod for the Z. Hopefully someone will offer gears for the 350Z soon.
Last edited by Intrepid; 11-16-2002 at 07:33 PM.
11-16-2002, 07:45 PM
#2
hmmm one thing tho. if you thought the Z was a drag racing car, you were misinformed. the Z is a Autocross car. made to run at higher speeds, not 0-120. if thats what you wanted, then you should have gotten a V8, their superior torque by design are much better suited to it, but the weight associated with it kill it for handling.
so... for these reasons, dont expect gears to be released any time soon except maybe gears to make the car go even faster after the car is turbo charged so you can keep your power in the upper MPH without sitting at redline.
so... for these reasons, dont expect gears to be released any time soon except maybe gears to make the car go even faster after the car is turbo charged so you can keep your power in the upper MPH without sitting at redline.
11-16-2002, 07:57 PM
#3
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I agree that the Z is not a drag racing car. However, it can still benefit from gears and I suspect they will be one of the many performance mods released in the near future.
11-16-2002, 08:03 PM
#4
well i guess they might be, but I for one will not forfiet my gas mileage and high speed power for some time in the quarter mile. I prefer to spend my money in mods that will actually increase hp, not just redistribute it by taking it away from somewhere else.
11-17-2002, 08:42 AM
#6
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shorter gears will help you throughout your entire powerband. basically you'll lose like 20 mph off top speed so no more 160. you'll top out at like 140. boo hooo.. but in all gears you'll have a lot more usable torque because like you said you wont have to sit at redline. you'll be able to have the meaty part of your powerband covering most of 30-120 mph by use of 6 differnt gears.
11-17-2002, 11:13 AM
#7
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Isn't the Z is running a 3.54 from the factory? If thats correct, then you will need to do a 4.10 to really feel a significant increase.
I have always been told that gear changes <10% will barely be noticeable.
I have always been told that gear changes <10% will barely be noticeable.
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11-17-2002, 12:22 PM
#9
one thing tho, if you drop your redline, you might sit yourself at a bad point in your racing gears. like you might change the gearing in 3rd so you can no longer down shift to 3rd to pull out of a turn, so instead must settle for 4th.
owell, maybe itll be worth it, maybe not. I think it would still need a bit more torque to make it totally worth while.
owell, maybe itll be worth it, maybe not. I think it would still need a bit more torque to make it totally worth while.
11-18-2002, 03:18 AM
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Here's a Gear Simulator. Right now, there are no gear ratios for any Z's, so one of you guys should look up the correct numbers and submit them to the site admin. I sent mine and he added them to the pull down menu w/in a few days. I'll be able to tell you in a few months how accurate the calculator is. I'll be changing my diff from a 3.23 to a 3.73 w/40%lock as well as adding a 6-spd. Until then, it seems to give a good representation of the relative changes btwn the gears (although the actual speeds could be off).
With my new setup, I expect my 6th (.83) to be a little taller (lower RPM a higher speeds) than my current 5th (1). If I was not swapping in a 6spd, I would not go beyond a 3.43 because I'd loose too much off the top.
Maybe a 350Z could use a 3.93 and not loose too much of the top, but gain a good bit of acceleration. Like I said, one of you guys should submit #'s to the site and you can get (semi) scientific results.
With my new setup, I expect my 6th (.83) to be a little taller (lower RPM a higher speeds) than my current 5th (1). If I was not swapping in a 6spd, I would not go beyond a 3.43 because I'd loose too much off the top.
Maybe a 350Z could use a 3.93 and not loose too much of the top, but gain a good bit of acceleration. Like I said, one of you guys should submit #'s to the site and you can get (semi) scientific results.
11-18-2002, 07:02 AM
#15
Registered User
I was waiting for someone to ask about this, actually the g35 coupe has a lower final drive, so using the G35 gears or if possible, swaping in a whole coupe rear end, would give an acceleration increase, and Ares, going to a lower gear ratio is not a "drag" modifaction at all, manufacturers select gear ratios with alot of factors in mind, in places like Europe consumers prefer higher speeds and higher gearing for "aoutbahn" style driving, in America, lower gearing and better acceleration is more practical for the way our roads are and the way we drive. This is why many European automakers sell their cars in Europe and US with different FD ratio already. And especially for autocross, where theres NO WAY you would get your 6 speed 350 above 3rd, the lower the gear the better! When I raced my CRX in Solo2 I used a JDM gear box with tight 1-5 ratios and dropped in a US final drive(4.25 vs. 3.88) and STILL wanted a lower gear to launch me out of tight corners.
Last edited by krinkov; 11-18-2002 at 07:04 AM.
11-18-2002, 03:11 PM
#19
Originally posted by Intrepid
Anyone know what rear gears are in the 350Z automatic and the G35 Automatic? They're probably different than the manual.
Anyone know what rear gears are in the 350Z automatic and the G35 Automatic? They're probably different than the manual.
Rear 3.36
1 3.54
2 2.26
3 1.47
4 1.00
5 0.83
Don't have a brochure for the G35, but you should be able to find the info on the car info sites. Try edmunds.com or somewhere.
11-18-2002, 04:56 PM
#20
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Thread Starter
Thanks. The G35 coupe Auto is 3.35 / Manual is 3.54 (same as the Z manual).
Anyone find the numbers for the G35 sedan (not listed).
Anyone find the numbers for the G35 sedan (not listed).
Last edited by Intrepid; 11-18-2002 at 05:01 PM.