Gear Ratios and Transmissions - Why is my 1st gear basically useless?

[meissen]

Alright guys, please help me to understand how this all works. Is it just my gear ratio is meant to help make the v6 feel peppy or I dunno?

I feel like 1st gear in my 5th gen is basically useless. By 5k rpms, I'm going about 25 mph. Obviously always shifting at 5k isn't ideal, so if I were to shift around 2k, I'd only be going about 15mph - if that - barely moving. If I take off from a stop in 2nd gear, it actually seems like 3k is about 30mph, 4k is about 40mph, and by 5k I'm going 50mph. It makes me prefer to stay in 2nd gear and just not use 1st gear at all, but I know that overtime that's probably stressing the clutch always taking off in 2nd gear, right?

I never realized how bad it was until I was driving the Camaro SS I had for the Ambassador car -- I was able to go up to 40-45mph in first gear and still be around 4-5k. It just appeared that 1st gear was more "usable."

80mph in the Camaro SS and I was just below 2,000 rpms.... yet in my v6, 80mph is 2,500 rpms.

[MP81]

V6 has less torque, and a taller rear-end ratio, so they shortened the first gear ratio to a 4.48:1, vs. the V8's at 3.01, likely to make it easier for most people to get off the line.

In 6th on the freeway, the V6 has a 0.75:1, vs the V8 with a 0.57:1, hence the higher RPMs in yours.

[meissen]

So if I were to get a different set of gears, would that make it more driveable?

[zeeman]

Im thinking it has a bit to do with the 6 cyl. Lower gearing to help it get moving etc.

[MP81]

So if I were to get a different set of gears, would that make it more driveable?

No, not really. You'd need new transmission gearing. Your first gear ratio is too short, even when combined with the tallish rear axle ratio, and then your overdrive (SS has double OD, you only have one OD gear) is much taller.

[meissen]

Ah, alright - thanks. Gears and trans ratios totally alludes me

[MP81]

Ah, alright - thanks. Gears and trans ratios totally alludes me

Ha, you'd basically need to run the SS trans and rear end ratios (3.45), and you still might be lugging the engine pretty good in 6th at 80mph - 1850RPM.

[meissen]

So am I really hurting the clutch with 2nd gear takeoffs as long as I'm not dragging the pedal? I can get pretty crisp take offs in 2nd gear without having to rev much, just seems like 2nd gear is a lot more usable than always taking off in 1st gear and having to shift before I'm even through the intersection or having to shift half way through a turn...

[MP81]

As long as you're not slipping it any more than you might in 1st, it's not really much different.

[farmington]

Easy fix? Trade it in on an SS

[meissen]

Easy fix? Trade it in on an SS

You pay the difference in car payment and I will

[JoeliusZ28]

Yep as long as you arent slipping it a lot 2nd is fine. It was the same way in 4th gens. My 99 v6 launched HARD at the track with a 4k dump... I felt the front shocks top out But it would cut a 2.2 60, basically the same as my z28!

[mikewoods]

Yep as long as you arent slipping it a lot 2nd is fine. It was the same way in 4th gens. My 99 v6 launched HARD at the track with a 4k dump... I felt the front shocks top out But it would cut a 2.2 60, basically the same as my z28!

Is this the part where we say something funny about an LT1?

[JoeliusZ28]

2.1 is all my Z can cut... Its at the limit of the street tires thats consistently all i get out of it. Thankfully its 3 seconds faster in the quarter though

[zeeman]

Cough. 6 litres cough