3 73 Gears and Shifting Strategies

[SlowPoke McGee]

Finally got the 3:73 gears installed on the Gen 1 with 19’s on the back. What a difference.
My question to guys that are doing quarter mile; First gear feels like it could now be a bit of a detriment as it winds up very fast. Great for read light burnouts but not so sure about 1/8 and 1/4 mile. Almost tempted to try starting in second gear (need a skip shift eliminator?)and see how that feels but this is first day with new gears so just feeling it out. Also realize I need to address the slow shifting abilities of the car perhaps with short throw shifter and upgraded clutch? What are guys finding has worked best to improve shifting and also quicker e/t’s?

[Ross L]

drag radials and use 1st gear. "slow shifting abilities of the car". I get what you're saying but still.... that long throw can still be made pretty quick.

[dave6666]

Your factory clutch is likely not poorly engineered. Putting something different in with the expectation that by definition of because you changed a part that it has to be better, will disappoint you. Learn to drive the car first before declaring the car the problem. I have 3.73s in my car and yes the trade off is the frequency of shifts required. Fun in traffic, but not useful at the drag strip. With my 28" OD rear tires and an effective ratio of 3.43 that helps tho. Short throw shifters are an improvement simply by the fact they use machined components versus stamped metal. The B&M at $250 used to be the one to have but since they no longer make a Viper shifter most people use the IPSCO.

[SlowPoke McGee]

Thanks Dave. I appreciate the feedback.
Any thoughts on putting in a lighter flywheel? I know there are driveability trade offs with this one but curious for sure.

[SlowPoke McGee]

drag radials and use 1st gear. "slow shifting abilities of the car". I get what you're saying but still.... that long throw can still be made pretty quick.

I’m using Nitto Invos and I’ve got nothing bad at all to say about these tires. Great smooth ride. Handle great in water. Stay planted once warmed up and actually a bit of a challenge to spin, they just stick. Like them better then the Pilots I used to have hands down.

[99RT10]

Slightly different take on drag racing and clutches. The Stock LUK is a great clutch, but will get hot on back to back to back runs get harder to shift quickly. Other clutches using ceramic disks will not suffer from the heat. B&M is a great shifter, but very hard to find. Hurst can still be bough new, and is a good shifter too. Techniques for shifting quickly vary, but here is a great read Tony put on his website:

https://www.dv8motoring.com/technical-articles/precision-shifting/

[Steve M]

That's a big NO to starting out in 2nd gear. If you want good e.t.'s, you need a good set of drag radials, and you need to shift as fast as humanly possible.

[SlowPoke McGee]

Slightly different take on drag racing and clutches. The Stock LUK is a great clutch, but will get hot on back to back to back runs get harder to shift quickly. Other clutches using ceramic disks will not suffer from the heat. B&M is a great shifter, but very hard to find. Hurst can still be bough new, and is a good shifter too. Techniques for shifting quickly vary, but here is a great read Tony put on his website:

https://www.dv8motoring.com/technical-articles/precision-shifting/

Great article! Thank you!

[Ross L]

I run INVO's as well and will use them again. However, Nothing beats Drag Radials for better et's! "if" you're after the quickest time! :)