Changing gears worth it

[5genViper]

What’s everyone’s opinion on changing the gears outs? I’ve never done this on any of my previous cars, but I have been told that this will make the car feel like a 700 hp car around town. I currently have stage one on the car, And pedal tko throttle adjustment on the car .

What?

[5genViper]

Please excuse the grammar Errors .I was using voice to text and did not check my post until after I posted

[HUBBELL RACING]

My C6Z06 I had a race transaxle built. It had around 650hp @ flywheel but cus of lower gearing it felt like 1000hp. The car was out of steam at 160mph tho, at Daytona everybody blew past me

[StrokerAce]

Are you speaking rear gears? If so I wouldn't do it. Without some serious tires out back you're not going to hook at all.

[Whiskey]

Try turning off traction control...even stock 1st is absolutely worthless unless on a DR's or R888r's. Then try putting it into 2nd, Rev to about 4,000rpm and dump the clutch and mash the throttle, yep tires go up in smoke.

You want it more wild, simply turn off traction control.

[5genViper]

I never been past 140-150 ,rarely get over 110 so losing top speed won’t be an issue.

Yes I am talking about rear gears.

I do run 888r tires already they hook until it’s about time to change them out which is coming up soon.

So you guys think I should pass on this mod ?

Thanks

[StrokerAce]

I would pass. I have another car with another 100 HP on the Viper and with slightly more rear gearing.

Granted, the transmission gears are a little different that almost negate that rear difference but I am debating on backing down the rear. For a few reasons. One is traction. The 2nd is that it's a lot of shifting. The reason the Gen IV is so fast to 150 with less power is less shifting. :)

Only you will know what's right for you but I don't think I would want more rear gear.

[serpent]

I'm curious why these cars are spinning at a higher rpm cruising at 75-80mph.
My experience with bigger engine cars is 2000rpm at 80mph-ish in a coyote 5.0 and 80mph was like 1800rpm in an ls2 gto.

[1Koolasp 16ACR]

good bang for your buck , i say !

[StrokerAce]

I'm curious why these cars are spinning at a higher rpm cruising at 75-80mph.
My experience with bigger engine cars is 2000rpm at 80mph-ish in a coyote 5.0 and 80mph was like 1800rpm in an ls2 gto.

Not sure. The GTO had 3.46 gears in auto and stick cars and the GTO 6th gear I think was .63. So the GTO has the rear gear being slightly lower but their tires are not quite as tall as the Vipers so it's almost a wash. Without breaking out the calculators. I had an 04 M6 GTO. Great car for the years I had it.

As far as Coyote Mustangs some came with 3.31 gears, 3.55 and 3.73 gears. Their transmissions, when equipped as a manual, had a .6X overdrive as well

So all would be similar. My SS had a .50 with a 3.42 rear gear and it ran very low RPM's. As did my C6 Corvettes. Imagine a Gen IV and back with 3.07 gets and .5 OD. lol

[Steve M]

This is very subjective.

Yes, taller gears (higher numerically) will feel faster, but you'll be shifting more often, and if you aren't careful, you'll overwhelm your tires. Spinning ain't winning no matter how you look at it.

For Gen 4s, they came with the following gears:

2008-2009
1st - 2.66
2nd - 1.78
3rd - 1.30
4th - 1.00
5th - 0.74
6th - 0.50
Rear End Ring and Pinion - 3.07

2010
1st - 2.66
2nd - 1.78
3rd - 1.30
4th - 1.00
5th - 0.80
6th - 0.50
Rear End Ring and Pinion - 3.07

A 3.07 rear gear with a 0.50 6th gear makes for some seriously low RPM highway cruising. For Gen 4s, that's why 3.55s are so popular...highway cruising is still reasonable, but everything else feels much more lively.

Gen 5s depend on what transmission your car has:

2013-2017 (DEC Transmission)
1st - 2.26
2nd - 1.58
3rd - 1.19
4th - 1.00
5th - 0.77
6th - 0.63
Rear End Ring and Pinion - 3.55

2013-2017 (DD1 Transmission)
1st - 2.26
2nd - 1.58
3rd - 1.19
4th - 1.00
5th - 0.77
6th - 0.50
Rear End Ring and Pinion - 3.55

At first, everyone was like "Yay, they finally gave us 3.55s from the factory!" Yeah, they got 3.55s, but 1st gear got a lot longer, 2nd and 3rd are much tighter, and if you had the 0.63 6th, you'll be cruising at a pretty high RPM going down the highway.

Lots of variables here. So first, what transmission do you have, and second, what are your goals? Cars and coffee bragging rights? Drag racing? Road courses? Everything depends on what you want to do with the car. Rear gears aren't the only thing you can change here...you can also swap transmission gearing if you just don't like the super long first gear or the short 6th gear, but that's a little more invasive. From my understanding, 1-4 are a cluster, 5th and 6th can be changed independently.

[StrokerAce]

I was under the impression all 2013s had the .63 6th gear.

[imzoomintoo]

I think would think at least 5th would be a good opinion. I'm not sure I'd get int ti a 6th upgrade.

[5genViper]

This is very subjective.

Yes, taller gears (higher numerically) will feel faster, but you'll be shifting more often, and if you aren't careful, you'll overwhelm your tires. Spinning ain't winning no matter how you look at it.

For Gen 4s, they came with the following gears:

2008-2009
1st - 2.66
2nd - 1.78
3rd - 1.30
4th - 1.00
5th - 0.74
6th - 0.50
Rear End Ring and Pinion - 3.07

2010
1st - 2.66
2nd - 1.78
3rd - 1.30
4th - 1.00
5th - 0.80
6th - 0.50
Rear End Ring and Pinion - 3.07

A 3.07 rear gear with a 0.50 6th gear makes for some seriously low RPM highway cruising. For Gen 4s, that's why 3.55s are so popular...highway cruising is still reasonable, but everything else feels much more lively.

Gen 5s depend on what transmission your car has:

2013-2017 (DEC Transmission)
1st - 2.26
2nd - 1.58
3rd - 1.19
4th - 1.00
5th - 0.77
6th - 0.63
Rear End Ring and Pinion - 3.55

2013-2017 (DD1 Transmission)
1st - 2.26
2nd - 1.58
3rd - 1.19
4th - 1.00
5th - 0.77
6th - 0.50
Rear End Ring and Pinion - 3.55

At first, everyone was like "Yay, they finally gave us 3.55s from the factory!" Yeah, they got 3.55s, but 1st gear got a lot longer, 2nd and 3rd are much tighter, and if you had the 0.63 6th, you'll be cruising at a pretty high RPM going down the highway.

Lots of variables here. So first, what transmission do you have, and second, what are your goals? Cars and coffee bragging rights? Drag racing? Road courses? Everything depends on what you want to do with the car. Rear gears aren't the only thing you can change here...you can also swap transmission gearing if you just don't like the super long first gear or the short 6th gear, but that's a little more invasive. From my understanding, 1-4 are a cluster, 5th and 6th can be changed independently.

I have a 2013 so I’m not sure which set it up that is ? I daily the car , I’m going for something that will give me the feeling of more power . I don’t track , closest thing i come to that type of driving is going fast around town .

Thoughts ?

[SilveRT8]

On my 2013 GTS with bolt-ons only, I always felt that first gear was too long but was revving a bit too high on the highway with the .63 sixth gear, so I did'nt change rear gears.
Now, my 2016 came with the .50 sixth gear, and highway cruising felt it was revving a bit too low, so I switched to 3.91 rear gears (revving 10% higher than the 3.55) and, to me, the car feels perfect this way. First to fourth are more peppy and fun on the street and highway cruising is in the sweet spot.
JonB at Partsrack was very helpfull in selecting the best combo for my needs, and the Arrow racing PCM is compatible with rear gears from stock 3.55 to 4.10.

[SilveRT8]

I have a 2013 so I’m not sure which set it up that is ? I daily the car , I’m going for something that will give me the feeling of more power . I don’t track , closest thing i come to that type of driving is going fast around town .

Thoughts ?

You have the .63 sixth gear.
All 2013 and 2014 came with the .63, and also all years for the numbered TA.
2015-16-17 came with the .50 (except for the TA)

[CNU_Physics]

imo if you're going to do it I would go with 3.91's. 3.73 would barely be a difference coming from 3.55, it would be a waste of money. I think it would be great as long as you have a sticky tire on the car.

[Vipes]

imo if you're going to do it I would go with 3.91's. 3.73 would barely be a difference coming from 3.55, it would be a waste of money. I think it would be great as long as you have a sticky tire on the car.

I agree with this. I've actually run the equivalent of gears at times along with many others who may not have realized it. The oem tire is 27.4" and I have a second set of wheels with 18" hoosiers which are 26.2".

Here is how the math works with this. 27.4/26.2 = 1.0458
355 x 1.0458 = 3.71

I definitely notice the difference but it's not dramatic like CNU said. I'd say go big or go home if you're going to do it with 3.91. It's honestly one of the best mods you can do to make the car feel faster without spending big money as long as your run a sticky R compound tire and don't care about lowering your top speed. Also, hopefully you don't have any plans to significantly up the hp of the car. I'd say go for it, doubt you would ever regret it.

[Steve M]

It is always worth doing the math, but you also need to pair that with what you are planning to do with the car.

As an example, if you were big into drag racing, and wanted to run the 335/30/18 Hoosier drag radials with the 3.91 gears, you'd end up having to shift into 5th gear well before the traps to make it through a 1/4 mile. That would not be ideal. A taller 19" drag radial would also be borderline without raising the rev limit.

[Voice of Reason]

The only thing keeping me from getting 3.91s is not having the .5 6th gear. I think it would be nice when racing to only need 3rd and 4th for the tracks I frequent even if that means being a hair slower than now when using 2nd. But I do too much highway cruising for 3.91 + .63 6th.

[darbgnik]

You have the .63 sixth gear.
All 2013 and 2014 came with the .63, and also all years for the numbered TA.
2015-16-17 came with the .50 (except for the TA)

All SRT's came with the .63 6th gear, as well as the TA's. My car has a DEC trans in it.

[5genViper]

I think I may do this , any issues that may happen on a daily driver ? How much do you think a fair price would be ?

- - - Updated - - -


I agree with this. I've actually run the equivalent of gears at times along with many others who may not have realized it. The oem tire is 27.4" and I have a second set of wheels with 18" hoosiers which are 26.2".

Here is how the math works with this. 27.4/26.2 = 1.0458
355 x 1.0458 = 3.71

I definitely notice the difference but it's not dramatic like CNU said. I'd say go big or go home if you're going to do it with 3.91. It's honestly one of the best mods you can do to make the car feel faster without spending big money as long as your run a sticky R compound tire and don't care about lowering your top speed. Also, hopefully you don't have any plans to significantly up the hp of the car. I'd say go for it, doubt you would ever regret it.

think I may do this , any issues that may happen on a daily driver ? How much do you think a fair price would be ?

[Jack B]

The only thing keeping me from getting 3.91s is not having the .5 6th gear. I think it would be nice when racing to only need 3rd and 4th for the tracks I frequent even if that means being a hair slower than now when using 2nd. But I do too much highway cruising for 3.91 + .63 6th.

The 3.91 with a 0.5 6th gear might be interesting.

[SilveRT8]

The 3.91 with a 0.5 6th gear might be interesting.

I love mine, perfect gearing for street and highway with bolt-ons !
I use mostly third and fourth on track days

[CNU_Physics]

I have a set of Spicer 3.91 gears (Aussie) that I never put in my 06 GTO. They share the same Dana 44 rear...would these fit in the Viper? I've been seriously thinking about it for a while now.

[Jack B]

I have a set of Spicer 3.91 gears (Aussie) that I never put in my 06 GTO. They share the same Dana 44 rear...would these fit in the Viper? I've been seriously thinking about it for a while now.

The stubs would be the issue. Just guessing the torque rating might also be an issue

[CNU_Physics]

The stubs would be the issue. Just guessing the torque rating might also be an issue
Why would the stubs be an issue? Im just changing the ring gear and pinion. Both are Dana 44s.

[5genViper]

I love mine, perfect gearing for street and highway with bolt-ons !
I use mostly third and fourth on track days

What bolt ons do you have ? How much a difference would you say you felt after the instal ?

[Jack B]

Why would the stubs be an issue? Im just changing the ring gear and pinion. Both are Dana 44s.

Example, they are diff between a G4 and G5 and those two are closer than the stated scheme.

[Old School]

I have a set of Spicer 3.91 gears (Aussie) that I never put in my 06 GTO. They share the same Dana 44 rear...would these fit in the Viper? I've been seriously thinking about it for a while now.

Don't know about the GTO, but the Viper uses the 44HD version of gears. These have the larger splines on the pinion, same size as the Dana 60.

[SilveRT8]

What bolt ons do you have ? How much a difference would you say you felt after the instal ?

Performance related bolt-on mods on my car are : Arrow PCM, Belanger Headers with heat shields and HF cats, AR mufflers, UD Pulley, K&N drop-in filter,and smooth tubes, DSE air box heat shield.
My guess is the 3.91 gears have a similar effect as all those bolt-ons combine, or will give you the feeling of adding an extra 50 hp. Character of the car has not changed, it's not brutal, but just feels more alive, . Still not at the level of what a Heads & cam Stage 2 would be, but it's getting closer.

[5genViper]

Performance related bolt-on mods on my car are : Arrow PCM, Belanger Headers with heat shields and HF cats, AR mufflers, UD Pulley, K&N drop-in filter,and smooth tubes, DSE air box heat shield.
My guess is the 3.91 gears have a similar effect as all those bolt-ons combine, or will give you the feeling of adding an extra 50 hp. Character of the car has not changed, it's not brutal, but just feels more alive, . Still not at the level of what a Heads & cam Stage 2 would be, but it's getting closer.

We pretty much have the same set up minus the gearing . That’s sounds like a big jump , would you go different direction if you could do your gearing again ?

[SilveRT8]

We pretty much have the same set up minus the gearing . That’s sounds like a big jump , would you go different direction if you could do your gearing again ?

I would do the same again with 3.91 (+10%), as 3.73 (+5%) would not make a noticable enough change, and 4.10 (+15%) with Bolt-ons would be fun but would make the car traction limited in all lower gears.
JonB at Partsrack can set you up with all the right parts, and go for the added super polish on the gears.

[CNU_Physics]

Don't know about the GTO, but the Viper uses the 44HD version of gears. These have the larger splines on the pinion, same size as the Dana 60.
Ah ok that makes sense. Im sure they are different then, I dont know 100 percent for sure but im willing to bet the GTO is not using HD gears. Well time to sell it off.