[DeTomaso] 4.22 vs 3.2 Final Drive

Kirby Schrader kirby.schrader at gmail.com
Thu Feb 9 11:04:09 EST 2012


Mr. Sometimes Grouchy says " Please allow me to enjoy MY car the way I want
to enjoy it!"
:-)

I agree with that statement wholeheartedly.

I have a .655 5th in my Pantera. I love it.
Previously, when I shifted from 4th to 5th, I felt like there was very
little change.
I'm sure most of you with stock ZF's can relate to that.
On the back straight at Pocono, it just wouldn't go any faster.
You need 3:77's, Kirby, some said.
No, not really. A lack of ponies was the biggest factor.
I stuck with the 4:22's.

However, in addition to the 5th gear change, I went from 345-35x15 rear
tires to 335-30x18's. Taller tires also improved 'cruising'
My point is, with the .655 and taller tires, the car cruises nicely and
feels like the gears are spaced out 'right'.
I don't need nor do I want to change from the 4:22.
Besides... changing out 5th gear is a whole lot more economical than
changing out the final drive!

When assembling my GT40, I put a Pantera ZF in it. Almost everyone told me
a 4:22 in a GT40 was stupid (some actually called it worse than that) and
even Dennis Olthoff told me he thought it was a bad decision.
I stuck with my decision, but, as planned, I had a .642 5th installed.
I wouldn't change what I have at all. I really like the way the car
performs and Olthoff admitted himself that it was a nice combination.
According to the spreadsheet, it'll do over 200mph... enough for me. I am a
wimp. I chickened out at 180 at Road America and it was still accelerating
hard. It cruises nicely on the freeway and is very tractable around town,
too.
Well, until you put your foot in it....

So do what you makes you feel warm and fuzzy, but just call me a 4:22 man
and likin' it.
Don't need no stinkin' 3:77's or 3.2's nor have I ever 'smoked a clutch'.

:-))))

Kirby

On Thu, Feb 9, 2012 at 09:38, David in Durango <adin at frontier.net> wrote:

> hi kids,
>
> I've had this conversation a few times with other members of the list . .
> . .
>
> Lloyd's gear toy is pretty neat, but like Dan I like to see information
> that is not shown on the RBT calculator
> http://www.rbttrans.com/Gear%20Ratio/page1.php
>
> I prefer the spreadsheet on Pantera Place, my quoted values are from that.
>
> 4.22 final drive: 1000 rpm in 1st gear = 8 mph  1000 rpm in 2nd gear = 12
> mph  2500rpm in fifth = 64 mph
>
> 3.2 final drive: 1000 rpm in 1st gear = 11mph.  2500rpm in 5th = 84
>
> During the years I have been contemplating this change I have "practiced"
> by driving around town using 2nd gear starts and find it very usable.  If I
> my Pantera time were spent parked at a car show or doing smokey burnouts at
> the Sonic I'm sure my decision would be quite different.
>
> The closest major city to me is 212 miles.  With about 1000 rpm difference
> at cruising speeds the 4.22 car will turn about 210,000 more revolutions!
> (one way).
>
> Look at it another way, at 166mph the 4.22 equipped car will be out of
> revs while the 3.2 car will be shifing into 5th gear.
>
> Admittedly, what is a 3rd gear corner in the 4.22 car will be a 2nd gear
> corner in the 3.2 car - hardly a crippling change!
>
> In response to: "watched one of Larry's clutches literally go up in smoke
> rounding a
> 15 mph hairpin uphill turn in 1st gear, right in front of me--explosion of
> fiber particles and smoke out of the opening in the decklid, because he was
> effectively having to drive in 3rd gear [1] due to the ridiculous rear end
> ratio" . . . . . . .  I would suggest perhaps he WAS in third gear?
>
> Please allow me to enjoy MY car the way I want to enjoy it!
>
> David in Durango
>
>
> [1] data shows that 2nd gear is the quivalent, not 3rd gear.
>
>
>
> "FWIW, Larry still has that low mileage 3.2:1 ZF all polished and ready to
> go for a good price; saw it last week."  Yeah, the price he quoted me 9
> years ago was more than I paid for my M3.
>
>
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