hi, quick question, say some1 has a non built stock olds 72 350 with 256 rear gears and they switched to 411 gears would they burn more rubber from a dead stop just punching on the gas with the 256 or 411 gears?

same question with a built 72 350?

 

I had swapped out my 2.56 peg leg for a 4.11 posi unit in my 69, non-stock 350 Cutlass. While I could break the tire loose with the 2.56, the 4.11 would do smoke shows on command. Lots of fun, stop light to stop light but no good over 60.

 

4:11, no doubt.

My Chevelle would lay rubber down the street with a 4:56 with ladder bars, couldn't get out of its own way when I put in the 2:73 (but it COULD finally drive down the interstate).

- Eric

 

thanks you guys!! that just settled it

 

With an "old-style" 3- or 4-speed transmission (auto or manual), you've got to choose between off-the-line jump and high-speed smoothness. These problems were eliminated by modern 6-speed (or more) transmissions. They CAN be adapted to older cars, but there is a price$$$.

Personally, I'd rather be able to drive from Point A to Point B than to destroy perfectly good tires, but there are other opinions that are equally valid.

- Eric

 

I like my 3.23 gears and 500 ft lbs of torque stock .

 

When I was young and stupid, had a '56 chev w/a 12 1/2 to 1 301, FI heads+cam, and 3x2's. M-22 + 4:11's made for a heck of a burnout - 376 ft. once!! [1-legger!]
But with 9.25 x 15 Atlas Bucron snowtires - couldn't turn 'em!
Torque is king!!

 

When I had a '68 fullsize with a 10.5:1 455 and 2:56 gears, it wouldn't burn rubber, but man would it get up and go once it was rolling .

- Eric

 

Exactly right.

I put 3.73's in my car but it was a choice between those or 4.11's.
I am putting a 6 speed T-56 in my car as well with a .50 final gear.

So with 3.73's, 27" tire in 6th gear I will be turning 1500rpm @ 65mph.
I have my stock TH350 in there now with them, and I stay in the slow lane on the highway.

 

I had a "mild" 455 in a 70 Cutlass I had with a 2.56 posi and that thing would burn em from a dead stop for 300'-500' depending on the surface I was on. I was rather comical how easily I could burn the tires.

 

Keep in mind OE rims and tires have much less rubber on the ground.

Modern rims and tires are much bigger and more tread hitting the pavement. When i first got my car with the SSIII's and 225/70/14's on it, I could chirp em good even with the 2.78's 1st, and 2nd. Once I put my 18" Fooses on with 285/40/18's I couldn't do it anymore.

Point being.....it don't take much to get those cute little factory tires chirpin.

 

4.11 gears.

They will make a lot more torque multiplication and given limited tire size and grip should make for a great smoke show as well as a much more responsive car.

The trade off will be higher RPM at cruise speed. If you have a th350 the next move would be to install an overdrive of some type. Then you could live with the car on highway. Otherwise you are looking at a 3000 rpm + highway cruise.

A TH2004r is a direct bolt in with just a little tweeking. (tv cable and elect. connection for torque converter lock up)

That gives you the best of both worlds. A super low first gear and an overdrive for highway cruising.

 

With 4.11 gears and a stock 72 350 your going to find out what the limits of your engine. With the 4.11 gears in my opinion you will need a taller tire, tq conv with higher stall speed, more cam, and compression around 9.5 to 1. To even consider this much gear. With your stock or mild engine 3 speed auto. 3.42 would be a much better all around gear or with overdrive transmission, 3.73 gears.

In a race with the 4.11 gear and stock engine you might get someone off the line, but the guy with the better setup with everything working together will get to other end first.

 

Yes, a 4.11 rear gear will provide more torque than 2.56, which will help to break the tires loose quicker. But I'm going to give another perspective. There are two ways in which the higher (nemerically) ratio actially hurts the burn-out:

1/ If you are on a sticky surface, say a dragstrip, and your suspesion is at least somewhat set up for racing, then the 4.11 gears will help weight transfer quicker which will actually help you get better traction. I speak from personal experience: when I switched from 3.23 to 3.90 gears I had less problem with wheel spin at the track.

2/ Once the tires do break loose, you can actually make a bigger smoke show with the 2.56 gears. The reason is that they will spin the tires faster for a given engine RPM. Again, from personal experience, with the 3.23 gears a first-gear burn-out was adequate to heat the tires. But with the 3.90 gears I have to shift and do a second-gear burn-out, otherwise they're spinning too slowly.

 

I can just barely turn the tires on my car with 4.57 gears.
Oh, the tires?
Hoosier 30x9, D07 compound.

 

With 4.11 gears and a stock 72 350 your going to find out what the limits of your engine. With the 4.11 gears in my opinion you will need a taller tire, tq conv with higher stall speed, more cam, and compression around 9.5 to 1. To even consider this much gear. With your stock or mild engine 3 speed auto. 3.42 would be a much better all around gear or with overdrive transmission, 3.73 gears.

In a race with the 4.11 gear and stock engine you might get someone off the line, but the guy with the better setup with everything working together will get to other end first.

2/ Once the tires do break loose, you can actually make a bigger smoke show with the 2.56 gears. The reason is that they will spin the tires faster for a given engine RPM. Again, from personal experience, with the 3.23 gears a first-gear burn-out was adequate to heat the tires. But with the 3.90 gears I have to shift and do a second-gear burn-out, otherwise they're spinning too slowly.


the reason i asked this question is me and a friend were talking about a cougar i owned 10+ years ago, when it was all stock it would burn long rubber i put a ford 9 411 or 373 in it and it never burned rubber again! unless i power braked it and even when i power braked it it was a slower spin, if i floored it with the ford 9 it would make a little chirp chrip and take off, so i thought high gears burned rubber easier than low gears with a stock motor because my stock motor wasnt strong enough 2 turn the low gears like it turned the high gears

from what you guys just said i guess me and my friend were both right in a way