Final Drives

So I've been evaluating my options for more speed out of slow corners and generally on the straights to overtake cars that I catch under braking and cornering, but who then pull away on the straights (talking about on track here btw).

More power is the obvious option but that's another topic of discussion. After one of my chats with Tom, he cagedly suggested a shorter 4th, 5th and 6th racing gear set as although it would rapidly increase the acceleration of my car, my effective (noise bearable) cruising speed on the road would be around 60mph.
I could maybe live with the above, but what I would also like is more punch in 3rd gear as I like taking hairpins in 3rd, although technically I could go a tiny bit faster in 2nd. Therefore I have been looking at short final drives, specifically 5.46 and 5.84.

Below are some calculated numbers on 5.84, 5.46 and 5.062 FDs. You may remember I have already changed my final drive from 4.763 (OEM) to 5.062, so look at that as my baseline.


The tables show the top speed in each gear and also the shift point when changing gear. FYI, the advantage of individual gear sets over changing just the final drive is that the shift point is a lot higher.

Anyway, back on topic. Some basic and generalised information on what I'm finding on track:

• I want more punch in 3rd gear out of hair pins and very slow corners. Effectively I want to eliminate the need to use 2nd
• On short straights following slow corners I am buzzing the top of 3rd gear. I could change up to 4th, but would very quickly have to change back down to 3rd for the next corner
• On fast corners my entry speed is usually 70-80mph with road tyres. More speed will of course be achieved with semi-slicks

Given the above, the benefits vs benefits of the 5.46 and 5.84 are as follows (if running semi-slicks):

5.84

• Better 3rd gear punch out of hairpins and slow corners
• Better suited for fast corners
• Better acceleration on the straights

5.46

• Possibly better suited for very fast corners as I can rev out for longer
• I can rev out for longer on shorter straights without having to change up and then down for the next corner

Decision decision... I'll spend more time on my favourite tracks and make some notes on my findings. I also need to take into consideration an up in power, so we'll see how this pans out.