I need help understanding gears (im confused)

[khabboub]

please dont flame me, i just have a simple question because im really confused

i dont understand how swapping out for higher gears would give you any advantage. in all ways that i can think about it wouldnt it be better performance wise to get lower gears? the less the driveshaft spins and the more the wheels spin is what you want. right?

for instance i have 3.27 gears in my car, meaning that for every 3.27 spins of the driveshaft, the wheels spin once, right? well wouldnt it be better to go lower? i mean if you put in like 2.00 (i realize that is extreme) then for every 2 spins of the driveshaft the wheels spin once.

if in the above statement both cars were lined up, and assuming that both cars were identical in every way except for the gears, then the car with the lower gears would be spinning the wheels faster because you have the lower gears.

[Mindz]

The higher the number the better it is for acceleration/towing at least until you run out of traction. It will lower your mileage and top speed.

The lower the number the better it is for gas mileage until your engine doesn't have enough power to use the higher gears. It will increase your top speed (unless you don't have enough power to overcome the drag) and lower your acceleration

[Slowhawk]

Torque multiplication.The higher the gear the less load on the motor to spin them.Quicker the car. To a point.

[aj2ssrs]

As an example, try starting out in 2nd gear instead of first and you will get no tire spin and have to slip the clutch more to get going. It will also take longer to get into the motors powerband. Same scenario starting in first gear and you will get more tire spin if you don't launch right but you will accelerate faster. I know this is an extreme example but it may help you understand what higher gears are doing for you.

[JANNETTYRACING]

Originally Posted by khabboub

please dont flame me, i just have a simple question because im really confused

i dont understand how swapping out for higher gears would give you any advantage. in all ways that i can think about it wouldnt it be better performance wise to get lower gears? the less the driveshaft spins and the more the wheels spin is what you want. right?

for instance i have 3.27 gears in my car, meaning that for every 3.27 spins of the driveshaft, the wheels spin once, right? well wouldnt it be better to go lower? i mean if you put in like 2.00 (i realize that is extreme) then for every 2 spins of the driveshaft the wheels spin once.

if in the above statement both cars were lined up, and assuming that both cars were identical in every way except for the gears, then the car with the lower gears would be spinning the wheels faster because you have the lower gears.

Yes but the engine would have to work harder to move the car and the performance would suffer greatly.

Mechanical advantage, Remember Grammer School and the class on Leverage.

A higher numerical gear is going to give your engine a greater Mechanical advantage at turning the wheels and moving the 4200 lbs forward Easier and faster.

Ted.