[04dsgMACHONE]

Originally Posted by XSELLR8

this thread made it pretty clear that the best advantage for 4.10s or 4.30s would be for a track or at low speeds. It was a little more important to me to have a car that was "faster" (top end) not "quicker" (bottom end).

MY personal preference (though I will make it VERY clear I do NOT promote street racing) is to see what a car does all out- not 0-60, 1/8, 1/4, but 0-130 or a mile. If not, you end up with cars like the new skyline GT-R or Subarus, where the technicians gave it gearing and AWD to satisfy the 0-60 & 1/4 mile times (the only thing people read about) but the car gets passed by it's competitors if they race a full mile. FOR ME, I would rather have the car do best in the long run.

It's more important to you to have a car that could achieve a higher speed without running out of gear? Do you run mile events? Do you frequently run 120+? If you run 120+ often (which you obviously do since your sole reason in keeping 3.55s is for the top end, 140?mph range) and don't run in any mile events, you really need to reconsider the dangers of doing so. Cars are built towards a 1/4 performance and 0-60 times because that's what most people feel and enjoy out of the car. Plus it's an easy way to measure it's performance, since it's the most common way that other people measure their cars.

Originally Posted by XSELLR8

What I meant by that was that I would not like to pay the price of running out of gear with 4.30s once 4th ended at 120. As mentioned earlier in this thread, 5th is not just another gear. Once you hit it you don't accelerate the same. I had a great time on the Las Vegas freeway a week ago, 3rd being perfect at freeway speeds - it seemed right on my power band. Maybe 4.30s would still be better, but I've heard you run out and need to be in 4rth by that speed and that's right where the advantage switches to 3.55s

Yeah. I am just going off of what I have read here, so I probably still have a lot to learn

If 5th was a different ratio, it might be a different story.

Again, are you frequently running past 120 on highways?
I mean if you're running out of gear at the track that's understandable, but you're talking about running 120 plus which is completely overkill if you're just trying to have a little fun. I have way more fun with my 4.30s on the highway at 70mph, at a stop, on turns, at cruising speeds (40-55mph), and just any type of situation you can imagine. My car pulls way harder even in the higher speeds (70+) than my 3.55s ever did.

Oh, and my 5th with 4.30s is like my 4th was with 3.55s.