I am not a gearhead and apologize for not truly understanding gearing but...

Am I correct in understanding that the higher the number (4.77 vs 4.44) the quicker the acceleration? On the same note am I correct in assuming the 4.77 will provide a less than appealing highway ride?

If so, is it "reasonably" possible to get the 4.77 and then change the 6th gear to accomodate for a better highway cruising rpm? I ONLY use 6th when I am on the highway and just cruising.

Is this possible and if so is it a reasonable change considering that my car is BONE Stock (except heated seats and Lucid rears)?

I am considering a gearing mod of some sort as it just seems to make sense.

Thanks!

 

think about a multi speed bicycle... the lower gear (4.77) is easier and faster to reach "top" speed than a higher gear (4.44 or stock), you (the engine) have less trouble accelerating with a lower ratio due to the mechanical advantage. conversely, your top speed lowers, and engine works harder to stay at the higher speed. if you do lots of highway driving, there will be more wear on engine since it will be at higher rpm's. just tooling around town it may not make much of a difference because you can always drive in 4th instead of 3rd to lower RPM/wear factor.

keith

 

If you do a lot of autocrossing, the 4.77 is ideal, but the 4.44 is far better for routine driving. Many of us believe the 4.44 should have been the stock Honda ratio.

 

 

How about the 6th gear change? Is there one?

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by S2k Awe
[B]How about the 6th gear change?

 

Would gas milage be necessarily be affected with the upgraded final drive?

 

Definitely. As the gear ratio goes higher, fuel economy goes lower. 4.77 would be lower than 4.44, which is lower than stock.

 

There isn't an easy 6th gear change. I'm not a tranny expert so I can't say whether it's feasible but my guess is it's not, or at least not without a lot of work. It hasn't even been seriously discussed here so that's probably a clue.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Rick Hesel
[B]Definitely.