MrLexse

Acknowledging the tradeoff of fourth gear (1:1) for a new lower first;
Since the internal gear ratios start lower, does the change make more sense?

One second.....I just had a flashback to Sweanders post. Arghhhhhhhhh!

Okay, I'm all right now. Where was I? Oh yeah,....Since the first/second shift can be controlled automatically, is this less of a tradeoff than with that other (the M-word) transmission?
How does a higher power output effect the results? How can we deal with the traction concerns?
(Remember - no M-word in this thread!)

MrLexse

A quick look at the Spec Book numbers, show the S4 automatic first gear going from a low of 8.0872 FDR (in MY 87) to a high of 9.8298 (in MY 89). That's almost a 20% difference! Adding a 3.09 R&P to a stock 87 S4 (2.20 rear end ratio) would be the equivalent of lowering the stock first gear FDR of an 89 S4 (2.54 rear end ratio) by 15.55% or a 91 GT (2.73 rear) by 10.5%. Ten percent change from a factory production spec doesn't seem as radical as 2.20 vs. 3.09