T56 with 3.23 gears

**Decadence75** · 12-31-2013, 01:50 AM

Heya everyone. I will probably be performing a T56 swap on my car in the next few weeks (A4 setup will be available if anyone is interested) and was interested in you guys opinion about how it would perform with the stock A4 3.23 gears that I currently have in the T/A. I know most advocate for 4.10s but I will have to keep my stock rear for a while unless I find a good deal on a used 10 bolt that has better gears. I would also like so keep some modicum of MPG that the lower gears offer since this is a DD and not a car that will be seeing the strip all that often. Advice? Opinions? Let's hear it.

Thanks!

**Firebirdjones** · 12-31-2013, 05:15 AM

Won't be horrible to drive, since the T-56 has a 2.66 first gear. That's really the only concern to have, and it's not a big one. The difference between the 3.23 and 3.42 really isn't that much anyway. I drive one car here with a 2.52 first gear and 3.08's and it's just fine taking off around town, your combo you are looking at is even better.

You'll see maybe a 100-200 rpm drop in cruise speed between 3.23 and 3.42, not enough to matter.

I run a 12 bolt with 3.73's behind our T-56, and find that an excellent all around gear for this trans. I ran 4.10's in it for a while and I liked that even better but at the time my wife was driving 200 miles a day so I knocked the gear down a tad to help her mileage out. No regrets really and it still hazes the tires when you stab the throttle so I've left the 3.73's as is.

**Decadence75** · 12-31-2013, 06:32 AM

Thanks for the advice Firebirdjones. I am guessing that in any dig situation I would start in second anyway so the first is only useful in a traffic situation? I eventually want to get an S60 and am trying to decide on a final gear for that rear. I was thinking 3.90 maybe. Still a while to decide. Thanks for the voice in though!

**35th-ANV-SS** · 12-31-2013, 07:40 AM

I have a 4.11 gear in my Moser 9" coupled with my T56 and Procharger and LOVE that gear. You have to be able to shift quickly from first though

. I'll agree with FBJ though in saying not much is to be saved with MPG between the gears due to the transmission gearing.

**Firebirdjones** · 12-31-2013, 07:44 AM

Even in a dig situation you're still going to want 1st gear. It's not like it's going to blow the tires off when you stab the throttle (once rolling) with those 3.23's. Trying to take off in second gear would be extremely hard on the clutch.

**Decadence75** · 12-31-2013, 08:04 AM

Well, right now in an auto with an SS4000 and NT555 tires I can not grip at all. I spin and spin and spin.

**35th-ANV-SS** · 12-31-2013, 08:10 AM

Your tires are the issue. Get some drag radials. Night and day difference.

**Firebirdjones** · 12-31-2013, 08:20 AM

That and the fact that you have a 4,000 stall,,,,that helps tremendously. My 02 SS went from a lack luster no tire spin performer to a tire hazing fun ride when I simply installed a 3400 converter.

Once your T-56 goes in (if your engine is stock) that will stop. The only way it will spin tires is if you literally pop the clutch and get really aggressive. If you simply roll out in first gear and stomp the loud pedal, it won't do much of anything but go, (unless the road is damp, or you are slinging it around a corner or something silly)

The 6 speed SS that my wife drives, has a smallish cam, headers, LS6 intake, tuned, etc....and even with it's factory 3.42's on a good road surface, simply stabbing the throttle in 1st gear netted absolutely "zero" tire spin on stock rubber.
Now if I manipulated the clutch just a little bit you could haze them.

Then I stuck the 3.73's in it,,,,night and day difference. Simply rolling 20 mph and stabbing the throttle creates instant tire spin fun

It's amazing what a simple gear change will do

**Decadence75** · 12-31-2013, 09:22 AM

I used to chirp gears in the A4 before the stall. After it just put my MPG in the shitter. Though I will say it will haul ass when stomped on
.

**Decadence75** · 12-31-2013, 09:24 AM

I guess what I am not saying is that I am a stick driver by nature and each stop I steal reach for a clutch and shifter.

**Decadence75** · 12-31-2013, 09:26 AM

still

**Frost** · 01-21-2014, 11:12 AM

Originally Posted by Decadence75

Well, right now in an auto with an SS4000 and NT555 tires I can not grip at all. I spin and spin and spin.

You are slam crazy getting rid of that for the M6.

I've seen that swap done in reverse 100 times; the few times I have seen it done the way you are, most of them regretted it after the fact. You may well not; I'm just relating the experience of our own customers.

One of my early T/As had a rear issue and I went with 4.11s and clocked about ONE MPG in town difference and even with the few extra highway RPMs, that mileage stayed about the same. Physics doesn't care what RPM you are at; it takes the same amount of power to push the car down the road, so the question becomes which RPM point is more efficient. Fuel usage is more closely tied to MAP (manifold vac) than RPM.

Catch up with me through my website if you need programming done for the swap.

**Decadence75** · 01-21-2014, 02:20 PM

Originally Posted by Frost

You are slam crazy getting rid of that for the M6.

I've seen that swap done in reverse 100 times; the few times I have seen it done the way you are, most of them regretted it after the fact. You may well not; I'm just relating the experience of our own customers.

One of my early T/As had a rear issue and I went with 4.11s and clocked about ONE MPG in town difference and even with the few extra highway RPMs, that mileage stayed about the same. Physics doesn't care what RPM you are at; it takes the same amount of power to push the car down the road, so the question becomes which RPM point is more efficient. Fuel usage is more closely tied to MAP (manifold vac) than RPM.

Catch up with me through my website if you need programming done for the swap.

Thanks for the info Steve. I actually picked up an extra PCM from you and had it loaded with a tune a little over a year ago when I put in a cam. If this was a car that saw the track on a regular basis I probably would stick to the A4 for it's consistency and shift precision. However, I miss driving a stick and believe that it will increase the fun factor of just street driving for me. I've got a copy of HPT, I'm just not all that great with it.

I'll probably be able to get a base M6 tune on it but might need you for something a little better once I have it all done.