3.44 trans

Hi, tried reading through the threads. Very new to all of this, so sorry if I'm asking a silly question? Anyway, does anyone have an opinion on what would be the minimal bhp that could happily pull a 3.44 final drive in a speedster. I'm looking at an 1776 engine, engle 100cam, twin webbers, maybe 95bhp? and wanting to cruise round europe without having to rev the nuts off the engine. Looking forward to reading your responses.

Simon.

Simon are you talking about the ring and pinion or gear ratio?

That 3.44 number looks like a R/P number.

Final drive is the ring and pinion

A 1776 has a stock stroke crankshaft of 69 mm's and enlarged pistons, up from stock 85.5 to 90.5. Basically you should have enough power to manage a 3.44 to 1 ring and pinion.

Remember, you need RPM's to turn the fan that keeps the engine cool so don't shift too soon.

A 3.44 might be a stretch for a 1776. You'll need torque to pull that gear, and I suspect you'll run short with that engine (I'd be pretty surprised if you really got 95 hp from that combination, unless it had some pretty nice heads). It's torque at about 2500 you'll be most interested in- look at those numbers, rather than peak h/p.

A nice 2110, with good heads and a mild cam would pull it nicely.

I'm thinking with Stan. You'll need some torques to pull that gear. A 3.88 would be more appropriate for that engine. I put a 3.88 in my car and it's great on the highway. Just ask the cop who stopped me the other week. Whatever engine you chose, you should have it put on a dynamometer to be sure what power you're really dealing with.

~WB

Hey Bill,,
Glad to hear that you like your 3.88 r/p. What is your powerplant,, and, was there anything else changed with your other gearbox ratio's ?? ie: Are you still happy with the way it pulls thru 1-2-3 to get you up to freeway cruise ??
Alan

Sorry to disagree but a 1600cc in a stock VW beetle will handle a 3.44 with out any problems

I have had Speedsters / Spyders with 3.44, 3.88, and 4.12/4.375 and IMO the 3.44 is overkill. I wanted a car that was not over revving at say 70 MPH so I went with a 3.44 and a 4th gear of 0.93. Care to guess what the top speed would have been at 6000 rpm? 139mph....not a very good street combination ultimately. But, I was running only 2815rpm at 65 mph. Engine cooling was fine at all road speeds, my current car is back to 4.12, and if I replace that it will be with a 3.88. No more 3.44 for me.

I would recommend more judicious selection of gearing for the transmission and stay with 3.88 diff. 3.80 first gear is pretty worthless in our cars, but changing the gearing is expensive

Just for reference, we may not always agree, but Jim puts his money where his mouth is. The man KNOWS what he is talking about!

No disrespect meant to Larry or anyone else.

I agree completely with Jim- the stock first gear is useless for anything but pulling stumps.

In my car, I did a 3.30 1st, 2.07 2nd, 1.31 3rd, and .82 4th with a 3.88 R/P. I like the spacing except for 4th gear- I'll probably swap for a .89 when I do the torque biasing diff next winter. The transaxle, a pro-street IRS, with super-diff and core and shipping included was about $1700 5 years ago.

Even with a 2332, the step between 3rd and 4th is a bit long, and as Jim said, gearing for a 130+ top end is pretty pointless in anything with a VW suspension.

When I re-did my tranny, I went with a 3.88 R/P

3.80 first
2.06 second
1.48 third
1.17 fourth







oh, yeah...



.089 fifth! ;)

Braggart. I'm happy with my starter transaxle. ;)

"Starter"...
You mean Entry Level? ;)

I always get confused about my euphemisms.

Gents, this has all been excellent info. I'm going to stick with the 3.88, and now spend slightly less money getting it all reconditioned. Many thanks, Simon.

Danny, no disrespect taken but, the question was "will a 3.44 work with a 1776"

My answer stands, yes it will.

I too respect Jim's opinions however, the freeway flyer gear suits many people and their driving style but, it's not performance orientated so if your plans are spirited driving then it's not for you.

One of my original reasons for building a car with the 3.44 diff had to do with a personal goal of bragging rights on 0-60mph in sub 4 seconds. With the 3.44, and a 7200rpm redline, I could and did run 0-60 in first gear only. Now, as one might guess, traction was a bit of an issue, however, on hot tires and sticky asphalt I did get the Spyder right at, or slightly under 4 seconds a few times. Not a very good reason for using a 3.44, but it made sense at the time.....one of the downsides of the 3.44 is I understand it can't be fitted with LSD. I, in perfect 20-20 hindsight, would rather have LSD than a 3.44.

And Danny and Larry, thanks for the good words...I miss my Spyder, and the replacement Speedster is not yet completed...I got sidetracked with a couple of other interesting Porsches, and they have a 2.2:1 differential....I certainly did not expect that....

Jim, 928 S4 ????

Larry, just an 84S and an 81. Now known as the White Whale and Dogbert....surprisingly FAST for a 4.7 16 valve, has some exhaust "improvements" rechipped computer, etc.... I came across both these cars around here, the WW is an auto and Dogbert is 5 speed. The original plan was to convert WW into a 5 speed using Dogbert as a doaner, but that is on hold for the time being. I am stripping out the interior of the 5 speed and about to pull the engine, it has water in the oil, so either a bad head gasket, cracked block, or the oil to water cooler has given it up...

Dogbert may end up with a 350 Chevy. 928 parts are expensive, ignition wire set $380.....OEM water pump from $400-800 depending where you buy it....etc etc...a standard gasket kit for the engine is $779....a crank starts at $2700, with a long stroke crank at $7900. A 350 makes a lot more sense and Renegade has a kit......

Given your Porsche experiences I figured you would catch on to the 2.2 diff clue. I was very surprised to say the least on that gearing for what has been considered by some to be a great performance car.....there are a number of them being raced in SCCA and the like very successfully, and at least 2 of them are automatics, blow away GT2's, Corvettes, 930's, and Vipers etc....I have a long video showing an SCCA race where a 928 goes from 40th to 2nd, the GT3 that finished first was a lot faster down the straights

Sorry for the thread drift....these are not as much fun as a Spyder or Speedster, but they will also put a smile on my face in short order...

Good nostalgic drift there, Jim. I had an '80 automatic and an '81 five-speed.
Brilliant, but expensive.

Jim - According to IM, my speedster has a 3.44 with a limited slip.

Felix, I was looking into a swing axle Quaife ATB Helical LSD differential with the 3.44, and was told by several parties, including the builder of my transmission, it would not fit in the 3.44. Other transmissions and other LSD's may be able to use it...there have been other threads on the subject here and on the SpyderClub also concerning "it won't fit". It would be interesting to find out how IM does it and what maker they are using...the incompatibility may just be another incorrect internet rumor often repeated and wrong? Having owned 2 IM's (built long ago) I have a great deal of respect for anything they do, or have done, or say is correct information.

Cory, so you can appreciate my pain then....928's are great cars, but after 25 years in the hot south every piece of rubber in them is bad, all of it extremely expensive, and half the extensive electrics don't work either, or work intermittently... but, keeps me off the streets and outta' da bars...and the car is definitely a fun driver.....it will definitely out corner / out handle my Spyder or my Speedster, by a lot, and above 90 or so it would give my Spyder more than a run for the money