2.94:1 gears

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ir3333

ir3333

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For those that have used or are using 2.94 rear gears...how do you like them?
i realize that with tall tires and a long duration cam they woudn't be a good fit.
 
Well, I thought it a reasonable Hwy. gear that was also loose enough for around town driving that didn’t totally suck like 2.76’s or the “Holy Cow!” awful 2.45’s. The 2.94’s are like (well, IMO anyway) last of the economy gears that are for the Hwy. The 2.76 are excellent and the 2.45’s great for crossing Siberia or the Sahara with.

3.23’s are the start of any performance gear IMO.
(With a stock size tire diameter.)
 
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rumblefish360 said:
Well, I thought it a reasonable Hwy. gear that was also loose enough for around town driving that didn’t totally suck like 2.76’s or the “Holy Cow!” awful 2.45’s. The 2.94’s are like (well, IMO anyway) last of the economy gears that are for the Hwy. The 2.76 are excellent and the 2.45’s great for crossing Siberia or the Sahara with.

3.23’s are the start of any performance gear IMO.
(With a stock size tire diameter.)
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I agree with rumblefish just depends what your doing with the car (ie racing or cruising or ?)
 
sabre67 said:
I agree with rumblefish just depends what your doing with the car (ie racing or cruising or ?)
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All my daily drivers cruise at 1800 - 2000 rpm. Wondering if a small cam 340 with a 25 inch tire would have any grunt at all with the 2.94's? It should be nice on the highway.
 
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I ran 2.94's in my Duster for a bit. With the duration on the cam I have in my 340 they were horrible for starting out, but my cam is supposed to have 3.73's so that wasn't a surprise really. Once I was out of first gear they were fine, and they were very nice to have for the freeway with 26" tall tires. With a smaller cam, or better torque down low they would be a good choice for a driver. I ran 3.23's in my Challenger, and while it was more fun off the line the freeway rpms start to become noticeable. Not bad at all, but not quite as nice as the 2.94's.

ir3333 said:
All my daily drivers cruise at 1800 2000. Wondering if a small cam 340 with a 25 inch tire would have any grunt at all with the 2.94's? It should be nice on the highway.
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I don't know if I would call it "grunt", but that combination shouldn't be horrible off the line. I mean, it won't be great, but it might be worth it to you for the highway manners.
 
Back in 70 when I was young and dumb and had my first 70 340 Dart it came with 3.23's in it. My close friend had a 69 340 Dart and it came with 2.94's. I would always beat him from light to light but on the bypass he would win at the end of a half mile. With a well tuned engine there is absolutely nothing wrong with a 2.94 differential.
 
my converter stalls around 2400 and breaks the tires loose easily with the 3.23's in it now.I didn't like the 3.55's.I will be trying the 2.94's for sure but not 'til next year.Our season is done here now...arrrrgh!
Hoping for some more first hand experience replies.
 
Shenango said:
Back in 70 when I was young and dumb and had my first 70 340 Dart it came with 3.23's in it. My close friend had a 69 340 Dart and it came with 2.94's. I would always beat him from light to light but on the bypass he would win at the end of a half mile. With a well tuned engine there is absolutely nothing wrong with a 2.94 differential.
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i won't be racing but when i get on it i want something worthwhile to happen!
 
2.94's are a compromise gear. Not as loose as the 2.76's but not as tight as 3.23's. I like 2.94's for general performance.Now that highway speeds are 65-80 mph, not like when 55 mph was tops .I pulled 3.91's out of a friends Hemi Car when he brought it out west and in went 2.94 to drive it around here. 2.94 with a 26'' tall tire works pretty good on a A body.
 
My buddy took out a 3.23 chunk and put in a 2.94 chunk. Behind a fresh 340, 727, 26" rear tires. He absolutely loves it, great cruising RPM and he still comes out of the hole just fine .....
 
I just wouldent cut up a factory big block car though. Save those for the resto crowd. Plenty of slant sux cars for doing conversions though.
 
I got Mopars 380hp create engine it's a little soft under 2000 rpm. The car came 2.94 gears on 26" tires. It's not as bad as I'd thought that combo would be around town I got to stay in 2nd gear until over 40 mph.
It's still fun, can light the tires even though they are BF Goodrich. Don't really get to feel the full power of the engine until I get her up to 40 mph in 1st gear then hammer it.
Obviously on the highway it's good.
I imagine your running a dual plane and less overlap so everything should be better. But obviously giving up lots performance over 3.55-3.91 gears.
 
Why not both? It would be more expensive, but an overdrive transmission would let you run something sporty like 3.55s and cruise like you had a sub 3 rear end in OD. Although probably way more expensive than just swapping a pumpkin! :lol:
 
abodyjoe said:
i love the 2.94 gears.. they are good all around for me.. peppy enough from a stop and great for cruising..
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I think they might be a good choice in my current set up.i have the old standby 204. 214. 429. 444 cam and with the 2400 stall and 3.23 it will break the tires loose easily and pulls hard right from idle to 4800 rpm.
2.94 gears @ 60 mph and a 26 " tire should spin around 2300 rpm and be nice for cruising
i built a warm 371 for this dart but it works so good i can't bring myself to change it out..
Anybody got a rust free roller they want to part with ( ya right!)
 
Lots of 66/67 B body cars came with 2.94 gears.

With a torque-y poly 318 it was a good combo.

As shenango pointed out there's enough difference (esp vs a gm 3.08 gear), with a similar engine to catch and pass on the top end in a relatively short run.
 
On a similar note, my other ride is a 75 Vette. A warmed over 350 and Borg Warner 4 speed. The rear gear is a 3.08, not much different from the 2.94. The car is a blast to drive and once we get rolling has all the power you could want for street or highway cruising. With both of my rides coming in at close to 300 hp the Dart is much faster in a short run and the Vette is a far better car on a winding road.
 
i do know a few chevy sm. blk. guys and they do like their 3.08's.I'll be trying them next year for sure.
Tx for the replies based on actual experience!
 
I agree with abodyjoe the 2.94s are the perfect gear set for all around driving, great gear for 65 to 80 mph, they just keep pulling. Today's traffic is speeding at 70 plus mph going down the highway and the 3.23s just wind the engine too much at those speeds. Have a factory set of 2.94s in a 69 B Body, 230 hp stock 318 plus added performance of an Edelbrock 1406, 727 auto. Good low end starting out from traffic lights, good mid range. Over all 10 out of 10 for me. One thing that unknowingly boosts my performance is the Factory 9.2:1 Compression 318 engine great low end torque, the added 4 bbl, and four Torq Thust II Aluminum 15 inch wheels. They are 20 lbs lighter each than the steel Mopar Ralley wheels and Beauty Ring combinations that came off. Thats a difference of 80 lbs of dead weigh that you have to spin up and brake down every time you start and stop, makes a huge difference in performance with the aluminum wheels.

I like the 2.94s so much that I just came across a second set ready to go that I will be swapping out into my 1967 Dart 2 Door Post car, ready for completion this Summer. I like the way they drive over the whole range, from starting out to passing cars on the freeway.
 
George Jets said:
I agree with abodyjoe the 2.94s are the perfect gear set for all around driving, great gear for 65 to 80 mph, they just keep pulling. Today's traffic is speeding at 70 plus mph going down the highway and the 3.23s just wind the engine too much at those speeds. Have a factory set of 2.94s in a 69 B Body, 230 hp stock 318 plus added performance of an Edelbrock 1406, 727 auto. Good low end starting out from traffic lights, good mid range. Over all 10 out of 10 for me. One thing that unknowingly boosts my performance is the Factory 9.2:1 Compression 318 engine great low end torque, the added 4 bbl, and four Torq Thust II Aluminum 15 inch wheels. They are 20 lbs lighter each than the steel Mopar Ralley wheels and Beauty Ring combinations that came off. Thats a difference of 80 lbs of dead weigh that you have to spin up and brake down every time you start and stop, makes a huge difference in performance with the aluminum wheels.

I like the 2.94s so much that I just came across a second set ready to go that I will be swapping out into my 1967 Dart 2 Door Post car, ready for completion this Summer. I like the way they drive over the whole range, from starting out to passing cars on the freeway.
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Just what I was looking for on gears. We're looking at taking a 4000 mile road trip this fall and I'd like a little better mileage and lower rpm then my 3.23 (or 3.21) will give me. Your engine combo is very close to mine mild 318, 904 auto, 9.2:1 compression, AVS 2 650 with RPM airgap. It will take a while to recoup my cost but I think the 2.94s are way to go. I knew if I kept searching old posts I'd come across something. :)
 
I have 2.94's in a Duster. Great on the road, and I have plenty of stomp. Low end isn't a issue. I'm running basically a stock 360 with a stock converter.
 
I've run many many different rears, so my answer is always to have the right gear at the right time. It's not always about blasting off with screaming tires. I myself am particularly fond of having the right amount of torque at from 30 to 40 mph.
For 2.94s and 27s, 30mph will be 2700 at zero slip, perhaps 10 to 12% more in the TC at WOT, so I'll guess 3000 rpm. So if your 340 has gangbusters torque there, then you may get tirespin. If not, then the torque-peak is coming up in milliseconds, so it will still be fun.
By 40 the Rs are up to 4000, and with that small cam you are now past the torque peak and climbing up the power curve, so, again, it will be fun. That 204* cam might power-peak around 4600, and hang on, to shift at 5000, at which time you might be doing 50ish mph. At the shift tho, the Rs will fall to 59% or 2950, which with a 340 is not looking like Rapid Transit anymore....... but do you care?
Not everybody has the same goals in mind.
I liked the 2.94s because I had a hi-torque 367, and a 4 speed. But I wanted more off the line. It turns out that more just meant mega-tirespin. So I concentrated on the 30 to 50 mph zone, For me, with a 3.09x3.55=10.97 starter gear, first gear is just to get me to second gear, where the fun is .
In that regard My TM (Torque-Multiplication) in second is currently 3.55x1.92=6.816 and the rpm at 30 is 2540; compared to you at 2.94x2.45x~1.1 in the TC=7.92 and the rpm will be about 2950 (in first)... So at 30 mph, you'll be in a better position than am I. Hopefully my cubes will RULE!, lol.
And who can argue that 65=2374 (zero-slip) isn't a great rpm to cruise at, with that 2400TC.
Time will tell.
 
gtxdude said:
Just what I was looking for on gears. We're looking at taking a 4000 mile road trip this fall and I'd like a little better mileage and lower rpm then my 3.23 (or 3.21) will give me. Your engine combo is very close to mine mild 318, 904 auto, 9.2:1 compression, AVS 2 650 with RPM airgap. It will take a while to recoup my cost but I think the 2.94s are way to go. I knew if I kept searching old posts I'd come across something. :)
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With 4000 miles planned, 2.76 would be my choice.
 
Just as an FYI, early 8 3/4 rears could be had with a 3.19 ratio.

...and I have seen a 3.40 "circle track" ratio.
 
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