Long tube gears are the winner 99% of the time.
I sorta agree with that, But when you have a stock type cam, then I believe headers are optional, and most of the time gears also are optional,too.
Most, if not all, of us know how headers work. But not all understand what goes on during the overlap period. With bigger cams bordering on race-cam sizes, this period can be thought of as it's own distinct cycle,activated only by headers, and it can be extremely advantageous. However, if your big-cammed streeter is stifled with hiway gears, then you only just get into it at the top of first gear. The only benefit that 292 is for you then is the radical idle, and the surge in power beginning up near 5000rpm, somewhere near 50 mph with 3.23s.
But with a 252/112 type cam,or smaller, the overlap is so small, as to be very weak.Sure the long tubes can still bring a boost in torque in the lower rpms, but again the effect is weak, and I wouldn't waste money on TTIs for the few footpounds they might wake up.Adding a couple of hundred Rs to the TC will net a much bigger boost.
As to gears, I'm 100% with you; for a streeter you almost can't have too many, and the closer together the better. It would be really nice to have two or three of them between zero and 60 mph, but that is just not realistic until you have 5 or more gears in the trans.
As to rear gears, as soon as the starter gear comes in at over 10:1 with a M/T, or 9:1 with an auto, you are in the ball park. As soon as the starter gets over 13, it's into race territory and if second is too far away in a streeter, it sux.
So gearing is always a challenge with just 3 speeds in the trans.
But again, with a stock type engine, and just 3 gears in the trans, hi-perf rear gears is not necessarily better; it depends on the combo.
But Shorties, on the other hand, are like sewer dumps to a lo-po engine. Your street engine with a mild cam, might not ever get to an rpm where the headers work, but at least they let the exhaust out better than a log. So in a particular application where long-tubes either do not exist, or would be hard to fit, the shorties could be a good option. Like fitting a 360 into an EarlyA, with a small cam. The weight to cubes is already quite good so just a small cam could get yo into 300 hp pretty quick. And then the W/P is looking good. In this case shorties is all you need. And since the vehicles weight is nearly 400 pounds less than a laterA, it won't need a lotta gear to get motoring.
So where you say 99%, IDK, Ima wanting to agree if you wanna go fast/quick.
But for average Jo with a 4bbl teener,sucking hot underhood air, and a modest cam,IDK; maybe 20% stock type logs, 20%hi-flo exhausts,30% shorties, and the rest long-tubes or other; Just tossing number out there.
