Posted by Bob Fetters on July 03, 1999 at 07:06:14:
In Reply to: axle ratios posted by Paul Hammerschmidt on July 02, 1999 at 16:54:19:
Paul is correct about there being a slight difference between front and rear axle ratios. GM uses a 4.09 for the front and a 4.10 for the rear. This difference is to account for the rear wheels tracking to the inside of the front wheels in a turn. The rear actually travels less distance than the front when turning. If the front and rear are exactly the same, there is a larger tendancy for the vehicle to spin out on icy corners.-- I am surprised to hear of a 6.28 ratio on a 'townie'. This would require very large tires to achieve some sort of reasonable highway speed at normal engine RPM's. This is the sort of ratio found on some trucks with 22 to 24 inch rims. - For a guess at ratio, jack up one tire on the rear and count the drive shaft rotations to make one wheel revolution. Divide by two. If is is a locker type rear jack both tires up and rotate both wheels one revolution while counting the driveshaft revolutions. Use that number as an approximation of ratio. BOB