Which Axle Ratio Should I Go With?

[musclecar fan]

I've got a 69 Camaro RS/SS convertible with the original 350/300 + Turbo 350 Trans with a 3.07:1 axle ratio, non-posi, 12-bolt rear. Needless to say, it is not exactly a screamer. Thinking about changing to 3.55's. What do you recommend? By the way, the car has A/C if that matters. It is 100% stock and restored, just trying to get a bit more performance out of it. This seems like the best option without hurting it's originality. Thoughts? Thanks

[musclecar fan]

Also, it has stock dual exhaust with transverse muffler, Quadrajet, stock intake, etc. The car is BONE STOCK.

[southernfriedcj]

.355's should be fine, but I'd go .373 if you take it on the highway often and .411 if you don't. I'm a fan of low gears.

[Salvatore]

I love low gears in a small block too. 3.55 or 3.73's are fine. 3.73's if you ever want to put a bigger tire on.

[BUIZILLA]

3.55 with 26" tires
3.73 with 28" tires

[m22mike]

To heck with that...4.10's....
Black Beauty does good on the I state's @ 60 I am @ 3800.
Have some fun..

[Keith Tedford]

I don't know how much performance you want, but you might want to get it dyno tuned first. If it has a factory stock slow advance curve and lean jetting, you might be surprised at how much better the car will perform. Over the years I've had cars with anything from 2.56 to 4.10 gears. For all round running I liked the 3.73s. If you aren't doing a lot of highway, the 4.10s are nice and you can always run a tall rear tire to cut the rpm a little. Calculations I found showed 4.10s should give you 3185 rpm at 60 mph with the stock F70-14 tires. My little factory tack sat on 3200. Everyone has their own preferences. If you get a chance, go for a ride in a friend's car that has gears you like and see what you think. Our Chevelle has the 4.10s and, with the couple of thousand miles we drive a year, the extra gas used really isn't a factor.