[bowley]

Thanx for replies. I'm not using this motor,I'll fit an SC0008b 20000rpm 216cm/g dual shaft.

[Kevan]

20k motors are a great choice for Rally, they're nearly all a bit of everything without being too much or too little of anything

[munter]

 1st gear in a car is a higher ratio gearing than 5th gear,

 First gear is low gear in my car.....ever heard of changing down a cog or changing up?

[Kevan]

The most common gear ratios used in cars are:

1. 1st gear: 3.5-4.5
   
2. 2nd gear: 2.0-2.5
   
3. 3rd gear: 1.5-1.8
   
4. 4th gear: 1.0-1.3
   
5. 5th gear: 0.8-1.0
   

3.5:1 is a higher ratio than 0.8:1

...at least I now know who not to ask for gearing advice

[munter]

..at least I now know who not to ask for gearing advice   

I’ll try once again, Kevan

A low gear is always numerically higher.

I remember some time ago you were suggesting in another thread that a single number was a ratio. WTF?

Sometimes I wonder about your real world experience  

Am I back on your ignore list?

[Kevan]

You have your way of remembering and I have a different way. 
Of the many people I've raced against, been a club member with, discussed gearing on forums with concerning Slot cars, RC cars and buggies both on and off-road over many decades...the way I remember gearing aligns with all of them...until this thread. 
I don't refer to the car I drive every day to work to think what gearing in my model cars is in comparison.
Nobody is saying you're wrong or that I'm wrong but when a newby comes searching for help I think the way you see it will be totally confusing to be honest.

[JasonB]

Any chance we could move on now please fellas?

There are obviously two different ways to understand it, but I'm not sure this is helping.

Personally, I'd say that the answer depends on a number of factors, and a more powerful motor would only be helpful in certain circumstances.

Some people race rally cars on their standard track, even on club tracks. Others make purpose built rally tracks, which are tight and twisty, possibly including steep elevation changes. Others still experiment with altering the grip of the track surface, such as the Spanish rallies where they add flour to the track. As a classic rally fan, I prefer the latter approach, although I found a different way achieve a low grip track.

My point is that your choice of motor and gearing would surely depend on which type of track you were racing on, not the class of the car. Your best choice would be very different if you were racing a rally car on a smooth, high grip, eight lane club track, to what you'd need on a tight and twisty, more authentic rally track.

[munter]

Any chance we could move on now please fellas?

Sure can.

I have figured it out though…. It’s because I am in the southern hemisphere????!!!!

[Brumos RSR]

I'm with Munter on the ratios.  When I was involved with 1:1 rally cars, a 4.75:1 rear axle was always referred to as lower than a 4.375:1.  And a 3.89:1 was higher than both of them.

Me too!! We ran 4:10 gears for drag racing and 3:55-3:73 for road racing.  3:27 for street driving in Mustangs.

[KensRedZed]

I'm with Munter on the ratios.  When I was involved with 1:1 rally cars, a 4.75:1 rear axle was always referred to as lower than a 4.375:1.  And a 3.89:1 was higher than both of them.

Me too!! We ran 4:10 gears for drag racing and 3:55-3:73 for road racing.  3:27 for street driving in Mustangs.

That brings back a few memories.

I used to work as an automotive machinist in a speed shop back in the early 80's. We rebuilt V8 engines for drag and street racers.

When I first started there. I owned a 1976 Camaro LT with more polution control devices than should be allowed on any one car. It had a 350 cubic inch 4-barrel V8 that was rated at a mere 165 hp. Slower than molasses going uphill in winter.

My co-workers inspired me to build and install a 350 V8 from a 69 Corvette that was rated at 350hp. What a wild improvement!

I was asked what gear ratio I had. I didn't know. So the guys put my car on the hoist and found I had 3.08's. They all started laughing and told me to get a proper gear ratio.

Then one of the regular customers walked in with a set of 4.56's and says "I want 4.88's instead. Anyone want these crappy 4.56's for free?". I quickly flew in from the back shop and said "memememe!".

Oh my goodness! What a tire-fryer. Like night and day. City driving became insane. Easily light up the tires with a quick stab of the throttle. However, It's not so lovely to go 55mph on the highway with the tach at 3,800rpm. Plus, I was buying new rear tires (BF Goodrich TA's) every few months. It quickly became an expensive hobby. Very short lived.