What's the best live axle/ diff combination to go for. I'd like my diff ratio to be as low as possible (3.4:1 - 3:1). I'm not sure what range of ratios are available in the cortinas/capris.
Any help appreciated.
Cheers
Matt

You should be able to get a Capri axle with a ratio around 3.3:1

Escort lowest ratio is 3.54:1

I think the tag on my Capri axle was 3.44:1. It disapperared while I was cleaning it up though.

i ran 3.89 on a blade, 15" wheels.

As others said, 3.54 is the highest you'll get in an English (Escort Mk2) axle. This is fine I would say, with a blade it gives you around 125mph top end with 185/60 13 tyres which is plenty even for 95% of track use. The only time youd want higher gearing is for long journeys on the motorway or if you are fitting a ZX9 which is a fair bit lower geared.

Personally I think the Capri axle is a bit big and heavy for a BEC, and its wider too so may cause issues if you're building to book

Chris

[Edited on 20/1/05 by ChrisGamlin]

Cheers guys.

with a 3.14:1 diff on an R1 engine I'm geared for about 64 in 1st, 150 odd top.
The high 1st will make crawling in traffic a pain & limits 1st gear acceleration to ~0.8g, but I figure that should reduce wheelspin & give ~7krev cruise at motorway speed.
Bob