How much does axle ratio play in how fast a car is. Is a higher ratio better for acceleration. What would be the differnce in 2.88(focus SVT) and 3.55(Neon R/T) be? Thanks for your time!
Must be a new truck, used ones don't usually offer a choice of axles. If it is a new one, it most surely has an overdrive transmission which is great. That also means it has a fairly low first gear. So, unless the trailer you are pulling is extremely heavy I would choose the 3:42 ratio for the best fuel mileage. You will most likely only pull the trailer on occasion so if you had to you could leave the transmission in 3rd gear when pulling the trailer and have the higher gearing for most of the normal driving you will do
The number of teeth on the ring gear and pinion IS the axle ratio.It is difficult to answer between two different types of cars, due to different transmissions ,weight, and engine sizes. If you take two cars alike with different ratios then you will see the difference. My wife and I both have S10 Blazers; mine with a 3:42 and hers with a3:26 rearend. This would make mine faster off the line while hers would be faster at top speed. Nowadays you also have to factor in overdrive, this will give you number called final drive ratio. On our blazers the overdrive compensates for the difference in rearend ratios and we both have a final drive ratio of 2:36. This is for fuel efficiency.
Your question has too many variables to answer, however, using your two examples I'll try to clear some of the confustion. If the two cars were of identical weight and power, the Neon would be quicker and the Focus would be faster. This means that the Neon would accelerate better, but the Focus would have a higher top speed. This answer is REAL simple, as there are many more factors to consider in the real world.
