Which ratio T56 is best?
 

So while the car is down for paint Ive decided to upgrade my trans to a beefier unit. I sold the ls1 T56 that was in the car as it had seen quite a few miles and needed a complete rebuild along with a couple other issues. I have found one that has the upgraded ctsv gear sets/synchros built into the fbody case but has the 2.97 first gear. At the moment, Im running 3.73s in the rear but imagine replacing them with something shorter like a 3.42 would help with the taller 2.97.

The car is a fair weather, half street and half autocross/track car. Im running 245/40/15 tires with a mild cam LS3. Not really looking for great fuel mileage but more important is driveability in the lower gears and wonder if the 2.97 is too much for a 2500# car?

Ive been doing a lot of research and its hard to equate heavier, built for drag machines to our nimble cars. Anyone in here running the "wide ratio" unit that can chime in?

My Cobra has a big engine with a boatload of torque. The TKO has a 3.29 first gear, and a subsequent wide ratio gear set. I used to have a 3.55 rear gear, and last year changed to 3.27. I'm planning on going back to a 3.55, or maybe even a 3.73.

The point is, I really like a short first gear. It makes moving in traffic and parking lots easy, starting on hills is a breeze, and loading on to a trailer is really safe. You're not drag racing, so that perfect first gear FDR isn't all that important.

Thanks for the input, .boB. I guess its all driver preference and what I plan to do with the car. Im leaning toward picking this trans up, and according to your setup I'll either do 3.42 or 3.55. It would be nice to have a low highway rpm to boot.