yovette04

Can anyone fill me in on why I should, or should not, buy a Vette that has this option on it. I am about to hook up with one of two mag red ht and one has the performance axle and the other doesn't.

Help soon please!

Rogue Wave

In short... if you do lots of highway driving and want the highest fuel economy go with the standard axle.

The 3.15 will accelerate quicker.

Also, at selling time, the 3.15 sells better.

Most people recommend the 3.15. I know I sure do.

There are a whole bunch of posts on this subject. You might try a search (assuming the new search function works )

Evil_Bob

If it was my choice, and if the two cars were otherwise identical, I would go with the 3.15 gearing. I have an A4 with the dreaded 2.73 gearing and it simply lacks the low-end torque that is needed for these high performance machines. The 3.15 gears will give you a much better response when you hit the go peddle. In some cases, the 2.73 gearing won't even let you spin the tires, if that is something you are looking at doing. I dream of the day when I can trade my 2.73 in on a good 3.42 gearing.

mike herhold

Sully C5

Buy the car which is the best deal. You can always replace the rear.

BTW by HT do you mean hardtop aka FRC? MagRed was not an option for the FRC.

Vector

3.15 - No Doubt!
And, if you hang around on this forum too long that won't be good enough either.. Think - Hi stall Torque Converter, 3.73 Gears and now a Head and Cam Pkg to make it go and it won't end!
Good Luck and welcome to the forum.

Cajun99

NO Hardtops came in Mag Red.

My vote is for the 3.15 if you have to have an automatic...find a six-speed and you'll get the 3.42 rear end.

eddie44

I have the 3:15 and love em! I think it's the perfect setup. 2:73's are great if you want gas mileage and 3:73's are great if you drag race. 3:15's are the perfect compromise.

'06 Quicksilver Z06

Its a tough question. a dilemma. 3.15 differentials aren't widely regarded as "performance" differentials. You'll need at least 3.42s or 3.73s or better to have a real "performance" differential IMO.

IMO, 3.15s put you in that no man's land, somewhere between the "economy," base, non performance, 2.73 axle and a recognized, genuine "performance" axle like the 3.42. Sort of a best of the worst, worst of the best scenario. For example, the GTO does not come with a 3.15 diff as it's performance option but rather a 3.46, I believe.

2 questions:

Do you have qualms about modifying your car for performance?

If you do and won't be doing any modifications to the car, the 3.15s are the best choice.

Do you plan to drag race the car?

If you do and want the "best" performance you can get while maintaining drivability, you'll learn that anything short of 3.42s, some say 3.73s, come up short and will wind up changing the 3.15s anyway.

Were it me, I'd do as someone else has already said. Get the best price, if that turns out to be the 2.73s, then OK. And then get a real performance differential, 3.42 or 3.73 later.

Mike Mercury

here's my take on these two choices:

2.73 = praise AlGore
3.15 = praise America !

Vector

I like that!

Trigger Creep

If it matters, 3.15's will give you about 2mpg less than the 2.73's.

I got the 3.15's for better excelleration. Of course NOW I want the 3.42's

90 droptop

2.73's suck!

JACKAL0PE

I've got the 3:15 and I don't know what the times are, but my seat-o-meter and visual comparison says there's a huge difference in the 3:15 and the 2:73.

The only advantage I can see on the 2:73 is gas mileage and I wouldn't have bought a Corvette if I was worried about 2 mpg.

mark b

Did anyone here just put in 373's on a stock C5?(no other mods) how much did you gain in the 1/4 mile? I have 315's and a 3200 stall and am considering 373's but some have said that you do not gain much( maybe 2 tenths) Anybody?

Tim2K4Vert

He's obviously not talking about an FRC because he's asking about the Performance Axle. I'm sure that he's asking about a coupe.

Get the Performance Axle. I've owned one without and 2 with. There's a big difference and I'll never buy one without it again.

Vettlldo

I know the feeling. I searched specifically for an '04 vert with the 3.15 gears and now wish I had the 3.42's instead. When the car was new and bone stock, I was lucky to get 24.4 mpg. Now that I installed TIT's (titaniums) and replaced the crappy air cleaner box with a Granatelli Ram Air induction, it now averages around 26-27 on the highway. Still not as good as my '03 which would average around 28+-.

Vettlldo

Which one of the vendors in here sells the "seat-o-meter"?

MackIII

I have the 3.15 option (in an 04 automatic) and still can't spin the tires. I even tried it with the Active handling off also. She just won't spin!!!!

Vettlldo

Yessir...I know the feeling. My '03 with the 6spd/3.42's really scooted once I replaced the air cleaner box and put on Z06 exhaust.