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Topic: High RPM's Two questions

in Forum: C3 General Discussion

High RPM's Two questions

Posted: 4/4/22 10:11am Message 1 of 6
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Milford, DE - USA
Joined: 11/6/2021
Posts: 67
Vette(s): 1977 C3 Auto Coupe Lt Blue/Dk Blue Prev. 1968 C3 convertible 4spd Red 1984 C4 Automatic Silver 2000 C5 Automatic Black

Is it normal for my Vette 1977 stock 350 L48 Automatic to tach so high at highway speeds? It seems awful high to me. Around 55mph it's about 2500 rpm and 65mph around 3000 rpm. Also, when I turn it on to start the needle on tach does not go all the way down to 0. It stays at 4 rpm. So could that be throwing it off by 4 rpm. Is this a problem that I need to address? When I had my 68 350 4spd it tach around 1600 at 55mph.



|UPDATED|4/4/2022 10:11:43 AM (AZT)|/UPDATED|



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Re: High RPM's Two questions

Posted: 4/4/22 3:40pm Message 2 of 6
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Grapevine, TX - USA
Joined: 8/26/2006
Posts: 1522
Vette(s): 1972 LT-1 convertible with factory air. 2017 Black Rose Grand Sport convertible.

Here is a rear gear/rpm calculator.

I plugged in 3000fpm, 3.55 rear gear, and 27" tall tires and got 68 mph.

Same but with 26.5" tall tires I got 66.6 mph.

https://www.angelfire.com/fl/procrastination/rear.html




   

Re: High RPM's Two questions

Posted: 4/4/22 5:09pm Message 3 of 6
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Cana, VA - USA
Joined: 7/3/2016
Posts: 372
Vette(s): 1975 Stingray 71 350 engine Flat top pistons Sniper fuel injection Hyperspark ignition Vintage Air air conditioning Borgeson power steering box

I always thought my '75 tach was high, then when I put EFI on, it has a built-in tach, and I found that at highway speeds the Vette tach read over 1000 RPM high!  And this was after I had replaced the electronic board on it.




   

Re: High RPM's Two questions

Posted: 4/4/22 6:19pm Message 4 of 6
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Duncanville, TX - USA
Joined: 11/8/2003
Posts: 20214
Vette(s): #1-1974 L-48 4spd Cp Med Red Metallic/Black deluxe int w/AC/tilt/tele./p/w-p/b/ Am-Fm/map light National/Regional/Chapter NCRS "Top Flight" #2-1985 Bright Red/Carmine Cp.L-98/auto Member: NCRS, NCRS Texas, Corvette Legends of Texas

Assuming it has the 3.55 rear gears, as most automatics did, 3000rpms would not be excessive. My '74 with 3.36 gears tachs around 3200rpm at 75mph.




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Re: High RPM's Two questions

Posted: 4/4/22 11:49pm Message 5 of 6
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Overland Park, KS - USA
Joined: 7/9/2003
Posts: 914
Vette(s): 1973 Orange Metallic Coupe (orig owner), L82, 4 spd (WR), PS, (A/C & PW (I installed from wrecked 73)), leather, AM/FM Stereo, ran with '65 FI unit earlier & will again some day. 2023 Accelerate Yellow HTC Stingray

If it's an electronic tach then indicating ~400 rpm w/ engine off is normal. The rpm at any road speed is governed by rear end gear ratio and tire circumference.  Do the calculations and see if it's off. 

My 3:55 gears give 66 mph @ 3,000 rpm.



|UPDATED|4/4/2022 11:49:09 PM (AZT)|/UPDATED|



1973 L-82 4 spd

Re: High RPM's Two questions

Posted: 4/10/22 9:34am Message 6 of 6
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Lawrenceville, GA - USA
Joined: 10/21/2013
Posts: 32
Vette(s): 1978 Silver Anniversary. Restored in 2012. All new 'complete' suspension f & r, engine, trans, exhaust, interior. Car is driven - garage kept but not a trailer queen.

My '78 Silver Anniversary with 3.08 gear, Turbo 350 trans and 27.1" diameter P255-60R15 Radial T/A's does 70 at 2,700 & 75+ at 2,900.  In contrast, my '85 Monte Carlo SS with 3.73 gear, TH200R4 in overdrive and same tire does 70 at 2,200.  500 rpm difference makes the SS cheaper on gas for long trips, just not quite as fun!  Can carry alot of luggage though so its a trade-off.  😀




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