with the 4K at 60-65 Mph the engine will sit at a very comfortable 3100-3350 RPM.. and thats before my plans to swap a .75 in to it..
4K-> 3.94 3.45 2.12 1.44 1.13 0.89
I will be able to use each bit of all the four gears around town and even cruise around in 5th. Sure the AVX would be much better for the REAL grunt.
AVX-> 4.25 3.45 1.94 1.29 0.91 0.75
This trans.. at the same speed only lowers the rpm 300.. and in all the other gears the difference in speeds between the two trans (AVX and 4K) is next to none (+- 4-5). Not to mention i've never heard of anyone using an AVX lol..
True about the RPMS difference, but 3300 is not very 'comfortable' for a motor with a 4500 max RPM.You're still in the power band, looking for another gear at 3300 RPMS. 300 RPMs is a big difference when you're talking about winding out at 57 MPH vs. 65 MPH. It's all relative, I understand. I don't need a tach to tell me that my motor is straining and killing my MPG. So, when I hit 55 and the motor is screaming with a 4k/2h, I'm not really gonna push the envelope to see how long my car can withstand that kind of torture.
One of my recent cars was a 1991 Jetta Coupe with an AWY. I drove it from CT to TN. I never went past 65 MPH, cos' the motor was begging for mercy.
As for the .75 swap: yes, you'll be able to bang thru the gears around town, but look at the 4th to 5th change when you compare the AVX to the 4k. It would almost be like shifting from 3rd to 5th in the AVX, if you were to put a .75 in your 4K.
It's all about what you want out of your car. If you want to roast Ricers with fart cans, then put on the AWY or the 4K and get 36-39 MPG. If you swap in the .75 and do a lot of highway drving, then you'll improve that number.
If you want to drive like most 'normal' people, and get 45-55 MPG, then go with the 'good' transmissions (AOP, AGS, ACH, 7A). If you think you can have the best of both worlds, then try the .71 or .75 5th swap on a low-geared trans.
I'm not preachin', just giving my own real-world experience. Obviously, if you have a 1.6NA, the ideal would be a 4k/AWY with a 6th gear. Not all can afford that luxury, or are willing to swap in an 02A just for a 1.6NA, so we're left with what was produced. Might as well make the best of a less-than-ideal situation.