[Excaliber]

Well your right on a couple of important points. Safety, no doubt a higher first gear ratio is safer, but not nearly as much "fun". Power, no doubt you can easily overcome ANY available traction, even some mean slicks will still go up in smoke with a 2.29.

What I found with this ratio:
You can forget about parades! Now that wasn't a big thing for me, but there were times when I wanted to and it just was a major PITA constantly working the clutch with that high gear ratio. Cruising around town at low speed, same thing, just not pleasant. Even with fuel injection depending on your cam and intake profile it might be tough to get a motor to run smoothly under 2000 rpm or so. 2000 rpm, combined with a 2.29 ratio and thats the fundamental problem with the high gear set for around town and parade duty.

Two: You would be well advised to get a bad ass clutch with this ratio! The new Vette's run's a similiar 1st gear ratio, with a dual clutch and a 3.41 rear gear, 26.5 inch tire. I had mutilple clutch problems with my ERA (Side oiler, dual carbs, easily 500 plus horse), steadily increasing the size, clamping force and friction material to get one that would live. Steep entry parking garages, or haveing to start on a hill, loading the car onto a trailer, etc. was not pleasant. You end up slipping the clutch, overheating it.

At freeway speed or above that ratio was cool. I loved dropping down into 2nd and blasting through the gears. Of course when your talking 80-85 mph in 2nd and 115 or so in third that pretty much limits the places and times where you CAN "go through the gears". It worked well on a road course, not so much on the street. It was not ideal for the 1/4 mile either. I would be shifting into 4th as I neared the finish line. Auto Cross, where speeds are typically 60-65 mph was right at the top of first or the bottom of second, neither was ideal. Again, "road racing"? Not bad at all, worked well for the 1% of time I actually used the car for that. The other 99% was OK, but far from perfect.

A wide ratio top loader has gearing very close to the TKO road racing spec trans with .82 overdrive. Which is what I'm using now. I find the 2.87 (or so) 1st gear ratio is considerably more fun on the street and cruising around town. Overall I would rate the gear ratio's as "perfect". 3:31 rear gear, 26.5" rear tires. I've had all kinds of different tires on the car. The best for track work are the Goodyear yellow letter slicks. I run a pretty tight auto cross track here in Oregon and find these new gear ratios, with the slicks, work really well to keep my engine in the power band.

Now the T5 typically comes with a 3 something 1st gear, I think you can get that in a TKO600 as well. DONT GO THERE!!! That is ridiculously low. In fact I would prefer a slight higher 1st gear than the 2.87, but no freakin' way a gear into the 3's or past a 2.6-2.7 or so.!!!

There have been reports here on CC of folks using SECOND GEAR for the hole shot at the drag strip and making their best ET with that. Usually because 1st gear ratio is just to dam low. However, those same folks also were replacing the clutch following that 2nd gear hole shot or killing the clutch right there on the track!