--- On Sat, 26 Dec 1998 17:43:29 -0600 Mike Paul M19SOORKB@prodigy.net wrote to take exception to my comments on OD's:

The U.S. Gear unit is likely about 25% less than the GV unit.

Maybe I should have defined the price difference: I was quoted around $3,000 for GV, and paid around $2,000 for a US Gear OD installed. That's what I meant by "way less".

. . .the GV can be "power-shifted" (gas pedal depressed when shifts are made), and the U.S. Gear unit cannot. . .

True enough, and certainly an advantage I don't deny.

IMO, the GV and USG units are NOT comparable units in the way they operate; therefore I believe a strict price comparison is not an "apples to apples" comparison!

Also true, and I didn't mean to suggest they were two peas from the same pod. (BTW next time you get a chance, look at the actual hardware and you'll find the GV unit is quite a bit lighter). Contrary to what Will said, the GV unit CAN be shifted in any gear of the tranny! To quote from the GV installation guide: "Gear splitting is the ability to deliever a final drive ration between your present factory transmission's gear ratios. Gear splitting is used to increase performance. Your three speed transmission will now have six forward gears ....."

I was led to believe (by users, dealers, and manufacturer's literature) that the OD function was "locked out" in lower gears (1st in 3-speed, 1 & 2 in 4-speeds). Apparently I misunderstood. Perhaps I was being told only about the automatic shifting modes?

For the benefit of interested folks, Mike, how does one control the GV to get it to split lower gears?

Botton line: I'm not suggesting USG is BETTER - only that it is a viable option with both advantages & disadvantages.

The Curmudgeon of Sill Hill
W F (Will) Sill
KD3XR
Tunkhannock PA 12/27/98