if you get 2 mustangs exactly the same and you have one with a set of 3.55s and one with 4.10s what is the outcome?

 

Trick question? If you mean the outcome as in a drag race at rest, the one with 4.10s will pull ahead of the one with 3.55s.

 

for how long? won't the 3.55 have more top end?

 

if its a 1/4 mile, they will run out of track before the 3.55's catch up.

but it is a trick question. there are a million other variable other than rear end gear ratio's.

 

The qualifying part of this question to eliminate the thousands of other variables lies in this phrase.

But let's take it further to eliminate more variables: Let's clone a driver sand put one in each car, booth drivers are therefore exactly the same skill, body weight, and every other variable relating to the person. Hell, lets make both drivers take a S*** before they get into the cars so their exact body weights are the same.

Now, lets control all the other variables. Both cars are running at exactly sea level, room temperatures, barometric pressure is exactly steady and NEVER changing, on the very same track which is dry, and every other conceivable detail and variable are exactly the same. Lets even make both cars Black for S***s and grins.

Okay, I went too far with this thousands of variables thing, didn't I, LOL


Anyway, the answer was already said above at least twice. In a drag race, 8th mile, the 4.10:1 rear gear car will win. In a quarter mile drag race, the same.
A two mile drag race with top speed, the 3.55:1 rear gear car will win as the 4.10:1 rear gear sacrifices top speed for superior acceleration.

In exactly the same cars with every possible variable being equal, you cannot have the best of both worlds when it comes to rear gear ratios.

 

OP only got half of his thought out. My first assumption would be time slips but we're all mind reading here lol.

 

I agree. The OP should have further qualified his question with exactly what kind of racing he would be doing. I assume quartermile time slips too. But maybe he has 8th mile slips in mind.

 

Yeah, you have to specify the exact parameters of the race. Transmission gears could come into play. If you have to shift the 4.10 an extra time, then the 3.55 might win. If you compare 0-60 times, sometimes the car that is quicker at most points loses, because it needs to be shifted an extra time.

 

It is a trick question. No two cars are exactly the same.

 

Not really. He's asking a hypothetical question except he didn't complete his thought.