Jon slider
The BEST configuration, great power on all shifts between all gears, great crawling, great highway acceleration and cruising, low EGT at 70mph. Excellent in every way except offroad ground clearance. 215x75x15 tires, 27.8" diameter BFG AT Ko (close equivalent to 215x70x16) 4.86 Ring and Pinion (I call that "stock") 1.08 3rd, .7 4th
for my needs, on pavement, keeping up with traffic as a daily driver including on the freeway, the 1.08 has the RIGHT gearing for going 45-55mph on hills the 1.14 is TOO SHORT for that speed range, leading to terrible drivability. a .7 4th gear does not work well on a hill at 45-55mph. The purpose of a .7 4th is for cruising on the highway at 70mph
I absolutely LOVE the 1.08 and would never do a 1.14 again.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=559147&highlight=ahu
rsxsr is using a 27" tire with a 4.14 ring and pinion and a .77 4th. I agree with that combination, and would also suggest a 1.14 3rd.
> if possible i'd like to keep things low.
Then you will need to change ring and pinion like rsxsr, even if you don't match his tire size and stay with your 25" tire (what is the exact tire you are using, I would confirm that dimension)
So for your 25" tire I recommend a 4.14 ring and pinion, and change to a 1.14 3rd and a .77 4th.
You could later go to a 27" tire like rsxsr if you find the gearing too short with your tire size, but the gear spacing and ring and pinion would not need to be changed again, IF you use a 4.14 ring and pinion.
IF you were willing to go to a 28" tire, you would not need to change your 4.86 ring and pinion, and then I would recommend a 1.88 2nd, 1.08 3rd, .7 4th (however a 1.88 is very difficult to obtain)
Your choice of tire size, determines whether you need to change ring and pinion. And your choice of ring and pinion, determines what 3rd and 4th gear to use.
I think you are making a mistake trying to run a 25" tire on a TDi, and I think changing ring and pinion is an unnecessary expense, IF you can accept that a 28" tire is a better choice for a Diesel.
