I have a stock 3.1 v6 with 3.23 rear gears and have searched but have yet to find a real definitive answer... Like I said in the title, how big of a difference in acceleration would I be looking at by swapping my current gears out for 3.73 gears in?

I see some people saying it makes a big difference and some saying it makes none and this doesn't tell me much.... What kind of numbers would you say? Maybe a half a second off of 0-60? Just something that tells me more than saying "it makes a big difference."
How big of a difference!!??!!

 

Mabey .2 60'

 

The gearing has to match the cam, the heads, the converter, the tires, and the vehicle use. Your proposed change might see a quarter second in the quarter mile at best, it will hurt the MPG of a mild combo by a couple of MPG, but it can feel amazing!
Go find a second rear axle in the salvage yard, then re-gear that. If you don't like it, you can go back to 3.23:1 while considering what else to try next.
Get used 3.73:1 gears from a small-engined S-10, and you basically have the chance to try it all for under $ 150, and end up with a spare axle for that price.
The best axle to start with is from a '90-'92 V6 / automatic Camaro / Firebird, because it already has a 3-series 28-spline carrier.
Why invest in new parts before you're certain they're going to give results you'll like, if you don't have to?
This way, the only new parts you need are brake fluid, gear lube, a cover gasket, marking compound, a crush sleeve, a pinion nut, and a shim kit. All the bolts can be reused.

 

If it isn't going to be very noticeable then I don't think I want to go through the trouble of changing them out for little difference. How difficult is it to just swap them?

 

Hassle...not worth it. It might be a tenth or two quicker to 60mph..

 

I went from 308 to 342 and noticed a much more enjoyable drive, felt more torque over the wheels than before. never ran a time before or after though. if you have an entire assembly with 373 gears it i would do it. takes no time at all to change the whole rear

 

I don't have it and would probably have to buy it new. I was just under the impression that swapping this would be a good way to help out your acceleration and to be honest, I am interested in if it will help me be able to spin the tires on my v6 because( even though I havent gotten to try) I'm not quite sure that I can because I have some wide *** tires on there and its never broken traction on me (other than in the rain once) and I'd really like to be able to without brakestanding or whatever it's called.

Also, from what I understand, the tranny that comes with the 3.1 has a pretty low first gear so I figure I may as well go all the way and make it fast off the line(for a v6 ).


Maybe 0-60 times arent' a good comparison since we're dealing with low end here...

 

Unless you also swap the proper speedometer/VSS gears into the transmission, the biggest issue will be hitting the vehicle speed limiter.

RBob.

 

Wide tread by itself doesn't help traction, as you then have fewer pounds per square inch of tread. Yes, the 3.73:1 gears would help, but so would a looser torque converter, and even if you do both you'll still be spinning just the right rear. Burning both rear tires takes lower-RPM torque from the engine, and that means more piston displacement, not nitrous or turbos, neither of which can be very helpful much below 2500 RPM.
But gas and tires, especially wide tires, are too costly to be wasting. The loose converter won't hurt highway mileage if it retains the lockup feature.

 

This is something to be mindful of. My speedometer is off by a factor of 1/7, but I have been driving it like that for many years and I am used to it. The one time I had the trans out I couldn't get the right gear. My speed limiter stops me just over 100 but I never go that fast. However you would cut out before that if you did the swap and you have a 120 limiter.

 

There are also things like this you can use to correct a speedometer if you have an electronic dash. There may be cheaper things similar to it out there but this is the first I could find.

http://hmbe.com.au/products/speedometer-calibrator

 

Not trying to hijack this thread, but do these things really do the trick and hold up over the years?

 

Going from 3.23's to 3.73's with perfect traction for either gear ratio will give you apx. 1/10th in the quarter mile. It will feel like more than that when driving around, but in reality it is not as much as it feels. A smaller diameter torque converter with the right stall will give you much more 3/10ths to 5/10ths in the quarter mile. If you are looking for maximum performance in the quarter mile, then go with 4.10's to 4.56's with 8" to 9" wide and 28" tall drag radials, the right torque converter and minor suspension modifications. This should give you 7/10ths to a full second in the quarter mile.

 

I've tried a few different combos in various F-bodies.

2.73 (LT1)
3.27 (L98)
3.45 (L98)
3.73 (LT1)

My favorites are the 3.27 to 3.45 range. The 2.73 is just too tall. It's only enjoyable for high speed cruising (80-100 mph). Although I must say the 2nd gear WOT with 2.73 in the LT1 is nice. But that's because LT1's tend to have a nice upper RPM power band. The 3.73 gets old on the highway. Particularly if you have a loud exhaust.

For L98, the 3.73 takes you out of the power band too soon. I'm not sure how the 3.1 V6 would be with different gears. But I wouldn't recommend changing gears for any of the cars unless you had 2.73's.