I had Daryl do my transaxle last year and I'm happy with it.  I definitely
wanted the taller 4th, and I'm very happy with it.  I have stock R&P, stock
motor, and I do half city driving and half 6 to 7 hour highway trips.  I run
Nokian C2 tires in winter and Cooper SRMII tires in summer, both of which
are 26" diameter.
My van happily runs 80 mph (indicated, I think it runs about 3 - 4 mph fast)
all day long, and there it's reading about 3900 rpm.  On even slight uphill
grades, I have to back off the gas or it wants to go faster.  If I attack at
80+, I can do some decent little grades and hold it above 70.  Of course,
I'm east coast, so my definition of mountain is a bit different.
I would love to have a taller third too.  When I have to shift down, third
has plenty of power, but I'm limited by RPM.
Overall, I feel it was money well spent.
-Hans
87 syncro

----- Original Message -----
From: "Brian Butler" <bbutler@PRODIGY.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Friday, February 20, 2004 12:59 PM
Subject: [VANAGON] Rebuilding Man. Tranny-Questions regarding taller gears??

> I am going to have AA transaxle rebuild my Syncro
> Trans.
> I am considering going to a taller 3rd and 4th. Daryl
> @ AA recommends that I should be OK staying stock.
> Keep in mind I have 15" wheels and will be going to a
> taller tire. (Haven't decided what size yet. I still
> need to find out how big I can go with the STOCK spare
> tire carrier without having to go with an aftermarket
> carrier. Any feedback on this is also appreciated).
> The motor is a 2.1L WB with some upgrades for a bit of
> additional hp.
> I currently live in Lake Tahoe and do a lot of high
> altitude driving and long hill/mountain pass driving.
> I will soon be moving down to the coast at sea level.
> I don't know if these points need to be considered or
> not, but wanted to include them if so. I also do long
> road trips where long flat stretches of highway are in
> front of me. (and I would prefer to make them
> less-long, if possible ;-)
> I just would like to get some more opinions on the
> subject of pros/cons of taller gearing before I dump a
> few grand into the rebuild and possibly regret
> whatever decision I make regarding the gearing.
> Thanks in advance,
> Brian Butler
>