need a freeway flyer?

Trans is starting to slip and would like to get a flyer for interstate. I pull a camper weight is about 600lb and I have a 1641. Any advice?

What do you mean by slip?
Is it an automatic? If so, there is not as many gearing options.
If a standard and slip then that is the clutch not the trans.
If a standard and jumping out of gear then it might be time. Check all the shift linkage for wear and adjustment. Make absolutely sure the nose cone bushing and hockey stick are good and not bent.

Do you need a freeway flyer?
Not necessarily. What do you have now?
If it is an early swing then yes you probably need more gear. They were geared lower for the smaller engines.
A later model 4.125 ring and pinion (stock) and a tall tire get the job done with a mild engine.
There are several different gear combos called a freeway flyer.
The two most common.

A stock 4.12 gears with a different 4th gear (.82) . Drives the same except a little less engine rpm in 4th at highway speed.

Then one with stock 4th gear but a final gear at 3.88 All the gearing drives bigger.

I run a lot of gear, but I have a lot of motor and don't pull a trailer.

i have a early swing. manual. 4th is popping out. The clutch is starting to slip after a long ride at higher speeds. I plan on replacing clutch and need advice on trans. I'm not a bar to bar rider. i take long rides and pull my camper. Sounds like i just need to go with .82 forth unless i bump up my motor? Also my axles seem to be longer than others that i see. when i built the trike i didn't no what i was starting with.

It was a trans axle from junkyard. Thanks for the comments.

[QUOTE=DeathBySnuSnu;301682]What do you mean by slip
Is it an automatic? If so, there is not as many gearing options.
If a standard and slip then that is the clutch not the trans.
If a standard and jumping out of gear then it might be time. Check all the shift linkage for wear and adjustment. Make absolutely sure the nose cone bushing and hockey stick are good and not bent.

Do you need a freeway flyer?
Not necessarily. What do you have now?
If it is an early swing then yes you probably need more gear. They were geared lower for the smaller engines.
A later model 4.125 ring and pinion (stock) and a tall tire get the job done with a mild engine.
There are several different gear combos called a freeway flyer.
The two most common.



A stock 4.12 gears with a different 4th gear (.82) . Drives the same except a little less engine rpm in 4th at highway speed.

Then one with stock 4th gear but a final gear at 3.88 All the gearing drives bigger.

I run a lot of gear, but I have a lot of motor and don't pull a trailer.[/QUOTE]

The last couple years of the swing axle were geared different. The engines started getting bigger in 66/67 and the gearing changed. During those transition years there was no telling what you actually received in a new beetle.
One way to spot one of these is that the axles were longer by a small amount. Visually so from the outside by the bearing end castings being longer.
Now these cars are so old that many a mix and match car has been put together. You may even have to disassemble to even figure out what you have. There is a chance you have a 4.12 ring and pinion now. But if it is an earlier swing it will be 4.38 gear.

If you are going to load your scooter heavy then don't gear it too big. You need to keep fan speed up.

One other check before you disassemble things. Look at your front transmission mount and make sure there is no play when driving and particularly when shifting gears. If the front of the tranny moves up and down any at all when shifting, a new mount may be the repair for your popping out of gear rather than an internal gear problem. That's a common wear point for the VWs and can cause gear jumping in any of the gears depending on how the tranny nose moves when shifting.

Actually a good idea to replace the mount if you do pull the transaxle for whatever reason. The rear support mounts under the bellhousing rarely wear enough to give any problems.

Good point loner.
A lot of things can keep it from getting all the way in gear.
I came from the hot rod world. I have seen more cracked nose cones and bent hockey sticks, plastic pulled out of flex coupling.
The ones I have seen jumping out from wear have been 2nd and 3rd

thanks all helping greatly

Here's an easy shop-level test you can do to confirm what gearing you have now.

1. Raise one rear wheel off the ground slightly (just one).
2. Set your motor to TDC.
3. Make a chalk mark at the bottom of the raised tire (at a perpendicular point from axle center). Set a box or some type of marker with a point mating with that mark.
4. Calculate your rear main pulley's circumference (remember pi x radius, pi being 3.1416). Then figure 38% of that distance.
5. Measure on the pulley from TDC that number (38%) from the first chalk mark and make a chalk mark at that distance following the original as the pulley turns forward. If you have a degreed pulley this is an easy task.
6. Now turn your motor (by hand) and count rotations of the pulley until the tire makes exactly one revolution.
7.

Look where the pulley stops in relationship to the TDC (4.00 ratio) and the 38% mark (4.38 ratio). If it makes it to the 38% mark then you've identified your 4.38 final ratio. If it just passes the TDC then you are in the 4.12 ratio range. Short of the TDC mark and you are in higher gearing range, 3.88 ratio or similar. You get the idea.

My opinion (having towed heavy trailers with my VW trikes) is that unless you are at the 4.38 ratio, I wouldn't change the gearing at all. The difference with a constant load like yours would be very small and questionable to me if it would be worth the expense and work. Hey, just my opinion and I think everyone should do whatever it is that they want for their own trikes.

Listen to Deathbysnusnu - he's been there, done that and knows the gearing swaps.

Remember to figure in the trans ratio for the gear you have it in. Most normal type 1 fourth gear is .89 to 1. Not 1 to 1 like an old American std gear box.

And I agree with Loner.
With a mild engine I would not be quick to change the ratios. If you have a normal rear engine set up with big fenders just tune your gearing with tire diameter.
Put a big stroker motor in it, then go 3.88 gear.

It is true .... i do run some crazy sounding gearing in mine......but
I run a lot of motor.
Sorta smallish tires at 24.8 diameter.*
Low weight
No trailer pulling
No cooling fan to keep at a certain cfm level.

Mine ain't just way over the other side of the field but in a different park, city and state.
So unless you are going motor head crazy and have to redesign everything you touch.....just don't go there.