Originally posted by ness1216:
Torque multiplication.

I am at 136whp/140wtq, have intake cam, header, exhaust, intake etc. So not worried about staying out of powerband.
My car is aweomse above 40mph or so but below that, since I have to rev out first gear it takes a second for it to get going until 4k rpms.



You are on the right track. Do expect a decrease in fuel economy though.

Generally speaking when the engine is modified to gain more high RPM power, there is a loss in low RPM power, and the added torque multiplication of lower final drive gears help to compensate. Lower gears also tend to get you into the usable RPM range quicker.

The subject is more complex than this quick explanation, but it sounds like you are already knowledgable about most of it.

Jim Johnson 98 SVT 03 Escape Limited