Have you recently got your first car and don’t know its gear ratio? Are you looking for methods to help you find your car’s gear ratio and are wondering if VIN Number could be of some help? Well, learn this and a lot more in this write-up.
In this guide, I will provide some simple methods to find the gear ratio of your vehicle using its Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). I will briefly introduce what VIN means and will answer some related questions for you in the end.
What Does VIN Mean?
As the name suggests, VIN is an acronym for Vehicle Identification Number, allowing you to identify your vehicle. It’s more like a fingerprint for your car and is different for all of them. For instance, if you have owned a Ford or GMC before, its VIN would be far different from the VIN of a Mercedes and Nissan.
It’s a 17-digit code consisting of letters and digits, each signifying specific information about your car, i.e., its make, model, year, etc. You can even use this code to find out the gear ratio, only if you know how.
Note: If you are curious to learn about if my Mercedes has remote start? this guide might be of some help.
Methods to Find Your Gear Ratio by VIN Number
If this is your first time figuring out the gear ratio for your car and you have no idea how this works, the simple methods listed below might help you perform this task without much hassle.
Method #1: Use an Online VIN Decoder
The first thing you can do to determine the gear ratio of your car using its VIN number is to use an online VIN decoder. Put your vehicle’s VIN number in the decoding bar and wait for it to provide you with all the information on your car.
Once you have all the details on your vehicle opened in front of you, search for gear ratio and see if it’s available.
Note: Not all VIN decoders will provide information on your car’s gear ratio, as it depends on the information provided in your car’s VDS.
Method #2: Check the Owner’s Manual
Another thing that can help you find the gear ratio of your vehicle is the owner’s manual of your car. If you don’t already have the owner’s manual, use the VIN number to get one. Once you have the vehicle’s manual in your hands, read through the entire vehicle description to determine the gear ratio.
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Method #3: Seeing the Differential Tag
You can also see the differential tag on your vehicle to determine its gear ratio. Look for the tag on your car’s deferential cover. If you can’t find the differential tag, perform the differential identification by VIN number and find the gear ratio.
Why Find the Gear Ratio of Your Car?
Now that you have gone through some methods you can use to find the gear ratio of your car, here are some reasons I have listed down as to why determining the gear ratio is crucial.
- Make informed upgrade decisions.
- Efficient handling of towing tasks.
- Determine the fuel efficiency of your vehicle.
- Check the compatibility of upgraded components.
- Maintain optimized vehicle performance.
How To Find Axle Ratio From VIN Number?
It might be hard to find the axle ratio of your car using the VIN number. Still, this number can help you gather other information on your vehicle, including its owner’s manual, differential tag, etc., which can help you determine the axle ratio later. However, you can still use an online VIN decoder to see if some information is available on the axle ratio.
How To Tell What Rear End I Have by VIN?
Unfortunately, you can’t find the details about the rear end of your car or answer the question of “What rear end do I have” using the VIN number.
Conclusion
In this guide, I listed some methods to determine your vehicle’s gear ratio using the VIN number and included some reasons compelling you to determine this number.
I also answered some questions regarding the VIN number of your car. Hopefully, this guide will have answered all your questions, and you can now make informed decisions about your car.
