Which of the following gear ratios will produce the highest overall speed? - 2.26 - 2.87 - 3.5 - 4.63

To determine which gear ratio will produce the highest overall speed, you need to understand what gear ratios represent. In mechanical terms, a gear ratio is the ratio of the number of rotations of a driver gear to the number of rotations of a driven gear.

For vehicles, a lower gear ratio means that the engine's output shaft spins faster relative to the speed of the engine's crankshaft. This generally leads to higher overall speed as long as the engine can provide enough power and does not exceed its maximum RPM.

Given the provided gear ratios:

- 2.26 - 2.87 - 3.5 - 4.63

The gear ratio of 2.26 will produce the highest overall speed because it is the lowest number, meaning the output shaft of the transmission will turn 2.26 times for one complete revolution of the engine's crankshaft (in a specific gear). Therefore, each rotation of the engine results in more rotations of the wheels, translating into higher speed capability for the car, assuming it is in identical gears otherwise.