One way that transmissions are classified is as either wide ratio or close ratio gears. Wide ratio gears are defined as gears that have a larger difference in gear ratios between them. As an example, a transmission with a 4:1 ratio in first and a 2:1 ration in second would be considered to be of the wide ratio variety, whereas a transmission with 4:1 in first and 3:1 in second would be considered to be close ratio. What close ratio gears do for performance is that they keep the engine RPM fairly regular throughout the transmission range, thus keeping the engine within its torque band and providing maximum torque.