Newport,
A month ago, I put Unitrax's 3.55 gear in my '97. I love it. I agree with Sean, you probably couldn't tell the difference between 3.45 and 3.55 in terms of SOTP, nor will track times vary too much. What I understand from much more experienced drag racers is that unless you're going to be producing huge horsepower numbers (like 600+ rwhp), the 3.55 gear will work just fine. One issue, of course, is avoiding the need to shift out of fourth gear in the 1/4, and for most of us with only minor mods, we'll be fine with the 3.55.
With 3.55 gears, as Sean says, the trick is not to spin. I cannot launch above about 1600 rpm without spinning. The nice thing about the 3.55 is that if I launch at 1500 rpm, whereas I would've bogged previously, I seem to pull pretty hard through the low end. I personally knocked a tenth off my short times with the gear alone (1.9 now, 2.0 previously), and I believe with more practice, I can do better (like 1.8). Also, the difference will hopefully be even more pronounced running my ET streets.
BTW, when you say "track times", I assume you mean 1/4 mile. If you mean road racing lap times, I'd stick with the stock 3.07 gear....You'll still have plenty of torque coming out of corners, and the extra shifts you'll probably need with a 3.45 or 3.55 gear will likely increase your lap times, not decrease them.
