i have run the 14/18 combination with 38/42 spurs and the mesh was fine. set the mesh by doubling up some printer paper and slide it between the pinion and spur gear, with the engine mounts loose, crush the paper tightly between the gears, by moving the engine closer, then tighten the engine mounts and remove the paper. job done, hopefully.

woundnt have thought there would be that much difference between ur current setup and the 14/18 pinions to be honest. is the engines bottom end tuned ok? obviously it is a very highly geared car, so ur engine could be fine.

check cens webpage www.cenracing.com for part numbers of pinions, then search for the part numbers in google, for the parts u want. going right down to a 11/15 combo may be more effective, but i have found that smaller pinions than the 14t can be a pain for getting the mesh right so it doesnt strip the spur. maybe get some spare spurs while u are getting the pinions...

of course taller spur gears will also lower ur gearing. this, i understand, has more effect than changing the pinions, i believe changing the pinions is more of a fine tuning job. could be wrong tho...maths wasnt a strong point for me.

oh make sure u get the right pinion gears if u are using a threaded clutch bell - the 1st gear pinion has a m10 thread, the 2nd gear pinion is a m12 thread. for some size pinions both size threads are available, so beware.

hope that makes sense and helps a bit.