Gears

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Grover,
I think this is the first time I've ever heard someone say they "hated" 3:73's. O'well, everybody is different.

I think for the area we live in that only has pretty much one freeway (the I-90) and everything else is back highways that top out at 60mph so I feel pretty safe with getting 73's. I know you have about 1,000 HP more than me but your opinion still counts since you have experience. I just talked to a guy that's in Otis Orchards and he's going to do my gearing for a good price in the next couple weeks and i'll finally get my MM subframes installed too.
 
So you hate the 73's and like the 55's but have you tried the 55's yet? Seems to me like you still have the 73's in your car and haven't switched. Or maybe you know you like the 55's because you've driven a car with them?

I'm trying as well to figure out which to go with and I don't know anyone with a mustang around here to try out. Where I live I mostly drive on back roads where speed limits are around 40-50mph. I rarely hit a freeway. Some back road highways might get me up to 60mph and that's it. Are 3:73's at 40-50mph going to be too high of an rpm to cruise but to low to shift? For instance right now with stock gears at 45 mph i'm in 3rd gear and can't shift to 4th till at least 55mph. 2:73's suck!

These questions tend to get old and repetitive pretty quick i think but it's a large sum of money to get it wrong and this modification really effects drivability if you get it wrong.


I've driven Foxes with both 3.55's and 3.73's. After doing my 5-spd swap, i sought out friends with both those gears to give it a try and preferred the 3.55's. I was doing pretty much back to back test drives.
 
Mike are you cruising at 90+ cause I think you are way over exaggerating the "rev the crap out of it"

.68 OD 26"tire and 3k rpm is 92 mph

I loved the 373 when the car was more stock, changed it into what felt like a rocket.

according to the rev calculators the difference between 3.73 and 3.55 at 70 mph is about 130 RPM

If I were buying gears for a bolt on or mild car with a t5 3.73 would be my choice

Now you have me wanting to hop into my car and go find out for sure. Unfortunately I cannot.


RPM or mileage aside, i just know that every time I take my car for a ride with 3.73's...I dislike it because of the gearing.

I daily drove a 03GT for 5 years and LOVED the 3.27's. never had any desire to replace them. After selling the car and getting back into my Fox...I just don't like the gearing as much
 
I actually looked into 3.31's for a bit from the newer 05+ Mustangs.


Anyway you slice it...my car does still have 3.73's in it. So aparently I don't hate them that much. But i do know if i had a bone stock Fox with 2.73's...i wouldn't consider 3.73's for it. Prob 3.55's would be the steepest.
 
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I actually looked into 3.31's for a bit from the newer 05+ Mustangs.


Anyway you slice it...my car does still have 3.73's in it. So aparently I don't hate them that much. But i do know if i had a bone stock Fox with 2.73's...i wouldn't consider 3.73's for it. Prob 3.55's would be the steepest.
Well thanks guys for all the input. That is exactly what I was looking for. I decided to take a ride to Delaware Sunday for a little car show - about an hour down I95 - I and I really enjoyed the highway cruiseability (not a word) of my car so I'll probably go with the 55's so I keep some of that. I'm sure I'll notice the difference from my stock gears. Like I've heard on this thread my regular road cruising at 45-50 mph is a struggle between 3rd and 4th gear. Keep it coming though because I'm probably about 2 weeks from pulling the trigger
 
I have 3.55's in my SSC and 3.73's in my '88vert. I enjoy both my cars the same as if there's not too much difference of one gear versus the other. Although the 3.55's do offer "slightly" lower rpms on the hwy.
My SSC does make nearly 200rwhp more than my vert so the 3.55's are appreciated there.
Although the 3.73's make my vert feel very fast.
If you are swapping from the stock 2.73's you will enjoy either gear.

When I went from 2.73's to the 3.73's in my vert, "Holy smoke", it felt like it picked up 100 horsepower. LOL

Good Luck!
 
I stopped and talked to the guy who owns the local high performance shop in my area - he did my clutch and I'm really happy with it - and shared with him all the input I've gotten from this thread. He says go with the 73's. He says that I'll really feel the performance difference and my 5th gear is an overdrive of sorts so the highway should be no problem. Done 73's
 
Goo
I stopped and talked to the guy who owns the local high performance shop in my area - he did my clutch and I'm really happy with it - and shared with him all the input I've gotten from this thread. He says go with the 73's. He says that I'll really feel the performance difference and my 5th gear is an overdrive of sorts so the highway should be no problem. Done 73's

Good choice. And I have a set for sale ;)

Joe
 
Excellent choice.
I ran 13.2's with 3.73's with no mods other than stock MAM bored to 60mm, off road H pipe, 235 drs.
With that car I drove 3500 miles non stop (well, gas n food) diagonally across the county.
Ran handy to 80mph in the day and 100mph at night. Got 24mpg on the trip.
Running at 65mph routinely returned 26+mpg... with a best ever trip of 29mpg... 65mph at sea level.
Don't look back.