3.73 gears vs the rest?

jasonstang said:

Yes and no. I don't know about the GT500 but it depends on the transmission as well.
The manual transmission is pretty close ratio for a car like the Mustang. I have 3.37 and it's already a lot of shifting just to get to 50mph. Can you imagine with a 3.73? You are gonna be in 6th gear once you hit 45mph.
The other thing is grip, a lot of people go supercharged will have grip issue with 3.73 because the ratio is much closer and when you spinning gear though 4 gears, it's not gonna go fast.

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i drive around town 40-60mph in 4th. sure you zip through 1,2,3, but whatever.

aham23 said:

i drive around town 40-60mph in 4th. sure you zip through 1,2,3, but whatever.

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Not sure riding around at 3000 rpm with loud exhaust pipe is a good idea.

VinnAY said:

That's the dumbest thing, yet, that you've said on this forum.

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For normal driving. I think the ratio is not evenly spread out as much. I wish the gap between 5th and 6th is smaller. With 3.31 I can cruise at 45mph at 2000rpm, not too high but just enough engine brake to not be smooth enough as well as not very good gas millage. If I go for 6th, the rpm drops too much to only 1200rpm. Not enough to hold speed on slight hills. I think 3.55 would be ideal.

I cruise in 5th around town at 45+ with no issue on my 3.73's and an extremely loud exhaust.

I wonder if those who complain actually have driven or owned a manual w/3.73's

I daily my GT around town ALL day and I don't experience what some complain about. Its a sports car and I decided on a manual for a reason... having FUN when driving...

Also not sure when people state you shift to quickly..... 2nd gear gets you to 60 in no time, which usually is faster than most local streets you drive on....then you shift up to get to your cruising speed and gear.....

Just in case anyone was wondering....
1st gear gets you to 40 mph
2nd gear to 61 mph
3rd gear to 82 mph
4th gear to 111 mph

Not posting the rest as I don't speed ... AHAHAHAHAHAAHA

lwnslw said:

I wonder if those who complain actually have driven or owned a manual w/3.73's

I daily my GT around town ALL day and I don't experience what some complain about. Its a sports car and I decided on a manual for a reason... having FUN when driving...

Also not sure when people state you shift to quickly..... 2nd gear gets you to 60 in no time, which usually is faster than most local streets you drive on....then you shift up to get to your cruising speed and gear.....

Just in case anyone was wondering....
1st gear gets you to 40 mph
2nd gear to 61 mph
3rd gear to 82 mph
4th gear to 111 mph

Not posting the rest as I don't speed ... AHAHAHAHAHAAHA

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5th gear to 146 mph
6th gear to 162+mph

I am an Airport Manager!

Jdenkevitz said:

I daily a pp which has mt82 with 3.73s. I don't understand the complaints. You can easily skip shift with that gearing if you prefer less shifting. 1-3-5 or 2-4-6 works fine.

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I love the guys who say the 3.73s are a must have, then start in 2nd gear or skip gears.

Which GT500 are we talking, an old one or a new one? For a GT350, the different tranmission means a GT with 3.31 gears has almost the same exact total gear ratio as a GT350 with the 3.73. And if you consider the rev limit in your geraing desisions, like you should, the GT has effectively shorter gearing, with lower speed in the gears than the GT350 (46mph vs 55 in 1st gear).

Grintch said:

I love the guys who say the 3.73s are a must have, then start in 2nd gear or skip gears.

Which GT500 are we talking, an old one or a new one? For a GT350, the different tranmission means a GT with 3.31 gears has almost the same exact total gear ratio as a GT350 with the 3.73. And if you consider the rev limit in your geraing desisions, like you should, the GT has effectively shorter gearing, with lower speed in the gears than the GT350 (46mph vs 55 in 1st gear).

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Question...if I was to consider going from 3.55 to 3.73 or 3.31, how does the 2nd in 3.73 compare to 1st in 3.55 and 1st in 3.31?

Rebellion said:

Question...if I was to consider going from 3.55 to 3.73 or 3.31, how does the 2nd in 3.73 compare to 1st in 3.55 and 1st in 3.31?

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1st still feels like 1st, 2nd still feels like 2nd. You're talking about a 5-7% change from the rear axle, whereas 1st to 2nd is a 66% change in ratio (2.43 2nd vs 3.66 1st).

Rebellion said:

Question...if I was to consider going from 3.55 to 3.73 or 3.31, how does the 2nd in 3.73 compare to 1st in 3.55 and 1st in 3.31?

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For the MT82, 1st gear is 3.66, and 2nd is 2.43.
The GT350 Tremec is 3.25 and 2.23.
And the old school Top loader is 2.78 and 1.93.

The total ratios are;
final drive/car - 1st - 2nd
'70 Boss 302 (3.50) - 9.73 - 6.76
'70 Boss 302 Drag pack (4.30)- 11.95- 8.30
3.31 - 12.11 - 8.04
GT350 (3.73) - 12.12 - 8.32
3.55 - 12.99 - 8.63
3.73 - 13.65 - 9.06

So 2nd gear in a GT with 3.73s feels like 1st gear in a classic Boss 302.

Or if you prefer in terms of speed in the gears,
final drive/car - 1st - 2nd
3.73 - 41.2mph - 62
3.55 - 43.3 - 65.2
3.31 - 46.4 - 69.9
GT350 (3.73) - 53.7 - 78.2

Where 1st gear in a GT350 feels a bit like 2nd gear in a GT with 3.73s.

^ how about wheel diameters? This is another "gearing" often omitted.

GT 3.73 & GT350 have very similar gearing (GT-red & GT350-blue)
GT 3.73 & GT500 ('14 w/ std FD) 3.31 are of course different (GT-red & GT500-blue)

The chart gives idea of spread between gears, rpm drop during upshift and mph.

TQ @ hubs w/o driveline loses
GT500- 631*2.66*3.31= 5555
GT350- 429*3.25*3.73= 5200
GT PP- 400*3.657*3.73= 5456

TQ accounting for tire size
GT500- 5555/1.1125= 4993
GT350- 5200/1.1= 4727
GT PP- 5456/1.154= 4728

obviously you can't get exactly peak torque during 1st gear launch.

this basic math only gives a simple comparison of these 3 vehicles TQ, gear ratios and power to the ground.

I have a 2015 base gt, how do I find out if I have 3.31 gears or 3.55 gears?

If you still have your window sticker it will say which gear you have!

bought it 5 months ago used so i don't have the sticker