As I understand it the 3.55 gives a little better mpg in typical city driving where the 3.15 does better at highway cruise speeds. Regardless, I know it gives better punch off the line and I had the extra bucks so I went for it. Other reason is I'm rebuilding my 65 coupe and have a new limited slip rear end going in it along with a Tremec 6 speed.
I have it on my GT auto transmission. Love it. Effortless throttle. Car is super peppy around town. I would not order the car without it. Not sure about the performance difference on the track.
I have the optional 3:55 gears in my manual GT. I like it alot and has a nice pull of the line. I Test drove the base gt with base gears and I noticed it picks up much nicer. But I have to say that I really think i will be going to the 3:73.