3.73 vs 3.08: Better gearing choice??
3/12/13, 11:31 AM
#61
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Now that I've put 300 miles on the 3.08's, I can give some feedback.
Performance - Acceleration:
I feel like the car is quicker, especially from 0-100 mph. The car hooks up between the 1-2 shift much better with 3.08's, and 1st gear isn't as prone to spin the tires now. You also get to enjoy the acceleration a little more w/o having to shift from 1-2-3-4 so quickly.
The Drive:
The car feels less skittish with 3.08's than it did with 3.73's. With 3.73's the car felt more ADHD like, always ready to rev and spin the tires. There is less backlash in the drivetrain, and the car feels more refined with the 3.08 gears. Cruising along at 60mph+ works great with the torque the motor produces down low. The gear whine is gone, the engine noise is reduced, and the car is overall more enjoyable.
The Fuel Mileage:
Sadly, there is little fuel mileage to gain from 3.08 gears. This wasn't a goal of mine, but I was surprised to see my mileage stay practically the same with 3.08 and 3.73 gearing.
Performance - Acceleration:
I feel like the car is quicker, especially from 0-100 mph. The car hooks up between the 1-2 shift much better with 3.08's, and 1st gear isn't as prone to spin the tires now. You also get to enjoy the acceleration a little more w/o having to shift from 1-2-3-4 so quickly.
The Drive:
The car feels less skittish with 3.08's than it did with 3.73's. With 3.73's the car felt more ADHD like, always ready to rev and spin the tires. There is less backlash in the drivetrain, and the car feels more refined with the 3.08 gears. Cruising along at 60mph+ works great with the torque the motor produces down low. The gear whine is gone, the engine noise is reduced, and the car is overall more enjoyable.
The Fuel Mileage:
Sadly, there is little fuel mileage to gain from 3.08 gears. This wasn't a goal of mine, but I was surprised to see my mileage stay practically the same with 3.08 and 3.73 gearing.
You went from 3.73's to 3.08's, while I went from 3.73's to 4.56's, so I thought I would compare our findings...
Performance - Acceleration: The car launches way better & easier at the dragstrip (60' times dropped a quarter of a second!). I always run drag radials at the track, so traction is always spot on at the track. Around town the car just plain feels quicker, and I love rippin' through the gears, so the quicker shifting is fine by me.
The Drive: The car feels like a rabid dog pulling on a chain. Fierce and ready to attack. On street tires it's easy to be a hooligan as it'll spin the tires easily in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd - sometimes 4th - on dry pavement. Gear whine increased, that beautiful engine soundtrack has been brought to center stage, and I feel less isolated from the car & road now. It now has a raw, muscular feel that we had with big block musclecars of the late 1960's, and the car is overall more enjoyable.
The Fuel Mileage: I didn't (and don't) care about the fuel mileage implications of this gear swap since I live just 4 miles away from work. However, I actually get about 1 to 1.5 mpg better mileage around town now (which is 90% of my driving) - likely because the car doesn't have to lug so much to get moving with the extra gearing. Highway mileage dropped about 3-4 mph at 70-80 mph, but I rarely drive on the highway (10% of my driving), so I'm actually netting better fuel economy overall based on my driving style. And at 55-60 mph on the highway, it still gets about 25 mpg, which is right about in line with the original EPA ratings for my car.
Last edited by Five Oh Brian; 3/12/13 at 11:34 AM.
3/12/13, 05:56 PM
#62
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You know what's really fracking awesome, that we own cars that can be extremely tailored to any one persons driving style or use.
Very few cars in this world have as many options as the Mustang. Knowing that we can install gear sets from 2.73 to 4.56 is just one of the things that makes the Mustang a truly flexible car.
Daily Driver - Yes
Cruiser - Yes
Tracking - Yes
Drag Strip - Yes
Texas Mile - Yes
200mph - Yes
Very few cars in this world have as many options as the Mustang. Knowing that we can install gear sets from 2.73 to 4.56 is just one of the things that makes the Mustang a truly flexible car.
Daily Driver - Yes
Cruiser - Yes
Tracking - Yes
Drag Strip - Yes
Texas Mile - Yes
200mph - Yes
3/12/13, 10:40 PM
#63
Tasca Super Boss 429 Member
Join Date: November 14, 2007
Location: Pacific NW USA
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You know what's really fracking awesome, that we own cars that can be extremely tailored to any one persons driving style or use.
Very few cars in this world have as many options as the Mustang. Knowing that we can install gear sets from 2.73 to 4.56 is just one of the things that makes the Mustang a truly flexible car.
Daily Driver - Yes
Cruiser - Yes
Tracking - Yes
Drag Strip - Yes
Texas Mile - Yes
200mph - Yes
Very few cars in this world have as many options as the Mustang. Knowing that we can install gear sets from 2.73 to 4.56 is just one of the things that makes the Mustang a truly flexible car.
Daily Driver - Yes
Cruiser - Yes
Tracking - Yes
Drag Strip - Yes
Texas Mile - Yes
200mph - Yes
3/13/13, 01:56 AM
#64
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Join Date: July 22, 2012
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Didn't see this come back up a few months back, but it looks like you pulled the trigger on the 3.08's already.
I enjoyed my 3.08's for about 6-months when I decided to trade my '11 for a '12 Auto, which already comes with 3.15's. One thing I noticed with the 3.08's, is that getting out on the road in 1st gear and flooring it was more of a joy than work, as the car gets traction and accelerates.
If you are going to be tracking your car with 3.08's, I would suggest you get the transmission cooler Ford Racing sells for the MT82 that came with the Boss, more less an air scoop. I think the 3.08 gearing will cause a greater heat buildup under high-load conditions. http://www.fordracingparts.com/parts...KeyField=12495
I enjoyed my 3.08's for about 6-months when I decided to trade my '11 for a '12 Auto, which already comes with 3.15's. One thing I noticed with the 3.08's, is that getting out on the road in 1st gear and flooring it was more of a joy than work, as the car gets traction and accelerates.
If you are going to be tracking your car with 3.08's, I would suggest you get the transmission cooler Ford Racing sells for the MT82 that came with the Boss, more less an air scoop. I think the 3.08 gearing will cause a greater heat buildup under high-load conditions. http://www.fordracingparts.com/parts...KeyField=12495
I already have the Ford Racing Radiator, upgraded heat exchanger for the supercharger, Cooltech oil cooler / boss oil cooler ready to go in, and a Shelby (knock off of ford racing) transmission cooler scoop ready to go in.
A cool car is a happy car, especially here in California with summer time track temps exceeding 100 degrees!
3/13/13, 02:00 AM
#65
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Location: Silicon Valley
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You know what's really fracking awesome, that we own cars that can be extremely tailored to any one persons driving style or use.
Very few cars in this world have as many options as the Mustang. Knowing that we can install gear sets from 2.73 to 4.56 is just one of the things that makes the Mustang a truly flexible car.
Daily Driver - Yes
Cruiser - Yes
Tracking - Yes
Drag Strip - Yes
Texas Mile - Yes
200mph - Yes
Very few cars in this world have as many options as the Mustang. Knowing that we can install gear sets from 2.73 to 4.56 is just one of the things that makes the Mustang a truly flexible car.
Daily Driver - Yes
Cruiser - Yes
Tracking - Yes
Drag Strip - Yes
Texas Mile - Yes
200mph - Yes
My car is daily driven, tracked hard, a cruiser, mountain road spirited driving, and all around fun vehicle.
Between my small tires, super charger, and the 3.08 gears and Wavetrac along with everything else, I LOVE my setup. Can't wait to get the gears broken in so I can really give them a go.
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