Hey guys, I'm new to the forum. I'm about to purchase a 2014 v6 6m Mustang with 14k miles tomorrow and I have a a couple questions I'm hoping to get some insight on. Getting the car for 17,500 out the door so I think I'm getting a pretty solid deal, I'm excited!

First question is, is there an easy way to tell the gear ratio I have if the diff sticker is off the car and I don't have the original window sticker? I originally thought the car to be a pony package, but I think now it's just the appearance package, and to my knowledge you could not get both.

Next question, although I hope for the 3.31's, how are the 2.73's realistically? Are they really as sluggish and slow as I hear? Will I notice and significant difference in the 3.31's compared to the 2.73's? I don't do any drag strip racing really, so a very small difference likely won't phase me much, but I would like a good street fighter.

I had an 02 GT 5-speed a few years ago, as well as an LT1 Camaro and an LS1 Trans Am, both 6-speeds. How do these new 3.7's compare? I know the LS1 likely has a decent advantage over the v6, but what about other (semi) older V8's? This would be my first V6.


Thanks for any help guys, and I'm glad to be part of the forum!

 

There is a little white sticker on the right side of the pumpkin (the round center of the rear end) if you lay down and look. You might have to back up on ramps to get close enough to read the numbers on the sticker

 

If no sticker is on the pumpkin, you can jack the rear up, place it neutral and turn the tire one full rotation. Count how many times the drive shaft turns. Example 3 1/3 = 3.31s

 

Ok thanks guys.


How do the 2.73's compare to the 3.31's realistically? Are they similar, or do the 3.31's provide significantly better acceleration? I can pick up the car tomorrow but I'm really curious as to how much better the 3.31s are. Enough to base part of my decision on this?

 

I have the 2.73's, it is a bit lame off the line but snappy if you floor it while rolling. It does cruise very nicely at 80 though and on the road I usually get 30 mpg. I have been looking into a gear swap but have been quoted $1,000. I think I will be happy with what I have, it is all I need.
Congrats on the new ride - you are going to love it! Please post a picture!

 

A little math may be useful in helping you decide just how much difference you can expect from a gear ratio change. First keep in mind that while the MT82 transmission used in V8's and sixes is basically the same, the gear ratios in the transmissions are different with the six cyl. model having more gear reduction in 1st. 2nd. and 6 th. In 1st. gear the ratio is 4.24 : 1 so 1st. gear with a six and a 2.73 rear gives an overall gear ratio of 11.58:1 [ 4.24 x 2.73 = 11.58 ] . With a 3.31 rear the overall ratio is 14.03 : 1. Just for comparison a V8 with 3.31's has an overall ratio of 12.11 :1 [ 3.66 x 3.31 ]. I am not sure what the diameter of the tires are on sixes, but since they generally come with 17 inch wheels I suspect they are probably a bit smaller in diameter which in effect gives a little more effective gear reduction compared to a V8. In any case both the 3.7 six and the 5.0 Coyote V8 love to rev and make their best power up high so you will have to wind them up if you want to get the best out of them.

 

The 2.73 gears were for Ford to be able to advertise, "Over 300 horsepower and over 30 m.p.g." If you drive a lot of highway miles, they should be fine for you. I ordered my v6 with 3.31's, they are okay but i wanted more. I only drive around 3 or 4 thousand miles per year and most of them are in town. I changed to 3.73 gears and i'm happy with them. 60 mph is only around 2,000 r.p.m, my last car was a 4 cylinder Dodge and at 60 m.p.h. it was doing around 2,250 r.p.m.

 

I have 3.31's on my GT and they are junk, so I can only imagine how 2.73's are on a V6.

 

I think the 3.7L engine is a sweet heart of a motor despite Ford treating it like the red-headed step-child in favor of the Ecoboost. I have the 3.7L in my F-150 and I'm happy with it in that application. I have it with 4.10 gears and it loves to rev. If I had a V6 Mustang, I wouldn't hesitate to swap out the gears for 4.10s. I get about 23 mpg on the highway with those gears in the truck so I imagine a Mustang would be much better.

I used to have a 2002 Camaro SS with the LS1, rated at 325 hp and the 3.7L V6 is rated at 305 hp. You are missing the torque from the old V8 but the new V6 has some pretty sweet high RPM performance to somewhat compensate that would really play into the 4.10 gears. I think you could get the V6 into the same ballpark performance as the older F-bodies with some basic parts, gears, exhaust, tune, etc.

 

Mine came stock with 2.73 gears and then I upgraded to 3.73s. Made a world of difference. Gas mileage with my larger tires has diminished to 17.8mpg in mixed driving but it is a Mustang and economy isn't my main focus.

I do hope that the car you are looking at has some extras on it because when I bought mine brand new, it was $17,995 for the base model. Of course now Ford will only give me $11k for it now with 48,000 miles.

The 3.7L v6 is a great motor and there are many mods for it. It all depends on how extreme you want to go with it. There is plenty acceleration to be a street demon. I wouldn't take on newer v8s but against older v8 engines, you stand a chance. I love the v6 for autocross racing!