I have 3.31 and am very happy. I must say my last two vehicles were explorers so maybe that plays into it. The only thing is I hit 60mph at the end of second and I would like to run through 3rd without risking a massive ticket. I see it as a really fast car (even with 3.31 ) and it's a breeze driving around town.

 

Don't ! Stop that right now .. You are a good person and gosh darn it people like you ! LOL
anyway as gas prices rise your wallet will feel better than mine I am betting !!

 

Wow... a Stewart Smalley reference!

Just a wild guess but you're in your mid 30s (or older), right? Only us older guys remember SNL skits from the early 90s.

 

Yeah but the guy is know a Senator...god help us.

As for the gears I ordered my 2012 with the 3.73s. I just figured it was better to go with the highest factor option.

 

LOL i wish i was that young again closer to 60 than 30 but still young at heart and remember trivial stuff like that at the weirdest times call it a gift or something..

 

Hey now, I'm 26 and I remember Stuart Smalley !

 

Thanks to your forward thinking parents gosh bless them

 

3.73s. Get 23 mpg with 80% highway and 20% city doing 75-79 mph. Might even get the advertised 25 mpg if I could slow down a little bit, but my set-point is high and my patience is low.

 

3.73's are the new 3.55's.

With the new 5.0 motor having having a broad power band, the 6-speed transmission and the 3.73's really make picking the right gear for performance driving easier.

As for mileage differences, I think most have agreed that you won't see much mpg change

One question you must ask yourself is this, if you plan to start making mods that will gain you over 75+hp, and if you drag the 1/4-mile, 3.73's might be too little gear to be able to trap in 4th before hitting redline, so choose wisely based on your short-term and long-term goals.

In my opinion, most people won't be doing much to the motors other than simple bolt-on mods, so the 3.73's will work best for many people.

 

I ran the numbers through a gear spread sheet playing what if. The same thing I did when I was choosing the gears for my 08. The 11+ GTs have a different transmission spread than my 08 so as near as I can figure, an 11+ GT with a 3.55 rear end would offer a 1st ratio close to my 08 were I to have 4.10s out back. And in 6th, the 11 would be similar to my 08 with its factory 3.31 rear gears. Not bad at all in my opinion. So were I to be ordering the 12, (maybe I will if some deep discounts are offered,) I would get a 3.55 car.

 

My last Mustang was a 97 Cobra with a vortech blower. I initially had 3.73 installed in it. After about 2 months, it was replaced with a set of 4.10 gears. I was much happier with the 4.10.

oh, I am 54.