430 gears to big

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You're going to have to get a lot more specific than that. Engine modifications (cams, bolt ons, power adder), type of transmission, general type of driving, do you care more about fuel economy, or performance. etc?

Generally, if you're unhappy with the performance of the 3.73's you've already got and don't think they're enough gear for you, then there's no sense just going up one size to 4.10's. Maybe your question should be.....4.30's or 4.56's. ;)
 
Numerically increasing the ratio or going up "one size" on a 8.8" rear from a 3.73:1 would be 3.90:1 not 4.10:1. Like already mentioned, you should at least specify some of your important mods, and more importantly what type of trans you have. If this is a daily driven car, 4.30's will probably be too much for you regardless if auto or stick. But everybody's perspective on "streetable" is different.
 
Numerically increasing the ratio or going up "one size" on a 8.8" rear from a 3.73:1 would be 3.90:1 not 4.10:1
That’s true, I guess you could technically say that when you consider Motive makes a set of 3.90's (and they're the only one as far as I know of). But for all intensive purposes, everyone else jumps from 3.73's to a 4.10 for an 8.8 Ford rear end.

....not to mention I've ridden in cars with both gear ratios and unless you told me they were geared differently, I couldn't tell one from the other....even at highway speeds. IMO, going from 3.73's to 3.90's isn't much better than going from 2.73's to 3.08's. Yeah, I guess if you're serious about your track time and are trying to dial in your gear ratio at the top end of the 1320, and aren't wanting to increase tire diameter, then the 3.90's could be a somewhat viable alternative....but for the general enthusiast, they're hardly worth considering for they extra $40 they’re asking for them as far as I'm concerned. :shrug:

Soooo many people are terrified of going with a 4.10 rear end ratio, for fear of their highway economy going into the toilet.....but when you consider the difference on the highway is only about 200RPM between a 3.73 and a 4.10 gear ratio....it's hardly noticeable. I've got a feeling so many look into the 3.90 gear ratio not because they're trying to dial in their quarter mile times, but because it keeps them under that magical 4.XX mark and that somehow they've convinced themselves their gas mileage won't take a crap because of it. :D
 
I tired 'em all. Either you go with 3.73, 4.10 or 4.56. Using the 3.90 and 4.30 seem pretty pointless on a stock 2V. The 4.56 will blow you away, but highway mileage takes a crap. My city mileage went up though. I could leave it in third gear with 4.56's for stop or go. The 4.10's are in between. I went from 3.90's, to 4.10's, to 4.56's. My friend's '99 GT with 3.73's drive just like my 3.90 equipped '00 GT. The 4.10's were the best all around gear. Your car can use fifth gear for hitting 150mph +. No bull. The 4.56's were the answer to the track. Believe me, you trade mileage at 70mph for mileage at city speeds. I averaged about 19-20mpg with 4.10's whether I was on the highway or not. WOT is a different story, but everything drinks more gas in afterburner.
 
You are sacrficing fuel mileage with anything over 3.90's. More RPM equals more pulsewidth and consequenty more fuel used per mile. There is no way around that. But with that said, I really don't think too many people are concerned with fuel mileage if they bought a performance car.:)

The 4R70W does have a bit taller final gear than the TR3650 (.70:1 and .62:1 respectively), but the auto absorbs a little more power so sometimes a slightly taller gear with the auto will feel the same as a numerically lower gear on a manual. Going with a bigger gear does not always equate to better acceleration. Some people on here say don't fear the gear, well I don't actually think anybody is afraid of putting a bigger gear in :p, I just think they are concerned with other things like traction and getting the most out of the motors torque multiplication. There comes a point where going with to big a gear, will actually hurt acceleration because you have effectively taken the motor out of the torque multiplication "sweetspot."

Do any of you guys with 4.10's or higher have any traction problems N/A?
 
Some people on here say don't fear the gear, well I don't actually think anybody is afraid of putting a bigger gear in :p, I just think they are concerned with other things like traction and getting the most out of the motors torque multiplication. There comes a point where going with to big a gear, will actually hurt acceleration because you have effectively taken the motor out of the torque multiplication "sweetspot."

You'd be surprised. It's a newbie thing. :shrug: I hear what you're saying and I agree with going with too aggressive a gear set moving an engine out of it's power band too quickly, but that's not even an issue most of the time when the question arises. Check out 99% of the gear threads started and the major concern for most revolves solely around fuel economy.

"I want the fastest quarter mile possible, but I want 30mpg too."

......maaaannnnn, just pick one or the other! There can be a compromise to a certain point, but eventually, you're just going to have to decide which is more important to you.
 
You'd be surprised. It's a newbie thing. :shrug: I hear what you're saying and I agree with going with too aggressive a gear set moving an engine out of it's power band too quickly, but that's not even an issue most of the time when the question arises. Check out 99% of the gear threads started and the major concern for most revolves solely around fuel economy.

"I want the fastest quarter mile possible, but I want 30mpg too."

......maaaannnnn, just pick one or the other! There can be a compromise to a certain point, but eventually, you're just going to have to decide which is more important to you.

Yep, buying a performance/sports car and defining all of your future mods based upon fuel mileage is just silly in my opinion. But, to each their own.
 
Yeah, my highway driving is a joke, and so is trying to race on my Sumitomos. On these 315s, I can ROAST them from 1st to 3rd, and get a huge squawk in 4th. Even thinking about attempting to race on anything less than a DR or a slick isn;t even worth it. You will be bouncing the rev limiter every gear, and not going anywhere. Now, driving with some wrinkle walls on 15"ers just absolutely blew my mind. I'm sorry I don't know what type of tire or size they were, because someone offered me to try them out once. I swear it felt like I pulled the front end up a little. You just better be prepared for something to go wrong in the back end doing that.
 
i have had 3.90's for 2 years now... and they are fun but at times can be kind of a pain on the highway or even for cruising at certain speeds...

i would never go bigger than 3.90's for my daily driver... i wish i had gone 3.73's..
 
Yeah, my highway driving is a joke, and so is trying to race on my Sumitomos. On these 315s, I can ROAST them from 1st to 3rd, and get a huge squawk in 4th. Even thinking about attempting to race on anything less than a DR or a slick isn;t even worth it. You will be bouncing the rev limiter every gear, and not going anywhere. Now, driving with some wrinkle walls on 15"ers just absolutely blew my mind. I'm sorry I don't know what type of tire or size they were, because someone offered me to try them out once. I swear it felt like I pulled the front end up a little. You just better be prepared for something to go wrong in the back end doing that.

That's been my experience with these cars. I only make 280 to the tire N/A and my first gear is worthless on the street with a 295/35/18 Toyo Proxes T1R and 3.73's. Granted it's just a street tire, but they are fairly sticky for a street tire. I can smoke them at will 1-3 gear on the spray with my 3.73's. At the track, I can obviously hook much better, especially if it is prepped well with VHT.

I suppose if someone just wanted to do burnouts in the first 3 gears all day long or were building a bonafide track car, 4.10's or higher would be the answer, but if someone were truly seeking the best gear for performance, a 3.73 or 3.90 is perfect.

BTW, many companies make a 3.90 ring/pinion set for our 8.8's; Precision Gear, Strange, Motive, Yukon, and Mark Williams just to name a few.