Buying Gears...few questions

[Muscles00GT]

Decided to get the FRPP 4.10 gears. I have a 2000 automatic gt with few mods (exhaust and tires). As for the other stuff needed to successfully have the gears installed, I plan on purchasing a kit from stangstore and it "...INCLUDES PINION & CARRIER SHIMS, CRUSH SLEEVE, PINION SEAL, PINION NUT, RING GEAR BOLTS AND COVER GASKET, PINION GEAR AND CARRIER BEARINGS". Would that kit do the trick? Now for the tune, I plan on purchasing the SCT Xcalibrator 2. Now my question is, do I have to get it tuned at a shop or could I just simply take the SCT Xcalibrator 2 and do install the necessary tune myself? Also, will it come with the tune I need for my car? (sorry, i'm unfamilar with tuners/chips, etc.).

All help is appreciated. Thanks

 

[dollarbill]

Don't forget the little bottle of Ford friction modifier. Even if you use synthetic gear lube I've heard you still need the friction modifier. Good luck!

 

[03-s281]

Don't forget the little bottle of Ford friction modifier. Even if you use synthetic gear lube I've heard you still need the friction modifier. Good luck!

Unless you use Royal Purple fluid.

 

[RedBullitt]

that sounds just about right for the parts. as to the tune, i talked to the ford dealership about the gear tune, they told me they could not do 4.10s? i have no idea why, but thats what they said. I used a predator. I bet if you went to any reputable speed shop they could take care of you.

 

[RedBullitt]

oh, i have never used that tuner, but i am sure it is comparible to the predator. mine came with a basic tune that i could edit ****

 

[Dr. Wu 2000]

I would say drop a couple $ and get a nice dyno tune. A tune will really wake up your slushbox and get the most out of your ride. A must IMO with an auto trans. Enjoy those new gears.

 

[Muscles00GT]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I would say drop a couple $ and get a nice dyno tune. A tune will really wake up your slushbox and get the most out of your ride. A must IMO with an auto trans. Enjoy those new gears.

As far as the dyno tune, I got an estimate from a local speed shop (the only one around my area) and they estimated that the chip/tune would cost about $700. That's a little too steep for me considering the SCT Xcalibrator 2 is in the $300 range. If I do go with the SCT, which is the most likely scenario, how does the whole tune process work? Do I tell the company from whom I order it from what mods I have and they program a tune for my car or does the SCT come equipped with a general factory tune?

 

[Give Me TP]

I don't have a XCal 2, but the custom tune process I used is I had a baseline dyno run with the factory tune modified only for 4.10 gears and T/C off, along with datalogging MAF volts vs. RPM with the Predator, and sent those results via e-mail to a tuner, who returned a custom tune the next day. The tuner has tweaked that custom tune several times, and after each tweaking I've sent another set of dyno run and datalogging results. The final result is I've gone from a lean A/F ratio of mid 14's to low 15s at WOT with the modified factory tune to a flat high 12's to 13 with the custom tune, and gained about 7 HP.

The Predator comes pre-loaded with a "generic" performance tune, and I would assume the XCal 2 does as well. As Dr. Wu 2000 posted, a flash tuner is really good for waking up an automatic transmission.

 

[Muscles00GT]

I don't have a XCal 2, but the custom tune process I used is I had a baseline dyno run with the factory tune modified only for 4.10 gears and T/C off, along with datalogging MAF volts vs. RPM with the Predator, and sent those results via e-mail to a tuner, who returned a custom tune the next day. The tuner has tweaked that custom tune several times, and after each tweaking I've sent another set of dyno run and datalogging results. The final result is I've gone from a lean A/F ratio of mid 14's to low 15s at WOT with the modified factory tune to a flat high 12's to 13 with the custom tune, and gained about 7 HP.

The Predator comes pre-loaded with a "generic" performance tune, and I would assume the XCal 2 does as well. As Dr. Wu 2000 posted, a flash tuner is really good for waking up an automatic transmission.

Thanks for the help. How much did the baseline dyno run cost you? Was there any additional charge to send those results to a tuner for them to customize a tune for you?

 

[Dr. Wu 2000]

Just some info guys, those canned tunes that come with the Handheld tuners(Predator, SCT, Hypertech) are crap. Someone trying to tune their own ride by adjusting parameters on the handheld sounds like trouble to me. As was stated earlier a dyno tune using the Diablo or SCT software is not cheap but you have to spend some $ to get the most out of your mods. My advice would be to save some money, then go get a custom dyno tune from a good tuner. I had a 2000 GT with all the bolt-on's before the snake, and after my custom dyno tune it was like a completely different car. Also my #'s on the dyno may surprise you. I had a DiabloSport chip burned to my mods, not a dyno tune, and I made less power on the dyno with the chip than without. Just goes to show you every car responds differently to mods and the dyno tune is a must. Some may disagree, but atleast spin em' up to check your A/F and see what power you are making.

 

[Give Me TP]

Thanks for the help. How much did the baseline dyno run cost you? Was there any additional charge to send those results to a tuner for them to customize a tune for you?

The dyno runs are $50 for three pulls and the custom tune is a one-time charge of $75

 

[Dark Knight GT]

Decided to get the FRPP 4.10 gears. I have a 2000 automatic gt with few mods (exhaust and tires). As for the other stuff needed to successfully have the gears installed, I plan on purchasing a kit from stangstore and it "...INCLUDES PINION & CARRIER SHIMS, CRUSH SLEEVE, PINION SEAL, PINION NUT, RING GEAR BOLTS AND COVER GASKET, PINION GEAR AND CARRIER BEARINGS". Would that kit do the trick? Now for the tune, I plan on purchasing the SCT Xcalibrator 2. Now my question is, do I have to get it tuned at a shop or could I just simply take the SCT Xcalibrator 2 and do install the necessary tune myself? Also, will it come with the tune I need for my car? (sorry, i'm unfamilar with tuners/chips, etc.).

All help is appreciated. Thanks

Let me ask you a question. Are you planning on installing the gears and gear install kit yourself or are you taking it to a shop to have it done ? I only ask cause gear changes are not like spark plug changes and you really need to know what you're doing.

As for hand held programmers, any hand held programer or custom chip should do the job. As stated by the guys above, a custom tune would be best if you have a dyno near you, but that may not be an option. The automatics require a tune or eec flash upon the completion of a gear change to correct both shift points and speedometer readings. I think you'll be fine with the Xcalibrator 2. If you have any questions, you can always ask the guys at SCT and they can probably tell you more about the programing options with the Xcalibrator2.

 

[Muscles00GT]

Let me ask you a question. Are you planning on installing the gears and gear install kit yourself or are you taking it to a shop to have it done ? I only ask cause gear changes are not like spark plug changes and you really need to know what you're doing.

As for hand held programmers, any hand held programer or custom chip should do the job. As stated by the guys above, a custom tune would be best if you have a dyno near you, but that may not be an option. The automatics require a tune or eec flash upon the completion of a gear change to correct both shift points and speedometer readings. I think you'll be fine with the Xcalibrator 2. If you have any questions, you can always ask the guys at SCT and they can probably tell you more about the programing options with the Xcalibrator2.

I'm having a local guy do the install for me. He owns his own "rears and gears" shop. Can't beat $125 for the install. I'll contact SCT and see what they say about adjusting my speedo and shift points. I have no idea what would be correct lol.

 

[Dark Knight GT]

I'm having a local guy do the install for me. He owns his own "rears and gears" shop. Can't beat $125 for the install. I'll contact SCT and see what they say about adjusting my speedo and shift points. I have no idea what would be correct lol.

If he owns his own rear and gear shop, you should be in good hands then. As for the adjustments, just go with what SCT recommends. I'm imagining its either a simple dial in procedure or you'll have a list of selections to chose from. Good luck and let us know how it goes or if you have any other questions.

 

[Muscles00GT]

If he owns his own rear and gear shop, you should be in good hands then. As for the adjustments, just go with what SCT recommends. I'm imagining its either a simple dial in procedure or you'll have a list of selections to chose from. Good luck and let us know how it goes or if you have any other questions.

Thanks for the help! After the gears and the dyno tune, I want to get down to the track. I'm hoping I'll be able to get below 13.5

 

[Dark Knight GT]

Thanks for the help! After the gears and the dyno tune, I want to get down to the track. I'm hoping I'll be able to get below 13.5

Considering you have sticky dr's, with a bit of practice, 13.5's will be possible. Good luck.