changing gears - 3.27 or 3.55?

chrishicks · May 19, 2005

I have been wanting to swap out my stock 2.73 gears for some time and have finally decided to get it done. one shop I talked with recommended I do 2 step up(go with 3.27) and that I would be happy with that and that I won't notice much of a difference in shifting/gas milage. they also pointed out rpm levels between the different gears while cruising down the highway. now my question is if this is a good rule of thumb? would there be much of a difference in shifting(more shifting through stop/go driving) and rpm levels while driving down the highway between these 2 gear ratios? my wife also drives the car and she wouldn't be to fond of adding more shifting in stop/go traffic.

Grn92LX · May 19, 2005

3.73 NO less. Find a REAL shop that knows mustangs. Anyone who knows what their talking about in this game knows for a car of your caliber you go 3.73 minimum.

Curse · May 19, 2005

Grn92LX said:
3.73 NO less. Find a REAL shop that knows mustangs. Anyone who knows what their talking about in this game knows for a car of your caliber you go 3.73 minimum.

I doubt you will notice too much of a difference only going to 3.27s, I got 3.73s and what a world of difference.

CManT1914 · May 19, 2005

Go back and donkey slap the bastard that told you 3.27's, that's a waste of time and money. Like Grn said, 3.73's NO LESS!!

5.0 Nostalgia · May 19, 2005

While 3.73s are the most popular (I have them myself) they may not be the best for you based on what you stated. Yes, you will be shifting more, especially in city driving. With the 3.27s, you will see very little difference is gas mileage. On the other hand though, you will also see only a little difference in performance. The 3.73's are a very streetable gear. As stated, you will be shifting more frequently and running higher engine speed on the highway. Based on your needs, I think 3.55's are the best for you. You will get the best combination of seat of the pants feeling, fuel economy, and shifting frequency.

whtpny · May 19, 2005

For what he is after than 3.55s will be great. People need to remember not all of us need the most perfreomance possible just an improvement over the sad 2.73 gears.

5.8liter · May 19, 2005

Blakthorn · May 19, 2005

agreed, 3.55 sound like what your looking for

rammer · May 19, 2005

Blakthorn said:
agreed, 3.55 sound like what your looking for

if ur wife drives the car 2 and if u dont wanna lose that much gas mileage then 3.55 is the way 2 go. 3.27 will be pointless cuz u wont get much acceleration out of it. i personally wnet with 3.55.

macx · May 19, 2005

I drive a 4,000 lb Linc Mark VII, now with a warmed up 351 Lightning and beefed AOD w/2500 stall, and went just from the stock 3:27's to 3:55's. I run 2500 @ 80mph, yet have good perf "off the line". I got 24mpg with the stock 302HO & 3:27's, now I get 22mpg on the highway/freeway. You might want to figure out your rpms at various speeds with what size tires you have. Do a search for auto math calculators at SMOKEmUP.com, figures out your rpms versus mph in all the gears for your particular trans.

notchback · May 19, 2005

Grn92LX said:
3.73 NO less. Find a REAL shop that knows mustangs. Anyone who knows what their talking about in this game knows for a car of your caliber you go 3.73 minimum.

yup...i like 4.10's myself

if your gonna even think about 3.27's save your money and keep it stock

a MINIMUM of 2 sets is what it takes....or not worth it.

so your just barely making it worth it by doing the 27's

do the 3.73's if your scared...but 4.10's rock

my old notch went 13.20's on 4.10's bone stock, and turned about 3 grand at 75 on the freeway

notchback · May 19, 2005

whtpny said:
For what he is after than 3.55s will be great. People need to remember not all of us need the most perfreomance possible just an improvement over the sad 2.73 gears.

crap another double post but hey....

i used to get 14.30's out of my old '88 w/ 5-speed and 2.73's on street tires and bone bone bone stock

so if you want to improve on your 15.xx's .....improve your driving and don't worry about the gears.

btw...not talking to you whtpny....just making a statement in general

performance + fuel economy = "not ever gonna happen"

5spd GT · May 19, 2005

5.0 Nostalgia said:
While 3.73s are the most popular (I have them myself) they may not be the best for you based on what you stated. Yes, you will be shifting more, especially in city driving. With the 3.27s, you will see very little difference is gas mileage. On the other hand though, you will also see only a little difference in performance. The 3.73's are a very streetable gear. As stated, you will be shifting more frequently and running higher engine speed on the highway. Based on your needs, I think 3.55's are the best for you. You will get the best combination of seat of the pants feeling, fuel economy, and shifting frequency.

Took the words right out of my mouth

I have had 327's...very nice daily driver gear...

emagdnim · May 20, 2005

I have the 3.08 gears and have been looking at a pair of 3.55s . Is it worth it to go to the .55s? I can get them cheap or should i spend more on the .73s?
Thanks

HISSIN50 · May 20, 2005

5spd GT said:
Took the words right out of my mouth

agreed again. nice all around gears, IMHO. I drove a 3.73 car and hated it.

if you can find someone local with 3.73's, see if you can take it for a spin.

good luck.

Aftrbrnr · May 20, 2005

I just got my 3.73s, there's definitley more punch, but not as much as I expected (mind you, I drive a heavy vert with an AOD). My buddy's '87 5-speed hatch feels like it's got more juice at WOT, and he's got 3.55s, but it could just be an illusion.

Maryland Stang · May 20, 2005

I'm going to be the oddball here. My wife absolutely hates to drive my car because of it's lack of traction. She even hates it in the dry. 3.55s are going to make a traction problem even worse for you. 3.27s will give you more acceleration over 2.73s. Then there is also the issue of the speedo gear. 3.27 is as low as you can reliably go without tearing the tranny apart and changing the drive gear.

You guys need to remember that his wife will also be driving this car. The lower the gear the less likely it is that she'll wanna drive the car if she's anything like my wife.

OL' WHITEY · May 20, 2005

My around town mileage actually went up with 3.73's. Highway mileage went down. I do mostly stop and go with short bursts down the interstate and my last fill-up yeilded 22.3 mpg. With 2.73's I got about 18-19 in the city. I absolutely love my 3.73's! I would recommend them highly.

tjm73 · May 20, 2005

I was going to jump in and say 3.73 or nothing, but after reading your entire post and the responses I hae to say I think the 3.55's are what you want.

3.27's are not going to be much of a change. 3.55 is a good jump in gear. I had 3.55's in my convertible for a while. I changed to 3.73. Sometimes I wish I had stayed with the 3.55's.

Depending on your driving style you may see an increase, yes I said increase in your fuel mileage. My vert got better mileage with 3.55's and 3.73's than it got with the 3.08's it came with.

Higher (numericaly) gears do not automatically mean worse gas mileage.

Get the 3.55's.

powertrax91 · May 20, 2005

emagdnim said:
I have the 3.08 gears and have been looking at a pair of 3.55s . Is it worth it to go to the .55s? I can get them cheap or should i spend more on the .73s?
Thanks

I just did that swap to my friends GT 5spd, what a nice change...

I have 3:73 on my car (5spd)... I love them

if your AOD go 4:10 or 4:30 ( don't fear the gear)

The choice is yours

changing gears - 3.27 or 3.55?

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