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  • 1979 - 1995 (Fox, SN95.0, & 2.3L) -General/Talk-
  • Fox 5.0 Mustang Tech

Gear upgrade from 2.73- Do I need a new carrier too?

  • Thread starter Thread starter AHSOM50
  • Start date Start date Jan 31, 2006
A

AHSOM50

New Member
Jan 19, 2006
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0
Mill Creek, WA
Jan 31, 2006
#1
  • Jan 31, 2006
  • #1
Hi- Was looking on ebay at gears...
Currently my 89 5.0 has the factory 2.73 w/ Traction lock rear in it- I want to upgrade, I'm planning on running 3.31s or 3.55s. but am not sure I need a new carrier as well.

Do you need a new carrier when you step up in size that much? I know with some of the (cough cough) chevy differential stuff I have worked with in the past, 2.xx and 3.xx and 4.xx gears required different sized carriers or a ring gear spacer.

Is the ford 8.8 the same, or is it the same carrier for all gears?

Thanks-
Ben
 

Beasly B

New Member
Jan 7, 2006
165
0
0
Virginia
Jan 31, 2006
#2
  • Jan 31, 2006
  • #2
It's the same carrier for all gears, the least I would do would be 3.55s the 3.73s are great for these cars.
 

Tonys96Cobra

professional deer "mounter"
Oct 28, 2005
19
9
29
Syracuse
Jan 31, 2006
#3
  • Jan 31, 2006
  • #3
No new carrier needes, do the 3.55 if you drive it everyday, 3.73 if not...assuming you have a T5
 

JBeezy53

Member
Dec 28, 2003
559
1
19
Sacramento, Ca
Jan 31, 2006
#4
  • Jan 31, 2006
  • #4
Same carrier. I think its different once up step up to high 4s or into the 5s. I have 3.55s in my car and I love them. Its a T5.
 

FoxRod87

Active Member
Feb 1, 2006
243
1
27
Carolina
Feb 1, 2006
#5
  • Feb 1, 2006
  • #5
I have 4.30s and there great all around, town or highway.
 

Nasty Nate

New Member
Jan 30, 2006
67
0
0
Portland, OR
Feb 1, 2006
#6
  • Feb 1, 2006
  • #6
I have an auto, what gears should I go with, and what is currently in my 8.8?
 

Euphoric306

New Member
Apr 5, 2004
905
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0
Feb 1, 2006
#7
  • Feb 1, 2006
  • #7
autos (i believe) were 3.08 standard, with optional 3.27

go with teh 4.10's for an auto
 

PuterAmI

Member
Mar 29, 2003
513
0
16
Madison, Alabama
Feb 1, 2006
#8
  • Feb 1, 2006
  • #8
Not knowing how many miles are on the rear, you may also want to rebuild the Trak-Lok.
 

Nasty Nate

New Member
Jan 30, 2006
67
0
0
Portland, OR
Feb 1, 2006
#9
  • Feb 1, 2006
  • #9
What tooth speedo gear would I change to if I got the 4.10's?

How much will this change my gas ecconomy? i'm getting pretty dang good gas milage right now.
 

timewarped1972

Member
Jun 17, 2004
642
0
16
mesa, az
Feb 1, 2006
#10
  • Feb 1, 2006
  • #10
depends on the year tranny........some of them have gears in the transmission to support swapping to 4.10's and some do not...........i can't remeber which year was what but i know the versatile speedo drive gear in the tranny is the 7 tooth one..wait you said you have an aod........that might be diff than a t-5.......not sure.......but there is a thing with certain years and what speedo drive gear is in the tranny for weather you can use a speedo gear for 4.10's

edit- according to the catalog here, 84 to 89 aod's use a 23 tooth speedo gear.......for 4.10

90 to 93 have a drive gear in the tranny that only accomodates up to a 3.55 rear gear.......

now, mine's an aod also, a 91, but the tranny was replaced by another aod awhile before i got the car and i don't know what year it is ( the tranny). i talked to someplace and they gave me a speedo gear for 3.73 ( which mine has) and it seems fairly accurate..but i think i got lucky on the year thing....of what tranny is in the car...there's also some that use a gear that works but it isn't the exact gear and it wears out faster...........maybe someone else can make a little better sense of all this and exactly what gears work with what years, what gears kinda work, and what totally doesn't work...
 

Nasty Nate

New Member
Jan 30, 2006
67
0
0
Portland, OR
Feb 1, 2006
#11
  • Feb 1, 2006
  • #11
hahaha.

Mines a 91.
 
8

86bluecobra

Advanced Member
Dec 20, 2004
4,265
12
69
B.C. Canada
Feb 1, 2006
#12
  • Feb 1, 2006
  • #12
4.10 is always what the mustang mags recomend for auto's.
 

Nasty Nate

New Member
Jan 30, 2006
67
0
0
Portland, OR
Feb 2, 2006
#13
  • Feb 2, 2006
  • #13
Awesome.

And my luck, i'm a big jeep guy, a lot of us pull 8.8's from later model explorers, they come stock with the 4.10's and a trac-loc. I'm having a buddy pick em up from a junkyard for me, and ship em over here ($50 bucks total) not half bad!
 
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