Drivetrain New Gears Or Engine Bolt-ons?

[aesmith3]

I'm a noob with a 2012 GT with Brembo package. All I've done so far is put on a Borla cat back ATAK exhaust, and it is sweet. About to lower with Eibach kit. Trying to decide between engine bolt-ons for a little more hp or changing gears to 3.73 from 3.31. Any thoughts on what will give me the most bang for my buck at this point?

I'll do it all eventually, but I'm tempted to go with gears for now to get a little more acceleration off the line and increase the grin factor. Then move on to CAI and tune.

 

[Bojingles]

I do CAI and Tune and then get the gears. At least then you'll have the tuner to tune in the new gears.

 

[madspeed]

gears will be felt the most!

Sent from my rooted, rommed Galaxy Nexus....

 

[aesmith3]

Good points. The gears will probably be felt the most, but having the tuner in hand would also be nice. Especially if I don't take it to the dealership for the gears to be swapped out. I haven't priced the gears yet, but I'm sure the dealer will want an arm and a leg.

 

[madspeed]

Take it to a reputable shop for the gear install if you cant do it yourself. I would stay away from the stealership for something like that!

Sent from my rooted, rommed Galaxy Nexus....

 

[aesmith3]

Suspension I can handle, but not sure I want to tackle the gears.

 

[shadango]

I'm a noob with a 2012 GT with Brembo package. All I've done so far is put on a Borla cat back ATAK exhaust, and it is sweet. About to lower with Eibach kit. Trying to decide between engine bolt-ons for a little more hp or changing gears to 3.73 from 3.31. Any thoughts on what will give me the most bang for my buck at this point?

I'll do it all eventually, but I'm tempted to go with gears for now to get a little more acceleration off the line and increase the grin factor. Then move on to CAI and tune.

If you are looking for more grin factor, the gear change is the surest way that you may feel. I say may because going from a 3.31 to 3.73 is not that big a jump. If you do decide to go this route, IMHO you should have a shop install...setting up gears is not hard if you have the tools and experience, but most people dont. I know I dont. And you can kill a rear end in short order if you goof.

Tuner will yield results, but then you are tinkering with engine parameters that, if messed up, can kill your motor. Just be careful there...especially if you want warranty coverage to stay in effect (if you still have any).

Engine add-ons are always a favorite amongst people of all car brands...but honestly, no one add on is going to net much....at least not anything the average driver will feel. Its when you start stacking up things.....

For instance....CAIs look great and give you bragging rights but only when combined with headers and a tune are they really useful.

Its all a tradeoff when you lodify modern rides......but its sure fun trying to find that "hidden power" that everyone is sure is there....LOL

I guess I am alone in thinking that the Mustang is pretty well set up as-is from the factory for the average "wanna get a thrill" driver.....our v6 Pony rides like its on rails and has a lot of power. Always nice to have more, I know. LOL

 

[OracleHCR]

I haven't priced the gears yet, but I'm sure the dealer will want an arm and a leg.

you can get the gears at buyfordracing for $139 with free shipping.

 

[aesmith3]

$139 is a great deal. Thanks for the heads up! I think I'm going to go with gears for now and add some engine oomph after they're installed. Thanks for the help!

 

[vfast]

i wonder if those are the nickle coated gears?

 

[Clair Smith]

I drove a 3.31 & 3.73 back to back and the 3.73 really makes a big difference. Just be warned, 1st gear goes quickly, be ready for that sift to second

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[Husky44]

Sounds like you're already off to a good start--get your braking up to par (Brembo option took care of that) and suspension mods to improve the handling (Eibach kit is a good start; next I would be looking at tightening up the rear with LCA swap).

From there I would go gears. Best single mod you can make to improve SOTP performance.

Definitely get a shop to do the swap unless you want to spend the money and take the time to learn the swap (that's what I did on my 95, and they came out OK, but it took a lot of time). If you can get gears done inexpensively (note I didn't say CHEAP) in your area, I'd pay to get it done. Around here they charge over $1k, plus parts, but that's because they have a captive audience. I've seen lots of good rates in the L48 of $4-600.

Only after I did those, and discovered that my power itch still wasn't scratched, would I start on engine work.

 

[earleys94gt]

Do the gears first

 

[aesmith3]

Sounds like a consensus on gears. I'm going to try to get the 3.73's in this week or next. I'll post an update after I check out the difference.

 

[TheShabz]

I'm curious as to just how much umph you feel off the line and what it does to your gas mileage. I'm planning on swapping my 3.15s for 3.55s when finances stabilize.

 

[ct07gt]

Another thing to consider is that the gears will void a much smaller part of your warranty compared to bolt-ons. If you do a tune and CAI and you have drivetrain issues, they are not likely to cover you. Gears should not really affect anything other than your rear end.

 

[TheShabz]

no warranty void if you get the Ford Racing gears and have them installed at a dealer. It helps if you make a buddy at your local dealership and you get legit pricing.

 

[Husky44]

I'm curious as to just how much umph you feel off the line and what it does to your gas mileage. I'm planning on swapping my 3.15s for 3.55s when finances stabilize.

FWIW, I don't think you'll see much difference over your current performance with only a .4 increase in gear ratio.

I went from 3.08s to 3.73s in my 95, and was thrilled. Your car will have a lot longer legs than my 95. I would highly encourage you to go for the 3.73s, even if FI is in the future.

 

[TheShabz]

Isn't that .4 the same as everyone who goes from their 3.31s to a 3.73 gets? I was originally going with 3.73s, and for a awhile even entertained 4.10s (don't fear the gear, right?). After doing some reading, It seemed like those with the auto trans preferred 3.55s. It made sense since it's the same delta as the 3.31 manuals going from 3.31 to 3.73.

 

[Husky44]

Can't argue with your math; I just know that many of the 95 guys on here that went from 3.08 to 3.55 were disappointed, and ended up stepping up to 3.73s, which was the consensus gear to run unless you were building a primarily track-car, then 4.10 seemed to be the better answer. The only caveat to that seemed to be guys running FI went with the 3.55s, as they were pushing enough power that they ran through the 3.73s too quickly.

I'm certainly no expert, just passing on my personal experience from 3.08-3.73, and quite a bit of research from the 95 group.