newbie question about gears

[96STANGVERT]

I am new to owning a Mustang and to this forum. I have done searches on gears but none has answered my questions completely. I have a 96GT 5spd and im looking to ass some mods. I have read that gears are the best bang for the buck. My question is what gears should i get. I use the GT as my daily driver which is mostly city driving, and sept-june i am away at school that is about 200 miles away from home. What gear would be the best for city driving and ocasional highway driving. I dont want to be shifting all of the time but i dont mind if thats what i have to sacrifice.

also, what are all the parts i should look for when purchasing gears? I read about a speedo cal?

if someone could help me out i appreciate it, sorry for such a common post but none answered my question completely.

 

[StangFreak32]

3.73 for 5spd 4.10 for auto (go with ford racings)
speed callibrator for manuals, or a new chip if u have auto
instalation kit (ra techs deluxe kit should be good)
gear oil (royal purple was recommended to me)
i would also recomend a new driveshaft along with the gears (ford racing also)

 

[twogts4us]

Welcome to StangNet! 3.73s will make a big difference, 4.10s will make a huge difference. With your driving habits being mostly in the city, I'd go 4.10s. You'll want a 'speed shop' do the install for you and they can supply all the necessary parts you'll need. Expect to pay about $400 - $450 for all the parts, labor and gear oil for the gear swap. You'll also need a speed cal to correct the speedometer. The speed shop can likely get this for you as well and install it too. Expect to pay another $85.00 plus labor (guessing it would be about $50?) for this.
If you plan on more mods, you may want to invest in a handheld programmer from Diablo or Superchips SCT, which can adjust the speedometer as well as many other things to help add a few more HP. They are $375 - $400 and you can use this yourself without having to pay anymore money. It simply plugs in under the dash and is fairly simple to use.
Best of Luck!!!

 

[Mo-Tang]

I have a 98 GT with a 5 speed and 4.10's. I have had zero problems with streetablity with them. I have to tell you that i actually think there is less shifting involved because you can cruise around town in 5th gear. Seriously, the car doesnt bog until about 20 to 25 mph in fifth. It still has some get up and go to it as well at that speed. I have found myself going straight from 2nd to fifth when driving around town. That being said, around town driving is much funner because the car doesnt bog when accelerating from a stop. Traction hasnt been a problem for me, wet or dry. Unless of course you want to turn em loose, which can be done quite readily. My one complaint however is that if you race from a roll (60-70+) a stock geared car could pull on you. Because your going to fast for 3rd gear(where a stock geared car would run), and your fourth with 4.10's isnt quite as potent(close tho) as their third. However from a standstill youd pull a stock care pretty well(assuming you dont lose traction). Good Luck

Brian

 

[Cobra Jay]

Go with a set of FRPP 4.10's. They are SHOT PEENED for extra strength.

I had mine done this Thursday and so far I love them. Although I havn't really hammered it yet, it's a big difference from 3.27's just driving normal. If you don't want to do a lot of shifting, you'll love the 4.10's. You can start out in 2nd and it will feel like 1st gear does with 3.27's. I noticed that downshifting to slow down and to accelerate isn't really required unless you come to a complete stop. I even find myself driving in 5th more often too. I almost wish I had gone with 4.30's insted. A FRPP aluminum D/S is also a good idea to completely beef up the drivetrain. Depending on how much you plan to mod, I'd also suggest while you're at it go with some 31 spline axles and a trac-lok carrier while you at it like I did.


DON'T FEAR THE GEAR!

 

[BAFMustangGT]

4.10s no less....

 

[Steve777]

I just got 4.10s in my '96 yesterday ...I like them ..nice kick to it now ...and if you don't wanna shift a lot, you can just use 2nd right to 4th or 5th ...but when you wanna tramp it down through the gears and have fun, you won't regret the 4.10s ...1st gear does become useless however ...unless you wanna spin the tires - you just shoot through the rpms like nothing in 1st ....But all in all, I like them ...I'm on the insterstate about 30 min a day and it will sacrafice a few miles per tank, but who cares it's worth it ...they give the '96s the boost they definetly need

 

[Cobra Jay]

Putting 4.10's in my car makes it now feel like IMO how it should have come from the factory!

 

[96STANGVERT]

My problem around where i live is that there arent many speed shops. This speed cal part, where can i find it? also, i say this now, but i dont want to go too crazy with mods. basically i just want to do some basic mods like exhaust/headers/intake, gears and possibly some fuel and igintion mods. I dont want to crack open anything in the engine yet. I just want to give the car some extra pickup. Im not looking to race the car cuz i dont want to abuse it.

What parts should i look for in a gear package when i buy one other than the gears and the fluid and speed cal? Any certain parts that are required that poeple forget to mention?

I know from searching that everyones preferences are different when it comes to gears, i was thinking about 3.73 or 3.90?

 

[Cobra Jay]

You can get a Speed Cal from www.dallasmustang.com

As for the gears, forget the 3.73's & 3.90's. 4.10's at a minimum since you don't plan on doing a lot of mods. I'm assuming a Supercharger isn't one of them. I almost wish I'd gone with 4.30's insted.

 

[twogts4us]

My problem around where i live is that there arent many speed shops. This speed cal part, where can i find it? also, i say this now, but i dont want to go too crazy with mods. basically i just want to do some basic mods like exhaust/headers/intake, gears and possibly some fuel and igintion mods. I dont want to crack open anything in the engine yet. I just want to give the car some extra pickup. Im not looking to race the car cuz i dont want to abuse it.

What parts should i look for in a gear package when i buy one other than the gears and the fluid and speed cal? Any certain parts that are required that poeple forget to mention?

I know from searching that everyones preferences are different when it comes to gears, i was thinking about 3.73 or 3.90?

It sounds like you might be planning to install these yourself...true? This is NOT a simple, do-it-yourself swap. Just my 2 cents...

 

[Turbo92PGT]

Got 4.10's in my 98 last week. I disconnected the speedo so it doesn't rack a ton of miles on it. My car originally came with 2.73's, but when i bought it it had 3.27's, but the speedo was way off. so it shows it has more miles than it really does. Made a huge difference. First is useless sometimes, but othertimes it will grip and will launch you really good. Getting a nice healthy chirp in third and sometimes stepping out the back end is alot of fun. I got my trac lok rebuilt and had the guy do a mod to it to make it lock better. he put an extra clutch pack on each side. You dont need a speed cal for your car.

99 and up are digital odo
Yours is controlled with a gear inside the trans. It will cost you 20 bucks and will take you 5 minutes to put in. Its a definitely good mod. I recommend it. Goto steeda.com and look under mustang- drivetrain - speedo gears

 

[CrimsonCobra_01]

interesting, can you guys tell me what an 01 cobra has and whats good? im clueless too

 

[96STANGVERT]

i can install the speedo cal myself, but i am going to leave the gears to a shop.

turbo92gtp- what do you mean i dont need a speedo cal for my car?

 

[Turbo92PGT]

You dont need a speed cal. Goto steeda.com, click on Mustang, then Drivetrain, and scroll down till you see speedo recal gears.

If you had a 99 you would need a speed cal. Trust me this will be the second time I've installed a speedo gear. It works great.
392-STE-17271-D Speedo Gear 23 tooth Manual Transmission 392-STE-17271-D $15.95

Thats what you need for either 373 or 410 gear ratios.

Your cobra probably has 3.27's, I would definetly got with 4.10's or 4.30's. Seriously, I kinda wish I went with 4.30's. the 4.10's are alot of fun though You'll love them. It took me alot of thinking to finally buy the 4.10's, but im glad I did.

 

[Joel's98GT]

You dont need a speed cal. Goto steeda.com, click on Mustang, then Drivetrain, and scroll down till you see speedo recal gears.

If you had a 99 you would need a speed cal. Trust me this will be the second time I've installed a speedo gear. It works great.
392-STE-17271-D Speedo Gear 23 tooth Manual Transmission 392-STE-17271-D $15.95

Thats what you need for either 373 or 410 gear ratios.

Your cobra probably has 3.27's, I would definetly got with 4.10's or 4.30's. Seriously, I kinda wish I went with 4.30's. the 4.10's are alot of fun though You'll love them. It took me alot of thinking to finally buy the 4.10's, but im glad I did.

although speedcal is better than swapping the tranny gear. After 3.73, swapping out the tail shaft gears gets less accurate.

if you use 4.10's and swap just the driven gear to a 23 you will still be +7% off (or about 5mph @70) if you open the tail shaft and use 7 tooth drive gear with 23 driven it goes to -3% off.
I use a speedcal because I want my speedo to be dead nuts on, I also bought it for 50 bucks used.

 

[54life]

4.10's are perfect for what you are discribing

 

[GTsleeper]

Well for starters welcome to Stangnet. I had my 4:10's installed not too long agos and I regret not having them done first. Its such a huge difference, I also use my stang for everyday driving to the city where I work and back. The only big problem is you are going to get on it all the time so there goes the gas. Look at mustangtuning they got great deals and its true plan on spending around $400 for install, mine cost $355 which included labor, lube, shims and I used red-line fluid. And its a good idea to find a shop with a machine press for your bearings thats my advice I can give you hope its worth the while.

 

[96STANGVERT]

I would rather install a speedo cal becuase of its accuracy...plus i do not want to have to crack open anything with the transmission. The speedo cal is fairly simple to install.

Does anyone know where to get a speedo cal other than dallasmustang? so i can shop around a little bit.

 

[twogts4us]

http://www.brothersperformance.com/shop/mustang/brospeedcal.html