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rear gears for a t56

  • Thread starter Thread starter nxb88
  • Start date Start date Apr 5, 2008
N

nxb88

New Member
May 12, 2003
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Alexandria, VA
Apr 5, 2008
#1
  • Apr 5, 2008
  • #1
i was just trying to get an idea of what gears would be best for the t56.
 

85_SS_302_Coupe

it sucks (I know) to be on the receiving end
15 Year Member
Nov 11, 2003
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Northern KY
Apr 5, 2008
#2
  • Apr 5, 2008
  • #2
Contrary to popular belief having a 6th speed doesn't effect your highway cruise RPMs. My buddy just went through all this and found that 6th gear is almost the exact same gear ratio as a T5, and 1st through 4th are almost the same too...they basically just added a gear between 4th and 5th to add a 6th gear. You should be fine with whatever you gear you would normally run...probably a 3.73 or 4.10.
 

Mustang5L5

That is…until I whipped out my Bissell
Mod Dude
Feb 18, 2001
43,236
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Massachusetts
Apr 5, 2008
#3
  • Apr 5, 2008
  • #3
Yup, 6th gear on the Cobra T-56 is actually the same gear as the same year GT.

So in my GT with 3.27's, my cruisng RPM in 5th is actually slightly lower than my friend's cruising RPM in 6th gear with 3.55's in his Cobra.

However, there are T-56's with low 6th gears. I beleive the Viper has a 0.57 6th ratio.

The Cobra t-56 is 0.63 in 6th. The t-5 is 0.67, so not much of a difference.

You just basically add the extra gear BETWEEN 4th and 5th.

Also, the first 2 gears are a little taller, so you can actually make your car slower if you dont have the power to overcome it
 

ShortThrow50

Member
Oct 22, 2006
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Pa
Apr 5, 2008
#4
  • Apr 5, 2008
  • #4
yeah. the extra gear doesnt give you a "creeper" 1st gear if thats what you were thinking
 

TRWXXA

Member
Jan 18, 2003
190
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19
RIGHT BEHIND YOU!!!... Made you look.
Apr 6, 2008
#5
  • Apr 6, 2008
  • #5
Don't go too high with the rear gears. The 6-speed has more gears, closer together, and if your rear end ratio is too high, you'll have to shift through them very quickly.

So pick a gear that'll get you up into the power band relatively quickly -- maybe 3.55s. The closer gear ratios will keep you higher up in the power band each time you shift. That's where the advantage is.
 

enyawix

Member
Dec 18, 2005
507
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19
127.0.0.1
Apr 6, 2008
#6
  • Apr 6, 2008
  • #6
The 5th gear ratio is easy to change in the stock transmission "t5". 5th gear is independent of the rest the gears. You just pull the tail housing to get at 5th.
 

Mustang5L5

That is…until I whipped out my Bissell
Mod Dude
Feb 18, 2001
43,236
17,921
224
Massachusetts
Apr 6, 2008
#7
  • Apr 6, 2008
  • #7
There are aftermarket 5th gears for the T-5 that are a lower ratio for highway cruising in 5th gear.


Of course, i've been wanting to do a T-56 swap myself...just for the sake of a MUCH stronger transmission and just to say i have 6 gears

Like said before, there are different versions of the T-56 with different gear ratios. You gotta put a little thought into which will work best for the HP your engine is putting out
 

TRWXXA

Member
Jan 18, 2003
190
1
19
RIGHT BEHIND YOU!!!... Made you look.
Apr 6, 2008
#8
  • Apr 6, 2008
  • #8
I did see one T-56 setup that had 1st - 5th gear ratios that were essentially the same as a stock T-5, plus a 0.50:1 6th gear. That would probably be great with 4.10s. You'd have scorching 1st - 4th performance, while 5th and 6th would be great for driveablility.
 

85_SS_302_Coupe

it sucks (I know) to be on the receiving end
15 Year Member
Nov 11, 2003
6,945
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Northern KY
Apr 6, 2008
#9
  • Apr 6, 2008
  • #9
Another thing i didn't like was how close the gears were. That might sound stupid since most people want that, but i was constantly going into the wrong gear. There's very little left to right movement needed at all to change gears. I guess that's good for some people but i hated it. For the price i'd just got a TKO 600.
 

Mustang5L5

That is…until I whipped out my Bissell
Mod Dude
Feb 18, 2001
43,236
17,921
224
Massachusetts
Apr 6, 2008
#10
  • Apr 6, 2008
  • #10
The T-3650 is the same way.

With an MGW shifter, it's even worse. Very little travel from the 1-2 gate to the 5-R gate
 
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