T-45, T-5 or 3650 Whats best?

[LaserSVT]

Always wondered which is the better tranny. Dont care about T-56 or TKOs, just in the basic stock ones. Which is the best, which can handle the most power, which is cheepest? My T-45 shifts way nicer than my T-5s and I can shift it quicker, may just be the MGW but I think there is more to it. Please enlighten me

 

[jprovence]

3650 by a long shot. When properly driven, a 3650 can take quite a bit. Even being behind a KB'd 4v Cobra motor with 550whp. I like my 3650.

 

[jivepepper]

3650 by a long shot. When properly driven, a 3650 can take quite a bit. Even being behind a KB'd 4v Cobra motor with 550whp. I like my 3650.

I've been beating a tr3650 at the track almost 2 years. I bought it used 4 years ago for 350 and it has worked great ever since. It has never seen less the 380 rwhp.

 

[SaleenGT2001]

i broke my 3650 with less than 250 hp. i swapped it for a T56

 

[steedastangt]

it seems like the 3650 had good batches and bad ones. Some people put thiers through hell and they come back for more while others have problems at stock power levels. I put one in my 96 about 5 years ago and am very pleased with it.

 

[SilverBullet00]

It seems like both the T45 and the 3650 have good and bad batches. On my 2000 I had a T45 (one of the goods ones) and I LOVED it! On my 2002, I got a "bad" 3650 and I hate it.

I have tried tons of different fluid and different quantities and nothing seems to stop the rock crushing sound... Soon, I will look at getting a T56!

 

[SVT32VDOHC]

Had a T5 in my 95GT with over 400RWHP. It had H/C/I and a PRocharger P600B with 11.5lbs of boost. IT only had 3.08 gears though, so that could be a reason it lived through a lot of track time and freeway blasts. My other two T5's were in stock 5.0L fox bodies. No problems with them either. I replaced my T45 in the Cobbra, but someone had put 30K on it before me, so that is why it failed....previous owner could have had something to do with that.

 

[281CI96Coupe]

T-5 in our project fox is sweet. It just stems down to how the person shifted before you had the car IMO. We got the car with 100K+ on stock everything. It shifts smooth.

 

[Shiroelex]

I havent' had a problem in any of the transmissions, but my 3650 shifts the smoothest. I had a T5 in a v8 Ranger, and I beat the crap out of it. Did numerous launches on slicks. The T-45 in my 01 GT took a hell of a beating, and never had a problem, except for reverse being difficult to engage. I did launches on 315 drag radials on that trans regularly. My current 3650 has been nothing short of amazing, although I haven't done any track launches on it yet. It's at the highest mileage of all of my transmissions, and it shifts the best. I did put in synthetic fluid recently, so I haven't had any of the cold grind issues that these have. I am getting an MGW in a week, and that will make things even better. Out of all of them, I would definitely put a 3650 in on preference. It's the newest design, reverse engages smoothly, and it handles a good amount of power.

 

[jivepepper]

I wonder how many people with bad 3650's also have aftermarket shifters. I still you a stock one with a short handle. The t-45 I had before developed a bad mainshaft bearing and made noise during deceleration

 

[Mustang5L5]

The 3650 is the strongest on paper.

The t-5 however is the simpliest to rebuild and also the best shifting IMHO.


My 3650 shifts fine with an MGW shifter. I have 52K miles on it and no issues at all. Shifts great too.

 

[jprovence]

I have 1 gallon of Castrol Syn-tork in my 3650. Look it up, about $80 a gallon. It is used in severe duty trannys. I also have a steeda tri-ax with the UPR rock crusher shifter handle. Shifting this thing is a dream. Just slides into gear. The shifter handle made a big improvement over the stock tri-ax handle.

 

[SVT32VDOHC]

T-5 in our project fox is sweet. It just stems down to how the person shifted before you had the car IMO. We got the car with 100K+ on stock everything. It shifts smooth.

I couldn't agree more. The best T5 I ever had was my 92 GT...97K Stock...perfect!! Car must have been treated like a gem for the first 95K it was driven.