Theoretical Question

My 96 gt is an automatic. I have basic bolt ons now, tuner, exhaust, h pipe, intake, plenum, t body, pi manifold. I have the stock 3.08 gear in the axle. I am on 245/45/17s. (Nitto 555Rs)If i am on flat ground and mat the gas the tires will turn over a few times and then launch like crazy.

If/when i put 4.10s or 4.30s in should it roast the tires off instead of just rolling them over a few times? I want to be able to mash the throttle and the tires just roast, or come into a haripin lay the gas to it an powerslide a bit, and spin some mean donuts too.

Not looking to win the 1/4 mile trophy, just a fun sideways machine.

BTW i have a spool, so it is locked, no right tire fire.

I am having a hard time choosing, leaning toward the 4.30, due to a plan for a bit bigger cam profile b/c i dont wanna be taking the tranny out anytime soon to swap to a higher stall converter.(2k on fresh build) I hate messin with the tranny.

Any other input,suggestions or past experiences GREATLY appreciated!!!!

TGJ said:

A couple of questions:

1) Do you drive a lot on the highway? If you do, you probably want to reconsider 4.30's.

As for 4.30's being too much for a NPI auto, I have 4.30's in my 96 TBird and have ran them for over 4 years. When I put them in my car, all I had for mods was a custom dual exhaust, PI Cams, PI Intake, Steeda UD pullies, 3800 RPM Stall TC and a SCT tune. They were not to much gear for that car as it still made 24 MPG on the highway. My car is quite a bit heavier than a Mustang though. If I were to do that all over again with that car and those mods, I would do it again. Do not fear the gear...

2) You do realize that the stock TC stalls between 2400 - 2700 RPM? Just curious as to why you want a TC with less stall?

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I do not want a converter with less stall i just dont want to need to install one with higher stall to copensate for the cams powerband. so i was thinking deeper gears would help get it into the power quicker with a higher lift cam. No highway driving too often mostly the redlight district or country roads.