Which gears to get?

[TrophyHead]

I don't know I alway's thought 5.0's were high 13's with just a few bolt-on's well at least an LX. Verts are heavier though. Never been to the track might wait untill I get it painted its faded red primmer I'll probably get laughed at.

Well good luck with your gears.

 

[mike keirstead]

Nope, haven't been to the strip with it. I picked up the car last Tuesday. Rest assured that once the weather warms up a bit, I'm going to round up a few buddies and head to the 1/4 mile track at Gateway International.

I do, however, think that I could hit high 13s as-is, right now, if not better. Assuming that a stock GT convertible puts out around 195rwhp and does the 1/4 mile at around 15.1 or 15.2 seconds, I think that being in the 13-second range is quite conceivable with a 50% boost in horsepower. On street tires. With 2.73s.

Right now, I only have traction problems in first, and that's on the street without warming up the tires. Partly that's probably due to the extra weight the vert has over the rear tires. And partly it's due to the Pirellis the car is wearing, which are surprisingly sticky despite only being 225s.



Fair enough. All you listed were engine mods; you didn't say that you'd had to really work to get those sorts of times. What does your car weigh, and what sort of power is it making to the rear wheels?

I have no idea what it makes at the wheels for power. I do know that it weighs 3050.

You said you have traction problems in first gear.........THAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT GEAR AT THE TRACK. If you get traction with the 2.73s you may get into the 13s. Have you ever drag raced before. It's not exactly something you are just good at as soon as you start. You will get better the more you do it and the more you figure out what your car likes.

When I first started taking my car to the track it took some getting used to. Even though I had been racing my SBC powered S-10 for a few years. It runs in the 11s. I took my mustang to the track and I had to start all over as far as getting the car down the track. You may think you know what your car can do......but until you take it to the track.DONT't MAKE ANY ESTIMATIONS because you will probably be dissapointed your first few times down the track.

I shaved 7/10 of a second off from my 1st to my 6th pass in one day. I just figured out what the car liked and was launching on 225/60/16 goodyears and getting 1.85 60 fts by the end of the day.

If you get traction (drag radials, slicks) you will likely get into the 13s when you figure out the car. The street and the track is totally different. Those 2.73 are far from good for the track.

IT's Your car and you can get whatever gear you want.

You also said you have seen know instabilty at the top of 4th gear. Try winding out 5th and see if its the same. NOPE.

 

[mike keirstead]

Fair enough. All you listed were engine mods; you didn't say that you'd had to really work to get those sorts of times. What does your car weigh, and what sort of power is it making to the rear wheels?

Throw a stock motor in my car with my chassis setup and my suspension and a set of slicks and line it up against your HEAVY VERT with street tires and your current motor. I bet 1000 bucks you wouldn't catch me.

 

[mike keirstead]

At the track 3 things get you quick times.......DRIVER...TRACTION...DRIVER

 

[TheFleshRocket]

Throw a stock motor in my car with my chassis setup and my suspension and a set of slicks and line it up against your HEAVY VERT with street tires and your current motor. I bet 1000 bucks you wouldn't catch me.

Assuming the following:
3.73s, 3050lbs, drag setup, 200rwhp
2.73s, 3600ishlbs, stock suspension, 300rwhp

I'll concede that you'll get me out of the hole, no problem. But I'll reel you back in before the end of the 1/4 mile.

 

[mike keirstead]

Assuming the following:
3.73s, 3050lbs, drag setup, 200rwhp
2.73s, 3600ishlbs, stock suspension, 300rwhp

I'll concede that you'll get me out of the hole, no problem. But I'll reel you back in before the end of the 1/4 mile.

Sorry man. You you would not catch me. I would cut a 1.7 60 ft or so and you would get a best of 2.1-2.2. So theres a 1/2 second...plus I have 3.73s there another .3-.4 tenths over 2.73s. Plus I way near over 500 pounds less than you. And I can powershift like it's going to get me into heaven.

You would never catch up.

 

[TheFleshRocket]

You said you have traction problems in first gear.........THAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT GEAR AT THE TRACK. If you get traction with the 2.73s you may get into the 13s. Have you ever drag raced before. It's not exactly something you are just good at as soon as you start. You will get better the more you do it and the more you figure out what your car likes..

Traction problems, as in, if I go WOT, the tach jumps up to redline pretty quick. If I'm smart on with the throttle, I can get through first with about 2/3s throttle and minimal tire spin. Once I hit second, I can go foot-to-the-floor with no more spinnage.

I have drag raced before. I've made several dozen runs in my Fiero at a 1/4 mile. (Yeah, it's slow, but it taught me how to drag launch a car properly.) I've also run my 600F2 for a couple dozen runs at a 1/8th mile course, and have run my Gixxer down the same course about a dozen times. I didn't run my old bone-stock '93 LX at the strip but I did make more than a few standing-start drags on a deserted road late at night.

One this is clear to me--the more I run a given vehicle, the better my times get. When I ran my F2, my 1/8th mile times were in the 7.8-8 second range. Once everything fell into place and I was launching it right, I was down to 7.6s. My Gixxer, for example, started out runing mid 7s. I got it down to low 7s but it should be good for mid/upper 6s if I was a good enough rider with it. My '93 LX was the same way. It took me three runs to find a good launch RPM that wouldn't leave me spinning the tires at the line, and once I did, I went from getting beat to beating people. I know there was room for improvement, but I had improved significantly in just three runs nonetheless.

You're basically telling me that you can drive the piss out of a relatively low-horsepower car to make impressive times. I'm telling you that I can drive a heavier, higher-horsepower car not nearly as hard and get times pretty close. No way in hell am I doing 5000rpm launches or powershifts in my car--I like my tranny in one piece.

 

[TheFleshRocket]

Sorry man. You you would not catch me. I would cut a 1.7 60 ft or so and you would get a best of 2.1-2.2. So theres a 1/2 second...plus I have 3.73s there another .3-.4 tenths over 2.73s. Plus I way near over 500 pounds less than you. And I can powershift like it's going to get me into heaven.

How 'bout a friendly wager, then? I'd pay $20 to get spanked by a 3050lb Stang with a bone-stock 5.0.

Man, if it wasn't the dead of winter, I'd go to the track tomorrow just so I could come back here and wave some numbers around.

 

[mike keirstead]

You would not get spanked but you would catch me.

I was simply proving my point that our cars are different and you are trying to compare them. For your information, a car that has the chassis setup as good as mine for drag racing could run into the high 11s or better with 300rwhp. THATS A FACT.

I bet I could not of low low 13s. Well I did a while ago.
I had slicks, 3.73, headers, exhaust and I ran low 13s on slicks. I threw in a cam and a gt-40 intake and a few other things and I was running 12.60s. No where near 300rwhp.STOCK HEADS.

It takes more than alot of power to get a car down the track.

I WOULD TAKE YOUR MONEY!!

If you don't want to launch at 5000 and power shift thats fine. But thats how you get quick times with no power. I have had a Z-spec t-5 for 1 1/2 years and I power shift the **** out of it and it still works perfect. Actually it shifts better now than it ever did.

Why don't you start a thread about it.

3600...300rwhp...street tires...NON powershifted...low rpm launch...2.73
3050...200rwhp...slicks....powershifting....5000 rpm lauch...3.73s


See what everyone says.

 

[ECU5.0]

So I decided to punch in the numbers for the 3.27 and 3.55 gears using the T5 (1985/6, SVO) tranny:

3.27
1st @ 3000rpm = 20.0mph
2nd @ 3000rpm = 32.8mph
3rd @ 3000rpm = 51.6mph
4th @ 3000rpm = 70.2mph
5th @ 3000rpm = 90.0mph

3.55
1st @ 3000rpm = 18.5mph
2nd @ 3000rpm = 30.2mph
3rd @ 3000rpm = 47.5mph
4th @ 3000rpm = 64.7mph
5th @ 3000rpm = 82.9mph

It looks like the 3.55s will essentially make 5th gear act like 4th did with 2.73s and 4th gear act like 3rd did with 2.73s. Since my car will already wind out 4th gear, the 3.55s will be too short. The 3.27s should bring the revs up enough in the upper gears to make acceleration snappier without being so low as to artificially limit my top speed.

I think I'm going to get ahold of a GPS unit and mount an aftermarket tach so that I can be sure that my RPM and MPH readings that I got from the in-dash gauges are accurate before I commit to a set of gears, but at this point, 3.27s look like the way I'm going to go.

probably a really stupid question...but when i bought my car i was told that it had 3.55s in it. i wasnt sure and none of my friends were either. so if im going 80 in 5th and im runnin like 3k...i should have 3.55s?

 

[mike keirstead]

probably a really stupid question...but when i bought my car i was told that it had 3.55s in it. i wasnt sure and none of my friends were either. so if im going 80 in 5th and im runnin like 3k...i should have 3.55s?

There is no real way to tell by the speedo. It may not be calibrated correclty.

If you want to know for sure...jack the car up...take the rear cover off... and count the teeth.

39-11=3.55
41-11=3.73
41-10=4.10

You may not have to count the gears because the pinion will likely have the gear number stamped on the end of it. It will be pointing towards the rear of the car so you can see it.

Drain the fluid. If it looks black then it needs to be changed anyway, If it a light brown than just re-use it.

 

[TheFleshRocket]

probably a really stupid question...but when i bought my car i was told that it had 3.55s in it. i wasnt sure and none of my friends were either. so if im going 80 in 5th and im runnin like 3k...i should have 3.55s?

Well, go to the link on the first page with the gear ratio calculator and put in your tire size. My numbers are assuming 225/55R16 tires. But yeah, you probably have 3.55s.

 

[ECU5.0]

alright, yeah...i probably need to change the fluid and gasket anyways....does that diff use rtv or a regular gasket?

 

[TheFleshRocket]

3600...300rwhp...street tires...NON powershifted...low rpm launch...2.73
3050...200rwhp...slicks....powershifting....5000 rpm lauch...3.73s

Car 1: 12lbs/hp
Car 2: 15.25lbs/hp

Tell you what, forget $20. Make it $100.

 

[mike keirstead]

Car 1: 12lbs/hp
Car 2: 15.25lbs/hp

Tell you what, forget $20. Make it $100.

TRACTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[mike keirstead]

I made a new poll.Go vote. We will see what others think.

 

[TheFleshRocket]

TRACTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My traction surely isn't as good as yours, but I bet it's a good bit better than you think.

You sure are getting fired up about this.

 

[mike keirstead]

alright, yeah...i probably need to change the fluid and gasket anyways....does that diff use rtv or a regular gasket?

A new gasket and some silicone won't hurt. Get a tube of FRICTION MODIFIER from FORD. Ask Ford how much to add.

 

[mike keirstead]

My traction surely isn't as good as yours, but I bet it's a good bit better than you think.

You sure are getting fired up about this.

I know what kind of traction a mustang with street tires gets. Its nowhere near slicks and a 5000 launch I know that. I have been on both sides.

You wouldnt catch me.

 

[runningmole]

Not to be a jerk, but your 'schematic' is off. I have 3.55s w/ 16in rims. 65 mph in 5th gear is 2,000 rpm. 140mph is way less than 5200rpm....I did it (and punched a whole in a piston )