For those with 3.73's, when do you shift into 6th?
06-22-2012, 02:38 PM
#11
1st Gear Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 63
My GTO was a muscle car. The Mustang is a pony car in my eyes. Anyway, my point is not so much the gas mileage as is trying to find the fine line between lugging the engine or revving too much when I don't have to. If I was worried about gas mileage, I wouldn't have bought my Firehawk, GTO, or Mustang GT 
.
See above. I am just trying to find the right gear for back roads without lugging the car too much.
.See above. I am just trying to find the right gear for back roads without lugging the car too much
.
06-22-2012, 03:07 PM
#12
Mish-ogynist
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Helena, MT
Posts: 3,780
pony vs muscle car debates are funny.
pony car is any car that is:
1. stylish and sporty
2. mass production parts used.
3. affordable base price (around 17k)
4. many options
5. youth oriented
so.. by that criteria a lot of ricer cars, including the scion line-up are pony cars... the mustang only meets some of those, misses the base price.
muscle cars are defined as
"any of a group of American-made 2-door sports coupes with powerful engines designed for high-performance driving."
further is powered by a v8 and is based on a mid to full sized sedan and seats 4 comfortably. the challenger is the only modern car I think this truly fits, possibly the GTO.
really the modern mustang is a 2+2 Grand Tourer, unless you hold to the 2 door coupe with a powerful engine, leaving out the full size sedan for muscle car.
to answer your original question, I dont know, my car goes into 5th or 6th when i let off, but sounds like it's been answered
for the mustang to return to it's roots it really needs stripped down and cheapened in the v6 version. (or a 4cyl version like the original)
What i think would be really cool is a really stripped down base model, am/fm radio, nothing fancy in it, just a cheap stylish car with a little engine, then the v8 version also stripped down/light weight no frills and cheap. then the premium with all the bells and whistles for the big spenders. I'd like to see a base GT drop back to the 22k price range, and the v6 (or 4 cyl) at 17k, with the premium being up over 30k to get the luxuries.
pony car is any car that is:
1. stylish and sporty
2. mass production parts used.
3. affordable base price (around 17k)
4. many options
5. youth oriented
so.. by that criteria a lot of ricer cars, including the scion line-up are pony cars... the mustang only meets some of those, misses the base price.
muscle cars are defined as
"any of a group of American-made 2-door sports coupes with powerful engines designed for high-performance driving."
further is powered by a v8 and is based on a mid to full sized sedan and seats 4 comfortably. the challenger is the only modern car I think this truly fits, possibly the GTO.
really the modern mustang is a 2+2 Grand Tourer, unless you hold to the 2 door coupe with a powerful engine, leaving out the full size sedan for muscle car.
to answer your original question, I dont know, my car goes into 5th or 6th when i let off, but sounds like it's been answered
for the mustang to return to it's roots it really needs stripped down and cheapened in the v6 version. (or a 4cyl version like the original)
What i think would be really cool is a really stripped down base model, am/fm radio, nothing fancy in it, just a cheap stylish car with a little engine, then the v8 version also stripped down/light weight no frills and cheap. then the premium with all the bells and whistles for the big spenders. I'd like to see a base GT drop back to the 22k price range, and the v6 (or 4 cyl) at 17k, with the premium being up over 30k to get the luxuries.
Last edited by Mishri; 06-22-2012 at 03:27 PM.
06-22-2012, 03:15 PM
#13
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Alabama
Posts: 150
I shift into 6th at about 2300 RPM. Gas mileage isn't much of a concern for me if I'm in town... it's going to be crappy regardless. the only time I really use 6th gear is if im at a constant speed that keeps my RPM's at about 2000 in 6th gear, which is around 60 MPH.
06-22-2012, 03:35 PM
#14
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: CA
Posts: 423
To the OP: Consensus seems to be OK to shift into 6th while cruising at around 45 MPH. This is what I do as well.
with regards to the Muscle Car/Pony Car terminology. It is old school terminology and much more convoluted today. In other words, the definitions that fall under each category were really assigned to the automotive market in the 60's. Nowadays, with HP rising in each automotive category, the terms are much more gray.
For example, the GTO is the grandfather of the musclecar. It widely known as the original muscle car. The GTO was the result of GM dropping one of its largest engines at the time into an intermediate chassis. Then look at the 2004 - 2006 GTO and there is nothing intermediate about it. It looks and feels more like what a Camaro would be if one existed during those years. Yet, the Camaro is supposed to be a Pony Car.
Another example: In 1999, Pontiac advertised the Trans Am WS6 as a Muscle Car. I believe the tagline was something in the line of "The return of the Muscle Car" or "The Muscle Car is back". Even though the Trans Am is mechanically the same as a Camaro, or Pony Car, Pontiac was marketing it as a Muscle Car.
I understand the history of both the Muscle Car and Pony Car. However, with HP levels exceeding that of what was going on in the 60's, you can easily refer to any of the Pony Cars as Muscle Cars. Nowadays, it's difficult to classify anything as a Pony Car as it was originally intended. There hasn't been another sports car manufactured in the past 40 years that has had the same impact in automotive history as the 64 1/2 Mustang to coin a new term equivalent to "Pony Car".
with regards to the Muscle Car/Pony Car terminology. It is old school terminology and much more convoluted today. In other words, the definitions that fall under each category were really assigned to the automotive market in the 60's. Nowadays, with HP rising in each automotive category, the terms are much more gray.
For example, the GTO is the grandfather of the musclecar. It widely known as the original muscle car. The GTO was the result of GM dropping one of its largest engines at the time into an intermediate chassis. Then look at the 2004 - 2006 GTO and there is nothing intermediate about it. It looks and feels more like what a Camaro would be if one existed during those years. Yet, the Camaro is supposed to be a Pony Car.
Another example: In 1999, Pontiac advertised the Trans Am WS6 as a Muscle Car. I believe the tagline was something in the line of "The return of the Muscle Car" or "The Muscle Car is back". Even though the Trans Am is mechanically the same as a Camaro, or Pony Car, Pontiac was marketing it as a Muscle Car.
I understand the history of both the Muscle Car and Pony Car. However, with HP levels exceeding that of what was going on in the 60's, you can easily refer to any of the Pony Cars as Muscle Cars. Nowadays, it's difficult to classify anything as a Pony Car as it was originally intended. There hasn't been another sports car manufactured in the past 40 years that has had the same impact in automotive history as the 64 1/2 Mustang to coin a new term equivalent to "Pony Car".
06-22-2012, 04:05 PM
#15
1st Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: VA
Posts: 142
Ok. I dont shift into 6th until 80+. Not worried about mpgs at all and when on back roads its like ur own personal road course. Esp the back a$$ country roads here in tn. Not many cars on them and have nice long straights and some fun high speed corners. But the motor should do fine in 6th b/w 45-50mph.
Yeah, that is what I am trying to figure out. The 3.73 rear end keeps the RPM up some. But 6th is such a tall over-drive gear that I don't want to get into it too early. The back roads are hilly so I want to keep the RPM high enough that I don't lug it when I need to accelerate some. Thanks for the information.
06-22-2012, 04:20 PM
#16
1st Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: VA
Posts: 142
I have one now. I traded in my GTO on June 8th for a brand new 2013 Premium GT. I haven't added a sig yet.
The difference to me between the Mustang I have now and my GTO that makes the GTO more of a muscle car in my eyes is the fact that the back seats (while annoying to get into) were very comfortable, even for a large adult. My Mustang or my Firehawk, not so much 
. My GTO was also about 100 lbs heavier.
As far as the current Mustang and other similar cars go, I too would like to see a drop in weight. The problem is that it is difficult to build light weight tin cans like the foxbodies or 3rd gen Camaros this day in age. Safety has been a big part and people also want more features. I wouldn't want a stripper like you do, but I can understand where you are coming from. All modern V8 cars need to go on a diet. I will never give up my V8 though. I need it.
This makes sense as well. On the back roads in 5th, I am around 2000-2100 RPM. At least in 5th gear, the engine doesn't feel bogged and it still has fairly snappy acceleration. Thanks!
See my explanation about the GTO being a muscle car above. It's just my opinion of course. The modern GTO's share the same roots as the original. GM shoved a powerful V8 in the Holden Monaro which was produced in Australia. So, in my opinion, it meets the criteria for a muscle car.
You bring up a good point about the WS6. The tagline in the commercials was actually, "The Muscle Car lives". To me, the WS6 was still a pony car. It is lightweight enough and has small backseats that seem to be thrown in there to lower insurance costs and not step on the Corvettes of the time.
I would consider the modern Challenger to be a muscle car. I would also go a bit further and say the SRT-8 Charger is a muscle car as well, even though it has 4 doors.
Anyway, that is just my take on it. Whatever others believe is fine. I will not get upset if we disagree.
pony vs muscle car debates are funny.
pony car is any car that is:
1. stylish and sporty
2. mass production parts used.
3. affordable base price (around 17k)
4. many options
5. youth oriented
so.. by that criteria a lot of ricer cars, including the scion line-up are pony cars... the mustang only meets some of those, misses the base price.
muscle cars are defined as
"any of a group of American-made 2-door sports coupes with powerful engines designed for high-performance driving."
further is powered by a v8 and is based on a mid to full sized sedan and seats 4 comfortably. the challenger is the only modern car I think this truly fits, possibly the GTO.
really the modern mustang is a 2+2 Grand Tourer, unless you hold to the 2 door coupe with a powerful engine, leaving out the full size sedan for muscle car.
to answer your original question, I dont know, my car goes into 5th or 6th when i let off, but sounds like it's been answered
for the mustang to return to it's roots it really needs stripped down and cheapened in the v6 version. (or a 4cyl version like the original)
What i think would be really cool is a really stripped down base model, am/fm radio, nothing fancy in it, just a cheap stylish car with a little engine, then the v8 version also stripped down/light weight no frills and cheap. then the premium with all the bells and whistles for the big spenders. I'd like to see a base GT drop back to the 22k price range, and the v6 (or 4 cyl) at 17k, with the premium being up over 30k to get the luxuries.
pony car is any car that is:
1. stylish and sporty
2. mass production parts used.
3. affordable base price (around 17k)
4. many options
5. youth oriented
so.. by that criteria a lot of ricer cars, including the scion line-up are pony cars... the mustang only meets some of those, misses the base price.
muscle cars are defined as
"any of a group of American-made 2-door sports coupes with powerful engines designed for high-performance driving."
further is powered by a v8 and is based on a mid to full sized sedan and seats 4 comfortably. the challenger is the only modern car I think this truly fits, possibly the GTO.
really the modern mustang is a 2+2 Grand Tourer, unless you hold to the 2 door coupe with a powerful engine, leaving out the full size sedan for muscle car.
to answer your original question, I dont know, my car goes into 5th or 6th when i let off, but sounds like it's been answered
for the mustang to return to it's roots it really needs stripped down and cheapened in the v6 version. (or a 4cyl version like the original)
What i think would be really cool is a really stripped down base model, am/fm radio, nothing fancy in it, just a cheap stylish car with a little engine, then the v8 version also stripped down/light weight no frills and cheap. then the premium with all the bells and whistles for the big spenders. I'd like to see a base GT drop back to the 22k price range, and the v6 (or 4 cyl) at 17k, with the premium being up over 30k to get the luxuries.
. My GTO was also about 100 lbs heavier. As far as the current Mustang and other similar cars go, I too would like to see a drop in weight. The problem is that it is difficult to build light weight tin cans like the foxbodies or 3rd gen Camaros this day in age. Safety has been a big part and people also want more features. I wouldn't want a stripper like you do, but I can understand where you are coming from. All modern V8 cars need to go on a diet. I will never give up my V8 though
. I need it.To the OP: Consensus seems to be OK to shift into 6th while cruising at around 45 MPH. This is what I do as well.
with regards to the Muscle Car/Pony Car terminology. It is old school terminology and much more convoluted today. In other words, the definitions that fall under each category were really assigned to the automotive market in the 60's. Nowadays, with HP rising in each automotive category, the terms are much more gray.
For example, the GTO is the grandfather of the musclecar. It widely known as the original muscle car. The GTO was the result of GM dropping one of its largest engines at the time into an intermediate chassis. Then look at the 2004 - 2006 GTO and there is nothing intermediate about it. It looks and feels more like what a Camaro would be if one existed during those years. Yet, the Camaro is supposed to be a Pony Car.
Another example: In 1999, Pontiac advertised the Trans Am WS6 as a Muscle Car. I believe the tagline was something in the line of "The return of the Muscle Car" or "The Muscle Car is back". Even though the Trans Am is mechanically the same as a Camaro, or Pony Car, Pontiac was marketing it as a Muscle Car.
I understand the history of both the Muscle Car and Pony Car. However, with HP levels exceeding that of what was going on in the 60's, you can easily refer to any of the Pony Cars as Muscle Cars. Nowadays, it's difficult to classify anything as a Pony Car as it was originally intended. There hasn't been another sports car manufactured in the past 40 years that has had the same impact in automotive history as the 64 1/2 Mustang to coin a new term equivalent to "Pony Car".
with regards to the Muscle Car/Pony Car terminology. It is old school terminology and much more convoluted today. In other words, the definitions that fall under each category were really assigned to the automotive market in the 60's. Nowadays, with HP rising in each automotive category, the terms are much more gray.
For example, the GTO is the grandfather of the musclecar. It widely known as the original muscle car. The GTO was the result of GM dropping one of its largest engines at the time into an intermediate chassis. Then look at the 2004 - 2006 GTO and there is nothing intermediate about it. It looks and feels more like what a Camaro would be if one existed during those years. Yet, the Camaro is supposed to be a Pony Car.
Another example: In 1999, Pontiac advertised the Trans Am WS6 as a Muscle Car. I believe the tagline was something in the line of "The return of the Muscle Car" or "The Muscle Car is back". Even though the Trans Am is mechanically the same as a Camaro, or Pony Car, Pontiac was marketing it as a Muscle Car.
I understand the history of both the Muscle Car and Pony Car. However, with HP levels exceeding that of what was going on in the 60's, you can easily refer to any of the Pony Cars as Muscle Cars. Nowadays, it's difficult to classify anything as a Pony Car as it was originally intended. There hasn't been another sports car manufactured in the past 40 years that has had the same impact in automotive history as the 64 1/2 Mustang to coin a new term equivalent to "Pony Car".
You bring up a good point about the WS6. The tagline in the commercials was actually, "The Muscle Car lives". To me, the WS6 was still a pony car. It is lightweight enough and has small backseats that seem to be thrown in there to lower insurance costs and not step on the Corvettes of the time.
I would consider the modern Challenger to be a muscle car. I would also go a bit further and say the SRT-8 Charger is a muscle car as well, even though it has 4 doors.
Anyway, that is just my take on it. Whatever others believe is fine. I will not get upset if we disagree
.
06-22-2012, 08:43 PM
#17
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: TN
Posts: 1,895
[QUOTE=Slappy3243;7976760]Ahhh...what it is to be young again (I am 30 now). I am not sure where you live, but be careful when going that fast on back roads. I have a lot of deer where I live and I have seen some nasty accidents. It's bad enough when you hit one going 40 mph! Thanks for the info about the 6th gear speed though.
Funny thing is that ur younger than me. Only by a yr though. Ill be 32 in November. Lol. Live in middle Tn jusy south of Nashville. Grown up driving these back country roads and only drive the roads fast and all out when the sun is out. No night time speeding bc of the deer population around here. I've hit one before. Not head on bc I seen her coming at the last second and moved into the oncoming lane so she wouldn't flip onto the hood and go over the roof. 50yds from the entrance to my neighborhood.
Funny thing is that ur younger than me. Only by a yr though. Ill be 32 in November. Lol. Live in middle Tn jusy south of Nashville. Grown up driving these back country roads and only drive the roads fast and all out when the sun is out. No night time speeding bc of the deer population around here. I've hit one before. Not head on bc I seen her coming at the last second and moved into the oncoming lane so she wouldn't flip onto the hood and go over the roof. 50yds from the entrance to my neighborhood.
06-22-2012, 11:49 PM
#19
1st Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: VA
Posts: 142
[QUOTE=shoeys08dkcandygt;7976984]
Ha. I just assumed you were younger. Since I turned 30 in May, I feel old. It is like a switch got turned in my head. Anyway, the back roads by me are way too hilly and curvy to do much spirited driving. There are some roads I can open up the 5.0 on, but I am much more reserved than I used to be. Then again, if I drove this car like I drove my Grand Am when I was 19, I would be dead. I mentioned the deer because there are dead ones all over the roads by me. It has been a crazy season for them since the winter was so mild.
Ahhh...what it is to be young again (I am 30 now). I am not sure where you live, but be careful when going that fast on back roads. I have a lot of deer where I live and I have seen some nasty accidents. It's bad enough when you hit one going 40 mph! Thanks for the info about the 6th gear speed though.
Funny thing is that ur younger than me. Only by a yr though. Ill be 32 in November. Lol. Live in middle Tn jusy south of Nashville. Grown up driving these back country roads and only drive the roads fast and all out when the sun is out. No night time speeding bc of the deer population around here. I've hit one before. Not head on bc I seen her coming at the last second and moved into the oncoming lane so she wouldn't flip onto the hood and go over the roof. 50yds from the entrance to my neighborhood.
Funny thing is that ur younger than me. Only by a yr though. Ill be 32 in November. Lol. Live in middle Tn jusy south of Nashville. Grown up driving these back country roads and only drive the roads fast and all out when the sun is out. No night time speeding bc of the deer population around here. I've hit one before. Not head on bc I seen her coming at the last second and moved into the oncoming lane so she wouldn't flip onto the hood and go over the roof. 50yds from the entrance to my neighborhood.
06-23-2012, 12:16 AM
#20
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: TN
Posts: 1,895
[QUOTE=Slappy3243;7977100]
Ha. I just assumed you were younger. Since I turned 30 in May, I feel old. It is like a switch got turned in my head. Anyway, the back roads by me are way too hilly and curvy to do much spirited driving. There are some roads I can open up the 5.0 on, but I am much more reserved than I used to be. Then again, if I drove this car like I drove my Grand Am when I was 19, I would be dead. I mentioned the deer because there are dead ones all over the roads by me. It has been a crazy season for them since the winter was so mild.
No worries. All good. I never grew up when it comes to how I drive. Oh well. Only live once and owning 2 other tuned gt's before my 12 has taught me to respect the car and know at any point it can get away from me. I respect her but ain't scared to push her limits as long as I'm not pushing my limits driving her. And 400hp now doesn't feel that quick when I've driven a 1100hp twin turboed Ford gt. That was a blast and scared the hell out of me. Lol. But I'd do it again in a second.
Ha. I just assumed you were younger. Since I turned 30 in May, I feel old. It is like a switch got turned in my head. Anyway, the back roads by me are way too hilly and curvy to do much spirited driving. There are some roads I can open up the 5.0 on, but I am much more reserved than I used to be. Then again, if I drove this car like I drove my Grand Am when I was 19, I would be dead. I mentioned the deer because there are dead ones all over the roads by me. It has been a crazy season for them since the winter was so mild.