DukeU03

I just really dont understand how the rear gears work, any explanation on what the upsides/downsides of larger rear gears are would be appreciated, thanks

mdvaldosta

you know how your car pulls better in 1st gear than it does in 2nd? well going to a numerically higher rear end gear is kinda doing the same thing. you sacrafice engine rpm for more torque to the ground.

DaGGer

ok well i have a question while your on the subject...i'm going to be doing a 5.0 swap in my 93 and i wanted to know do i have to replace the rear axle(i'm going to replace the gears but i don't want to do that if i have to change the axel out) and if so then what would be a good gear for highway and daily driving...basicly a good gear for driving all year round and a lot of highway driving...thanks for your time.

DukeU03

thanks md, so if i got you rite it means more torque, which means faster times, and the only sacrafice is fuel economy cause of the rpm difference? that is my interpretation, also do you have to/recommend change anythin else to change your gears?

4fit?

I believe that you currently have a 7.5" rea end in you 2.3. I would highly recommend changing this out to the 8.8" out of the 5.0 mustang. The 5.0 engine creates quite a bit of torque even in unmodified form, right around 300 at the flywheel. Once you start modding it, your torque is bound to increasem which will place more strain on your drive line and your rear end. I say definetely change it out to an 8.8" unit.

Also, in my opinion one of the best all around gears is 3.55s But I am sure that you will get several different opinions on that.

mdvaldosta

exactly



and yea 3.55's are my gear of choice on 5.0's as well, 3.73's with an auto

DukeU03

so out of 3.55, 3.73, 4.10, and 4.30 you guys would say 3.55? would the 4.33 give me better performance? jus curious cuz they are all the same price

mdvaldosta

yea 4.30 would give you more power to the tires, but unless you've got a suspension and tire setup that can put it to the ground you won't run any faster that with 3.55's.. not to mention 4.30's on a 5.0 = interstate cruizing at 4k rpm

4fit?

Is you car auto or 5sp? If it is all around performance you are looking for, go with 3.55s for 5sp or 3.73s for auto. If you want to lean more towards the racing performance side, go with 3.73s for the 5sp and 4.10s for the auto. But with that setup, if you ever add a poweradder and get down into the mid 11's, you will most likely run out of gear before the traps.

DaGGer

ok well i want to do a 5.0 engine swap right...do standard would be my goal but i mean its kinda hard to find a manual trans...so i guess eather would be my choice...i hate autos with a passion...and i want to have performance but i also want to have the ability to drive it around daily...i drive the highway all the time...i don't mind having my car up at 3,000 rpms..but i would rather have it at like say 2,000 to 2,750....i want to be able to do about 75 as an average...so i mean i don't know much about gears but 3.55 sounds like a good gear instead of 2.73 i think thats it but something close to that...thanks for the info people