Would Gears Help?
03-24-2006, 03:48 AM
#1
2nd Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 267
Would Gears Help?
Ok, so I have an 06 GT. I don't really speed when I drive. I only go about 5-8 over the speed limit. I drive on 45 and 35 MPH roads on my way to work. I stay in 4th gear all the time at about 2400rpm. My average gas usage is 15.7 miles per gallon. When i move into 5th gear to reduce the RPM and save gas (keep in mind i am only going around 50-53mph), the car seems very... slugish. I feel like i am hurting it. The rpm's are around 1350-1450. Seems like you need at least 1600+rpm in those high gears to move the car without feeling like it not hurting something.
So I was thinking about getting some gears. So when I shift into 5th gear it will be well above the 1350-1450 it is now. I was looking to be at like 1650-1700 RPM. Would I need 3.73, 3.90 or 4.10? I don't do much of any highway driving, only city. Any ideas?
-W
So I was thinking about getting some gears. So when I shift into 5th gear it will be well above the 1350-1450 it is now. I was looking to be at like 1650-1700 RPM. Would I need 3.73, 3.90 or 4.10? I don't do much of any highway driving, only city. Any ideas?
-W
03-24-2006, 09:11 AM
#2
RE: Would Gears Help?
4.10s or nothin
i dont care what anyone says, you will not loose gas milage with 4.10s, and they are not bad on the highway or whatever other BS myths are out there, if you dont go with atleast 4.10 gears you are wasting your money, auto or manual
edit: actually if you dont do much highway driving i would probably go with 4.30s but thats just me.
i dont care what anyone says, you will not loose gas milage with 4.10s, and they are not bad on the highway or whatever other BS myths are out there, if you dont go with atleast 4.10 gears you are wasting your money, auto or manual
edit: actually if you dont do much highway driving i would probably go with 4.30s but thats just me.
03-24-2006, 01:15 PM
#4
2nd Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 267
RE: Would Gears Help?
Next time you are going around 40-45 MPH, shfit the car into 5th gear and then try and move, thats the noise and vibration i am talking about and yes, thats not good for the car. I had an 00 GT that i ignored the noise and vibration on and my tranny was never the same after about 6 months. I dont want to do that again on this one. When i drive it's just righton the boarder line. I need up my RPM by around 1750-2.5k and i would be golden. I would stay well below 2k rpm in 5th gear on the 45mph freeway i take to work and not 2.5k like i am now. I mean i only get around 16.7 or so miles to the gallon and i should be getting alot more. A full tank in my car only reads like 278 miles to E. I just dont know what gears would be good to get me to my goal. I was thinking 4.10's
EDIT: Ohh yea and also, i would like to go faster! hehe
-W
EDIT: Ohh yea and also, i would like to go faster! hehe
-W
03-24-2006, 01:57 PM
#5
RE: Would Gears Help?
ok how about this, with 4.10s at 40 to 45 mph it is turning faster rpms which allows you to use OD and will increase your gas milage to what EPA says for highway, on the highway you will start getting you city milage either stay stock, or go atleast 4.10
03-24-2006, 03:40 PM
#6
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 267
RE: Would Gears Help?
I guess there is not enough low end torque is what i am trying to get at. If i added 4.10 gears or 3.90 which is what i want to do anyway, that shuold raise the RPM level in 5th gear to above 1600rpmwhile going around 50mph so i dont ge that slugish lack of power and vibration i get now. Correct?
-W
-W
03-24-2006, 03:51 PM
#7
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
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Posts: 2,544
RE: Would Gears Help?
4.10 gears are about 1.155 times lower than the stock 3.55 gears.
4.30 gears are about 1.21 times lower than the 3.55s.
So, if you are currently 1400 rpm in 5th gear at 40 mph (This is just a guess I made based on your first post), then with 4.10 gears you'd be looking at 1600 rpm (also 5th gear at 40 mph). With 4.30 gears you'd be looking at about 1700 rpm in 5th gear at 40 mph.
I'm curious though. I understand that if you're driving around 40 in 5th you're not going to have much power when you step on the pedal. The engine is operating at a speed at which it's not making much HP or torque. But why not cruise in 5th at those speeds, and if you need some power for passing, just drop down a gear or two? The "vibration" and hesitation problem is only there if you try to step on the gas while in that low of a gear.
My daily commute is pretty similar to yours. I have a very short section of freeway (60 mph) followed by a good bit of 40 then 35 mph city streets. I stay in 5th most of the time. In fact, about 35 mph is my cutoff point for what gear I cruise in...any slower than that and it's time to downshift. Of course, if I need to pass or traffic slows down, or there's a lot of stop-and-go, I downshift too. But, following that formula I'm getting 19-20 MPG (city) no problem.
4.30 gears are about 1.21 times lower than the 3.55s.
So, if you are currently 1400 rpm in 5th gear at 40 mph (This is just a guess I made based on your first post), then with 4.10 gears you'd be looking at 1600 rpm (also 5th gear at 40 mph). With 4.30 gears you'd be looking at about 1700 rpm in 5th gear at 40 mph.
I'm curious though. I understand that if you're driving around 40 in 5th you're not going to have much power when you step on the pedal. The engine is operating at a speed at which it's not making much HP or torque. But why not cruise in 5th at those speeds, and if you need some power for passing, just drop down a gear or two? The "vibration" and hesitation problem is only there if you try to step on the gas while in that low of a gear.
My daily commute is pretty similar to yours. I have a very short section of freeway (60 mph) followed by a good bit of 40 then 35 mph city streets. I stay in 5th most of the time. In fact, about 35 mph is my cutoff point for what gear I cruise in...any slower than that and it's time to downshift. Of course, if I need to pass or traffic slows down, or there's a lot of stop-and-go, I downshift too. But, following that formula I'm getting 19-20 MPG (city) no problem.
03-24-2006, 07:59 PM
#8
1st Gear Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 125
RE: Would Gears Help?
For what it is worth, Ford is one of the WORST american auto makers when it comes to matching transmission and rear end ratio's with a particular engine's torque curve. A possible exception was the 5.0L Explorer that had a factory 3.73:1 ratio standard. My old 5.0L F150 4x4 downshifted out of overdrive on level pavement at 65 MPH if it was hit by a gust of wind[:'(]. It never got better than 15 MPG on the HWY. My company 2500HD with an 8.1 BBC and 3.73's can equal that on the HWY.
I'm already finding my '06 GT 5 speed to be geared too conservatively, as I too don't like lugging it in 5th gear. The 5 speed should have been equipped standard with a 3.73:1 to 3.90:1 with a 4.10:1 option. Most people on this forum seem to love their 4.10's with a NA engine. Based on my experience with other Fords, I'm not surprised they are not seeing a big mileage debit.
I'm already finding my '06 GT 5 speed to be geared too conservatively, as I too don't like lugging it in 5th gear. The 5 speed should have been equipped standard with a 3.73:1 to 3.90:1 with a 4.10:1 option. Most people on this forum seem to love their 4.10's with a NA engine. Based on my experience with other Fords, I'm not surprised they are not seeing a big mileage debit.
03-24-2006, 08:06 PM
#9
2nd Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 267
RE: Would Gears Help?
ORIGINAL: CrazyAl
4.10 gears are about 1.155 times lower than the stock 3.55 gears.
4.30 gears are about 1.21 times lower than the 3.55s.
So, if you are currently 1400 rpm in 5th gear at 40 mph (This is just a guess I made based on your first post), then with 4.10 gears you'd be looking at 1600 rpm (also 5th gear at 40 mph). With 4.30 gears you'd be looking at about 1700 rpm in 5th gear at 40 mph.
I'm curious though. I understand that if you're driving around 40 in 5th you're not going to have much power when you step on the pedal. The engine is operating at a speed at which it's not making much HP or torque. But why not cruise in 5th at those speeds, and if you need some power for passing, just drop down a gear or two? The "vibration" and hesitation problem is only there if you try to step on the gas while in that low of a gear.
My daily commute is pretty similar to yours. I have a very short section of freeway (60 mph) followed by a good bit of 40 then 35 mph city streets. I stay in 5th most of the time. In fact, about 35 mph is my cutoff point for what gear I cruise in...any slower than that and it's time to downshift. Of course, if I need to pass or traffic slows down, or there's a lot of stop-and-go, I downshift too. But, following that formula I'm getting 19-20 MPG (city) no problem.
4.10 gears are about 1.155 times lower than the stock 3.55 gears.
4.30 gears are about 1.21 times lower than the 3.55s.
So, if you are currently 1400 rpm in 5th gear at 40 mph (This is just a guess I made based on your first post), then with 4.10 gears you'd be looking at 1600 rpm (also 5th gear at 40 mph). With 4.30 gears you'd be looking at about 1700 rpm in 5th gear at 40 mph.
I'm curious though. I understand that if you're driving around 40 in 5th you're not going to have much power when you step on the pedal. The engine is operating at a speed at which it's not making much HP or torque. But why not cruise in 5th at those speeds, and if you need some power for passing, just drop down a gear or two? The "vibration" and hesitation problem is only there if you try to step on the gas while in that low of a gear.
My daily commute is pretty similar to yours. I have a very short section of freeway (60 mph) followed by a good bit of 40 then 35 mph city streets. I stay in 5th most of the time. In fact, about 35 mph is my cutoff point for what gear I cruise in...any slower than that and it's time to downshift. Of course, if I need to pass or traffic slows down, or there's a lot of stop-and-go, I downshift too. But, following that formula I'm getting 19-20 MPG (city) no problem.
-W
03-24-2006, 08:33 PM
#10
RE: Would Gears Help?
ORIGINAL: rotorr22
For what it is worth, Ford is one of the WORST american auto makers when it comes to matching transmission and rear end ratio's with a particular engine's torque curve. A possible exception was the 5.0L Explorer that had a factory 3.73:1 ratio standard. My old 5.0L F150 4x4 downshifted out of overdrive on level pavement at 65 MPH if it was hit by a gust of wind[:'(]. It never got better than 15 MPG on the HWY. My company 2500HD with an 8.1 BBC and 3.73's can equal that on the HWY.
I'm already finding my '06 GT 5 speed to be geared too conservatively, as I too don't like lugging it in 5th gear. The 5 speed should have been equipped standard with a 3.73:1 to 3.90:1 with a 4.10:1 option. Most people on this forum seem to love their 4.10's with a NA engine. Based on my experience with other Fords, I'm not surprised they are not seeing a big mileage debit.
For what it is worth, Ford is one of the WORST american auto makers when it comes to matching transmission and rear end ratio's with a particular engine's torque curve. A possible exception was the 5.0L Explorer that had a factory 3.73:1 ratio standard. My old 5.0L F150 4x4 downshifted out of overdrive on level pavement at 65 MPH if it was hit by a gust of wind[:'(]. It never got better than 15 MPG on the HWY. My company 2500HD with an 8.1 BBC and 3.73's can equal that on the HWY.
I'm already finding my '06 GT 5 speed to be geared too conservatively, as I too don't like lugging it in 5th gear. The 5 speed should have been equipped standard with a 3.73:1 to 3.90:1 with a 4.10:1 option. Most people on this forum seem to love their 4.10's with a NA engine. Based on my experience with other Fords, I'm not surprised they are not seeing a big mileage debit.