Looking at gears and exhaust

[JiMi_DRiX]

First off, wooo! I'm 25 today!! Which means I'm in a good mood and I'm looking at new toys for the Mustang.

The drivetrain is all stock, and I want to pep it up some. I know gears on the 4.6 cars are a must, but I'm not sure what to get. I drive on the freeway every now and then, and if I get 4.10's, I dont want it screaming in 5th gear. My Monte Carlo already has that problem with the 3speed and 3.73's, I cant drive it on the freeway anymore. My Mustang is my daily driver, so I have to still keep it that way to some extent...
Can anyone with a pretty much stock setup tell me what RPM their car runs at in 5th gear on the freeway with either 4.10s or 3.73s?

My car has 34k miles.. what else can I do for maintenance while the rear end is open up? I'm looking at AM's site, and they have lots of rear end parts. I'm guessing that aside from gears, a posi unit is going to be extra, right? I dont think mine is posi... one wheel wonder! woot!

As much as I really want exhaust, I think gears might have to come first, its a sloth taking off, its terrible!

 

[switch96]

Def do gears before exhaust. I fully suggest 4.10s. Before I was around 2200 at 68mph, now I'm at 2400. Very reasonable, and honestly I haven't noticed a significant gas mileage difference either. I'd take it for multiple hour trips if I didn't hate putting miles on it.

 

[got5.0]

I'm pretty sure you should be spinning both wheels with the v8... anyways, I think 4.10's or 3.73's are a great bang for the buck mod and I would personally suggest 4.10's. Don't fear the gear.

 

[94-427]

A good X pipe will help
3.73 gears on a daily driver good combo
do cold air intake kit

 

[OnyxCobra]

What's the 5th gear ratio in the 4.6? I'm at 2400rpm @ 75mph with 3.55 gears. That's with a T5 that has a .68 OD

 

[96_SVT_Cobra]

i run about 3000 rpms @ 80mph in 5th with 4.10 gears.

 

[boosted93]

Gears are a must they made drivin my mustang a night and day diffrence.. I have 3.73 but drive the free way alot.. I bet 4.10 would be fun

 

[JiMi_DRiX]

When I put the 3.73s in my Monte Carlo, I was blown away. It'll rip the 275 rear tires hard when it shifts 1st to second, and even a little 2nd to 3rd!!

3k at 80mph? hmm.. not sure thats so bueno for me. I dont go on the freeway a lot, but I do need a car thats capable of it. I have a feeling I might end up with a third car if this keeps going the way it has been, lol.

I definitely plan on an X pipe when I do the exhaust. The CAI is on the car, but its pretty useless as far as I can tell.

 

[uncltrvlnmatt]

My 97 is my DD and I run 3:73's. Very happy with them.

 

[Lee12609]

the difference in RPM at 75mph from 4.10 to 3.73 is 250rpm...... thats about the same as going from 70-80 now RPM wise.

 

[duh09]

First off, wooo! I'm 25 today!! Which means I'm in a good mood and I'm looking at new toys for the Mustang.

The drivetrain is all stock, and I want to pep it up some. I know gears on the 4.6 cars are a must, but I'm not sure what to get. I drive on the freeway every now and then, and if I get 4.10's, I dont want it screaming in 5th gear. My Monte Carlo already has that problem with the 3speed and 3.73's, I cant drive it on the freeway anymore. My Mustang is my daily driver, so I have to still keep it that way to some extent...
Can anyone with a pretty much stock setup tell me what RPM their car runs at in 5th gear on the freeway with either 4.10s or 3.73s?

My car has 34k miles.. what else can I do for maintenance while the rear end is open up? I'm looking at AM's site, and they have lots of rear end parts. I'm guessing that aside from gears, a posi unit is going to be extra, right? I dont think mine is posi... one wheel wonder! woot!

As much as I really want exhaust, I think gears might have to come first, its a sloth taking off, its terrible!

Since your car is a GT, it had a trac-lok setup. If you're getting a one wheel wonder, it needs to be rebuilt... which sounds crazy for a 34k mi car but whatever. I'm pretty sure AM sells rebuilt kits and if not, I bet Latemodel does.

 

[JiMi_DRiX]

Yeah, I'm not really sure. I know for sure that I've spun two on slick concrete, but I remember one time I left ONE very dark black line leaving a stop sign, lol. I rarely drive the car hard, and the previous owners im sure didnt either, it was in too nice of condition and seemed like older people. I work at Ford, I'm sure someone would know.

3.73's seem more logical, but hell... 4.10's would be great when I get to point where I get to swap the motor a few years from now..

 

[Lee12609]

3.73s are the best all around for a daily driver in my opinion even for an automatic.

also, you can get a trac loc rebuild kit pretty much anywhere online. i ordered mine from a small dealer, they are the 03-04 cobra with carbon clutches, i think it was $120ish. i was supposed to be doing my gears today, but had to much fun this weekend and couldnt get out of bed...