[02v6Mustang]

I'm pretty new to the mustang scene and had heard some things about gears. I've heard people putting 3.73's or 4.10's in their stangs and i was wondering which one's would be best for me. Some of my friends at school that have camaro's and eclipse's have been wanting to race me and i new that my bone stock v6 won't beat em which is how this question came about. My stang is a 2002 v6 automatic. I dont know if it means anything but it has the traction control option on it from the factory. Any help is greatly appreciated.

[Twist 2 Go]

oh Lord, not another gear debate!

Opinions vary widely on this but on every v-6 I have done, the ones with the 4.10's are the most impressive.

[artisan00]

traction control is something different from the rear end.
in autos, most people say 4.10s are best, though you should take into consideration whether or not you would do a lot of highway cruising in the car - since the 4.10s will keep your revs up higher. just something to factor in.

personally, i have the 4.10s. i love them. from a stop, or when the car downshifts, it pulls a lot harder than it did before the swap.

as far as the traction control you mention - thats just the factory system that will use a combination of brakes and cutting engine power to limit wheel slipping if it sense any.

what you DO want to consider, is a traction-lok device. (generally known as a limited slip differential) for you rear end. it is part of the whole rear end assembly so there so reason not to do it at the same time as gears. (if you say you cant afford to buy both right way, better off waiting till you can, since youll get raped on the install price doing it twice, unless you are really friendly with the mechanic or something... rear and labor can be pricey depending on where you go, and plus, with gears and stuff, you want to do it right, and leave it alone.)

anyway...
what the limited slip will do is limit the effect we call 'one wheel peel'. with the stock 'open' differential, if a wheel loses traction, it will just spin like mad and the other wheel wont go anywhere. tahs why when you floor it now, just the right wheel will spin while the left just sits there. also sucks when you get stuck in snow...

the limited slip differential will make sure that at least some power is always going to both wheels. so youll have both wheels turning all the time

[02v6Mustang]

so if get a traction lok and 4.10 gears do u think i'll be able to hang with the boys at school with stock camaros, eclipse's, and cobalt's? Also would both of my wheels spin if i do a burnout or a doughnut? And thanx for the help. I really appreciate it.

[mdvaldosta]

Yes with the Tloc both wheels will spin. You should be able to hang with or take the cars on your hit list. AtlanticBlue99 is about to do this same thing, he can help you better with finding the parts.

[ckthecerealkiller]

Cheapest I have ever found for a set of Motive 4.10's and a Ford Racing T-lok is $400 (inc. shipping) from Summit Racing.

You could probably figure about $200 for the install.

[99mustang232]

also keep in mind that you have the 7.5 rear unlike the GT's with the 8.8, but the 99-04 GT 8.8 is a direct swap bolt-on. the 95-98 has slightly shorter axle tubes and will work but the wheels will look a little sunk-in but can be corrected by spacers or wheel offsets. If you plan on making any serious power later down the line you want to think of upgrading the rear... but if you plan on doing the regular bolt-on's not running "slicks" you would be fine with upgrading the ring and pinon in the 7.5, the first thing to go in the 7.5 is normally the spider gears.

regardless of the 7.5 or 8.8 go 4.10's with your auto!

[02v6Mustang]

what do u guys think about this ring and pinion set with this traction lok?



http://www.gefracing.com/Merchant2/m...egory_Code=38L

http://www.jawsgear.net/store/catalo...products_id=70

[AtlanticBlue99]

My FRPP 41:10 (4.1:1) ring and pinion and installation kit came in today. My FRPP T Lok should be in soon too. I got them off ebay for 279 shipped. Install, I am looking up today and Tuesday I should be able to tell you the seat of the pants difference, and next Monday I can tell you the difference they made in my timeslip.

I searched ebay for the 8.8" rear and building the 7.5" rear for several months and I jumped on this deal when I saw it. All new parts, expect to pay about 300 or so, but you can find a steal on ebay.

Driveline Speacialists has good parts, but try and talk them down in price. They also sell the auburn and eaton posi units.

[xx9gt6xx]

4:10's are sex in Mustangs. Weather your a 6 or an 8 you won't be dissapointed! GO 4:10s!

[02v6Mustang]

I talked to my local mechanic today and he said that with 4.10's that my motor would more than likely come apart if i did any kind of highway driving or long trips because of the motor's rpm's being so high for a long period of time. He said that the motor would wind up really tight and that 3.73;s would be more than enough gear for my car. What do u guys think?

[Twist 2 Go]

I have to call BS on that one. Your engine will not "blow up" on a long trip w/ 4.10's. You're only talking roughly 200-400 more rpm between the 4.10's and the 3.73's at cruise speeds. But the difference in overall performance will be much better with the lower gear.
FWIW, my daily driver truck has 4.10 gears and at 65 mph, it tachs like 2600rpm.

[02v6Mustang]

well he made a big deal out of the fact that how it was an automatic transmission and that if i changed the rear end gear that the shift points would be erratic and on long trips and highway driving that the motor's rpm's would rev pretty high and it would strain the motor. He suggested i go with 3.73's and get a speed sensor or magneto so my shift points wouldn't be so erratic. But i really want the best performance i can get for my car without damaging it and i figured it would be better to ask you guys here at MM. What do u guys think about what he said and what do u think i should do? Also what would the effects be (good and bad) if i put 4.10's in my car?

[Twist 2 Go]

personally, I think he's full of crap. When you correct the speedo to read correctly, all will be good.

[99mustang232]

there are probably several thousand other v6 owners out there that are currently running 4.10's on their auto v6 over on v6power.net or 3.8mustang.com if you want to search for their feedback.

[artisan00]

yo, i have 4.10s lke i said, on my 03 v6. at 65-70 mph, lke someone just said , the tach is just over 2500 rpm. i usually go on the highway at artound 70 anyway, maybe sometimes a little faster but thats still not gonna blow up the motor. keep it at 5-6k for the whole trip and thats another story...

just get a computer like the sct or diablo or something to correct for the gear change in the auyomatic, and it will be fine. my shift points are not erratic. yes they come a little sooner sometimes if you rev up quickly, but as with any car, you get used to these things. its not gnna start bucking around like a bull or anything.

[02v6Mustang]

so u guys think my car would be perfectly fine with 4.10 gears with some highway driving? I normally dont go over about 80 or 85 unless i'm late for school. Then i'll take it to about 115. Do u guys think the car would be fine? Also can they recalibrate my speedo at the shop that i get to put in my gears? And lastly can the transmission handle the gear change? I know i'm askin a bunch of questions and i really appreciate all of u'r help.

[Twist 2 Go]

yes, don't fear the gear! It will be fine.

[AtlanticBlue99]

if your car is an automatic, an sct xcal 2 will correct the speedo for the gears, if it is a manual, you can get a new speedo gear for it. and i will be driving a 4 hour highway trip with 4 10s twice within 24 hrs this next weekend. i shall let you know how much gas this shit takes.

dont fear the gear

[02v6Mustang]

Thanx for all your help guys. And i'll be waiting on the update on that 4 hour highway trip. And where can i get that xcal 2 and how much does it cost?