gear accessories

[Rodek]

I am about to buy some 3.73 gears for my 1994 Mustang Gt Convertible (5spd)

I have some questions however.

1) I am reading people say that with this gearing, 1rst gear becomes useless and that they just spin out with it. Many others say that if you get these gears you will have to buy new tires to get better traction. From your guys' experience, how true is this? My car is bone stock except for subframes and the Steeda Tri-Ax short shifter, will i really need to buy new tires to get traction. I dont' really race much and spend most of my time on the freeway.

2) what other accessories should I buy when I purchase my gears to have installed. Should I buy new differential bearings? Should I buy a t-loc rebuild kit as well? Are there any like standard things that get done while they have my differential open?

3) How many of you that have 3.73 or above ended up needing to get an alluminum driveshaft to get rid of driveshaft vibrations?

4) Would it be a better idea to just get the largest speedo tooth that ford made (was it 20 or 21) and always be a little off instead of getting the 23 tooth and having to replace it every 6 months.

[wildstringer]

first off if you do alot of highway driving you are going to lose some gas milage and the rpms will of course be alot high at your normal cruising speed , but if you are set on 3.73's. as far as 1st gear being useless i wouldnt say that its just alot quicker. now would be a good time to check u joints axle seals and bearings and carrier bearings . other than your speedo will be off but have heard nothing about tires

[brentmcq]

373 is a great all around gear especially if you do a fair amount of in town driving. Rule of thumb is if your rear end has over 50,000 miles definately replace the bearings. I would do it anyway just to be safe. Whether or not you get sticky tires is up to you, that's depends on how you drive and whether you are looking for a good ET at the track. Regardless the 373 will give you much better performance. Replacing the driveshaft is a great question. I put 390 gears in my GT about 6 weeks ago. It feels like my driveshaft is out of balance above 75 MPH. I am considering getting an alluminum shaft if that will fix the slight annoyance. If anyone has an opinion on that let me know.