HELP, 3.73 rear?

[rusher75]

i am think about putting in 3.73 in the rear of my v6 mustang 2000. what would i need to do to go about that. and where is the best place for it. is 373 good or what? what about 4.10s. what do you guys think

[andrewespo]

I'd go with 3.73's, 4.10's are more for a track car. 3.73's are good all around. You can check out summitracing.com. Also with the higher gear this means lower top speed but quicker acceleration. Lower gear higher top speed lower acceleration. Think about what the cars going to be for, considering it is a v6.

[rusher75]

its my all around car. it just got no balls. i want faster acceleration. what do i buy, a ring and pinion set. i think its a 7.5 inch.

[StangNut86]

you buy a ring and pinion set, a new set of carrier, pinion, and axle bearings, axle seals, and gear lube. bear in mind, setting up a rear axle's gears is PRECISION WORK. you MUST know what you're doing. a trained professional can do it for about 2 or 3 hundred dollars. also, they often buy the gears for you and tell you how to break them in. all mustangs after 93 have 8.8" rear ends. including v6 models.

[rusher75]

thanks, ill keep all that in mind. are you sure about the 8.8" , i thought the gt had them and the V6 had 7.5". i was looking at the conversion to put a gt rear in a lx.

[StangNut86]

there's no 'conversion' in this case. you pull your 7.5 (assuming that's what you have) and bolt in an 8.8 from a GT. everything bolts right up. i'm sure there's little exceptions here and there, and guys on here will know exactly what those are.

am i wrong, guys? dont' all v6s after 93 have 8.8s?

[SVTcobra306]

Just look at the diff cover, if it's got 4 straight sides it's an 8.8, if it has a straight top and bottom with curved sides it's a 7.5.

BTW your top speed may actually increase a few mph because a six-shooter won't have the balls to run to redline in it's highest gear, and will probably go faster with the extra gear reduction.

[motor_head_429]

Auto or Manual?

[rusher75]

its a auto. it has curved sides. so its a 7.5

[StangNut86]

hmm, i stand corrected. but the swap is super easy.

[rusher75]

im sorry guy, but my car has a 7.5 rear. not a 8.8. and SVTcobra306 what do you mean by a extra gear reduction.

[motor_head_429]

With an automatic on a V6 I would go with 4.10s.

[SVTcobra306]

Originally Posted by rusher75

im sorry guy, but my car has a 7.5 rear. not a 8.8. and SVTcobra306 what do you mean by a extra gear reduction.

3:73's compared to stock gears give you extra gear reduction. (one of those terms that seems to sound backwards but applies correctly...)

I.E. 3.08 gears are "high gears" and 4.10's are "low gears", so you have more gear reduction with lower gears. Forgive my crappy explanation, I am kinda tired...

Anyway, the good news is that since you have a 7.5, go junkyard hunting for a late 80's Ranger XLT with an auto trans, check the door tag for axle code F7- it's a factory 4.10 limited slip.