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Old 04-26-2020, 08:29 PM   #20
V8COOPMAN
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Join Date: May 2010
Location: East Shore of LAKE HOUSTON
Posts: 11,106
Default Re: One of those annoying questions...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bored&Stroked View Post
Just to clarify, my issue with 3.54's on my back roads isn't about shifting, it is about just taking off from a stop-sign, pushing the engine through 1st and 2nd gear and enjoying the acceleration of 4.11 gears in a light hotrod. I really enjoyed this aspect of the car. When I switched over to 3.54, I sort of ruined that part of the deal for me . . . I made it a good highway car, but lost a bit of the fun that I previously enjoyed. Heck, the stock 59AB and 4.11 gears were even pretty dang fun . . . so as usual, I'm going to work some more and "solve" my problem - I like the BEST of BOTH WORLDS! LOL

B&S....You have brought up an aspect of transmission replacement that SO MANY folks fail to consider. JSeery and myself have both preached until we're blue in the face about the rewards of using the "close ratio" (2.95 1st gear) gear sets that are available for the NWC and the WC T5 gearboxes, that when thoughtfully combined with the "right" rear end ratio can make a world of difference between a "slug", a "waste", or a "pure dream"! And the T5, which offers three tightly-grouped ACCELERATING gears (1st, 2nd and 3rd) before shifting to the "STRAIGHT DRIVE" 4th gear (3rd in the old Ford box) gives the ability to really feel that seat-of-the-pants "pull" to an even greater degree. Drive someone's car with a T5 or a Muncie and you'll experience what I'm talking about. Your original set-up that you now miss (4.11/2.82 1st gear) gave you an overall 1st ratio of 11.59:1 ....great for leaving a stop sign. What you have now which gave-up much of that seat-of-the-pants "grunt" (3.54/2.82 1st gear) dropped your overall 1st gear ratio down to 9.98:1 ....as you said, going the wrong way for any exhilarating acceleration, especially with the large drop in RPMs between shifts. The 2.95 1st gear in the T5 (versus that awful 4.03 1st gear that comes in many S-10 T5s) combined with your current 3.54 Ford rear affords you a middle-ground overall 1st gear ratio of 10.44:1 ....PLUS one additional gear to keep the RPMs up. Talk about putting a smirk on your face IF feeling that engine "PULL" is what floats your boat. Not only that, but with the four (+1) forward gears, you can more-precisely select an appropriate RPM range while tooling through some back-country "twisties". You obviously understand, through your experience, the importance of giving serious thought to gear ratios and overall tire diameters when choosing gears and rears. Maybe someday you'll get that T5 in there for the ultimate in back road smiles. DD
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