Gears OR Stall?
Teching In
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
From: Louisiana (Ruston and Lake Charles)
Originally Posted by josh99ta
If yo've got 2.73s I'd do gears first (gasp). My converter did help the car alot as I did it first (3200 stall), but the car still sucked because of the 2.73 gears. Not really an issue on the street but it just annoyed me at the track shifting a few hundred feet before the traps and having the car fall on it's face (even with the converter). My 3.42 swap made a heck of a difference and while its not as SOTP as the converter is, it made the car more peppy and responsive, and it's a good "base mod" in that once you get the gears you can see how the car feels, and choose your converter after that (I wouldn't go with the 3200 unless you had 2.73s and planned on keeping them).
Maybe I just say that because I did a converter first and gears later, and dont know how much of a difference a gear swap can make by itself. I know from stock-> converter and then later on doing converter->gears, the gears made more of a difference IMO.
If you've got 3.23s it's a no-brainer, converter all the way (3500 minimum). I just HATE 2.73 gears.
Maybe I just say that because I did a converter first and gears later, and dont know how much of a difference a gear swap can make by itself. I know from stock-> converter and then later on doing converter->gears, the gears made more of a difference IMO.
If you've got 3.23s it's a no-brainer, converter all the way (3500 minimum). I just HATE 2.73 gears.
Seriously though, a lot of Mustang guys (myself included) do gears before the converter. But it seems that most of y'all on here have done it the other way around. After seeing how all of your cars have responded to the converter, I think he should go with it before the gears.
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 1,458
Likes: 14
From: Vinton, Louisiana
This may sound retarded, but how the hell can I find out what my stock gear is, short of spinning the rear tires and counting the revolutions of the DS? I know there's a way and I'm thinking 3.42 is what I have, but want to confirm it...
What up cuz?
What up cuz?
Launching!
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 252
Likes: 0
From: Kansas
Honestly, I guess if your really want my .02 And this is what i tell everybody.If you want your car to go fast. DONT CARE ABOUT GAS, I am prolly going to go with 4:10's here any a little while, I just got to see if I can spray, People say..NO, but im just gonna do it and see. Cant hurt to try
By the codes as was said (GU2, GU5). Also, if you're holding steady at 70 MPH and below 2000 RPMs you've definitely got 2.73s. If you're over 2000 then you have 3.23s. No A4 car got 3.42s from the factory.
Yup, if it's a Firehawk, he should have the 3.23s. All of the Camaro SS's got the 3.23s as well, and I'm guessing the WS6s did too.
I'm one of the 2.73 Z28s.
My converter will fix that though, and after that down the road I'll put in some 3.42s 
I'm one of the 2.73 Z28s.
My converter will fix that though, and after that down the road I'll put in some 3.42s LS1 Tech Stories
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Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 6,216
Likes: 236
From: Wichita KS / Rancho San Diego
Since your Firehawk has 3.23's, which are a good all around gear, there's no question: converter. Like Josh, I HATE 2.73's, and if you had them, I'd say get rid of them immediately. For your goals, I'd say a 3200 converter would be great. My goals weare the same, and I went with a 3000 and I'm happy with it. Throttle response is still pretty snappy around town (95% of my driving). Like you, I go to the track 2-3 times a year, and I didn't want something that would real loose in everyday driving.
Originally Posted by InfiniteReality
Finally stopped raining so I checked it while cleaning the car last night. I have GU6, so I have 3.42's! DEFINITELY a stall first!!
i never knew
Originally Posted by InfiniteReality
Finally stopped raining so I checked it while cleaning the car last night. I have GU6, so I have 3.42's! DEFINITELY a stall first!!
If that's true, then I've seriously NEVER heard of an auto having 3.42s from the factory.
Are you sure about that? Maybe it was an M6 and got converted to an auto https://ls1tech.com/forums/showpost....85&postcount=7
Don't let anyone here who hasn't had 4.10s in an auto tell you not to do that either. I've talked to a couple of guys who did that, also, my mechanic recommended it for my auto. Gas mileage will actually improve greatly around the city. It isn't so great on the highway as you can imagine.
I already have major traction issues with 3.73's ... don't think I would go 4.10's with a high stall converter, unless you do a lot of time at the track and you're torque/power is way in the upper power band.
Small cam IMO means more low-end torque ... so, wouldn't do anything over 3.73's with my current cam. It's a baby.
Small cam IMO means more low-end torque ... so, wouldn't do anything over 3.73's with my current cam. It's a baby.
Originally Posted by Scotty-Z
Yup, if it's a Firehawk, he should have the 3.23s. All of the Camaro SS's got the 3.23s as well, and I'm guessing the WS6s did too.
I'm one of the 2.73 Z28s. My converter will fix that though, and after that down the road I'll put in some 3.42s
I'm one of the 2.73 Z28s.
My converter will fix that though, and after that down the road I'll put in some 3.42s I see a TC in my not to distant future.
Originally Posted by green28
I feel your pain, I'm in the 2.73 club as well. What kind of track times have you gotten from your current setup? I will have about the same setup as you after this weekend, that is if my header install goes as planned.
I see a TC in my not to distant future.
I see a TC in my not to distant future.
It's been two years and I've never been able to get to the track to take her down the 1/4! I'd love to get there this week though to see how she does before the converter goes in. If not, then I'll just try to get it in and hit some mid 12s. Good luck with your header install!Oh and if it helps at all, with my current setup I dynoed 338 rwhp/345 rwtq on a fairly hot and humid day.