If you're looking to improve the off-the-line acceleration in performance but without adding
any horsepower, stepping up to a numerically higher gear ratio is a great way to do so.
Now, the Ford Performance 3.73s that we have here will fit the '86 to '14 V8, the '11 to
'14 V6 and '13 to '14 GT 500 equipped with the 8.8 solid rear end.
Now, this thing will include your ring and pinion as you can see for right around the
$150 price point.
And the install will not be for the first time mechanics out there as there is quite
a bit of work involved to set up a rear end properly, but we will graze over that here
in a bit.
So, it's no secret that the factory gear ratio for most of the early cars and I'm talking
Fox bodies, SN95s and even some of those early S197s wasn't exactly ideal for scorching off-the-line
performance and acceleration.
In fact, it was quite the opposite.
Now, most of these early cars were working with a 2.73, a 3.08 or in some cases a 3.27
but that was pretty much it until some of those later S197s finally ushered in an optional
3.55.
Now, with all that said, again a great way to increase the off-the-line acceleration
and performance but without bolting on any go fast parts is to install a numerically
higher gear ratio or shorter gear as you'll sometimes hear it described as, which will
again help get you up to speed and through those gears a little bit faster.
The only drawback here, guys, is a slight hit to your fuel economy but with the days
of overdrive transmissions, it's not nearly as bad as it used to be on those old school
four-speed cars.
But getting to the kit that we have here and again with that fuel economy thing in mind,
I would argue a lot of people would probably prefer a 3.73 to a more aggressive 4.10 because
depending on your factory gear ratio, you're still getting a much shorter gear with the
3.73, especially if you have like a Fox body with a 2.73 for instance and it's gonna feel
totally different but without turning a bunch more RPM on the highway while cruising like
you would with a 4.10, so overall, guys, it's gonna be a great compromise.
Now as far as the physical gears and construction are concerned, well nothing but the best from
Ford Performance as you might imagine, strong forge construction, CNC cut all with lap teeth
and then finished off in that black oxide coating.
The gears have been made in the USA and Ford Performance claims that these are going to
be some of the quietest gears available for that 8.8 solid rear axle.
But of course, the biggest cause of noise with a new set of gears will be from either
poor installation or poor setup.
Listen, guys, installing a new set of gears is a bit of an art form and does involve a
decent amount of work along with some specialty tools to get everything dialed in properly.
So because of that, we are gonna knock this one up to a full three out of three wrenches
on the old difficulty meter.
Now, if you don't them set up properly, including your proper backlash, your pattern, your depth
all that good stuff could lead to a noisy operation as I just mentioned.
So, therefore I will recommend most owners out there who aren't prepared to handle this
kind of job, take it to your local shop.
It's gonna cost you a few hundred bucks, maybe even close to a thousand depending on your
area but you'll thank me at the end of the day.
But one thing to keep in mind here, guys, is that after a gear install, especially one
with a very drastic change, your speedometer will no doubt be considerably off, so, therefore,
you will need to correct it.
Now '79 to '98 V8 owners can simply replace the speedo gear and that will be the most
cost-effective way to go, '99 and newer owners, on the other hand, can either fix it through
a handheld device or tuner or you can look into a speedo recalibration box from Ford
Performance for couple of hundred bucks.
But wrapping things up here, guys.
If you're looking to improve your off-the-line acceleration and grunt and work on those VTs
a set of 3.73s from Ford Performance would be an excellent choice.
And you can grab yours right here at americanmuscle.com.