ok i know everyone here probably feels the same way with 2.73's, yeah gas mileage is good but when your friend in his 95 V6 mustang with 150 hp almost beats you in a race its time for a swap. with 2.73's these cars have no pull past 50, it was a rolling start at about that and i had it pegged when he went to pass me and all it did was rev and i felt no low gear at all. So my question is has anyone done a gear swap on a stock tbi motor? only mods i have are the open element filter (still the factory paper filter though), cat-back exhaust and royal purple 5w30. I was thinking a 3.55 so i could at least keep a little overdrive on the highway since the nearest drag strip is 2 hours away but can anyone tell me what gears you have used and how much of a difference it made? Im going to buy the holley systemax engine package in a few months so i will defnitely have more power to put down, but id rather have the gears first to make it run quicker with what i have. thanks.

 

im thinking about 3:73 or 4:11. im not sure what to do but guys are telling me get the 3:73. im not sure what to do. if i hade to choose it would be the 3:73.

 

I think the general consensus on the boards (correct me if I'm wrong, guys) is that 3.42 is the best all-around gear for 305 TBIs.

 

i agree with that. when i changed to 3.42's i noticed better preformance and i seemed to get better gas miliage. I'd say go with 3.42's

 

i got 3.73s....i run about 2500-2800 rpm on the freeway and get bout 20 mpg....i get bout a 2.1 60ft on street tires....and it bulls like hell in the top end....3rd gear is killer...spins the tires a lil much off the line tho....only have a couple things done...other wise its a stock 305 tbi....ohh and it eats 96 poopstain gt's

 

 

Just because the car has a throttle body on it doesn't mean it goes in the TBI board guys....

Moved...

 

i put it in the tbi board cause i dont wanna hear someone with a 350 tpi telling how much faster his is because of a gear swap, it has like 50 more hp stock for stock. I wanted to hear from other tbi owners not people who put a big block in saying how much of a difference a gear swap made for them.

 

Understandable, which is why I left a re-direct to it in the TBI board, but you have to keep in mind if that was the way it normally worked there would be no point for any other boards but the TBI, TPI, Carb, and V6, cuz' EVERYTHING ties into them somehow. Believe me, I in no way am trying to bring you or anyone else down or say you are wrong, but if we keep leaving threads in forums they don't technically go in, then eventually we will have to change all the boards and eliminate half of them due to their lack of usefullness. The same goes for any forum. Hopefully you understand what I'm saying, and if you have any further issues please send me a PM. Thanks...

Bruce (90RS305)

 

I put 3.73 gears in last summer in anticipation of a ZZ4 installation this spring. The 3.73's seem to have magnified the lower RPM nature of this engine as I'll tear-up anyone across an intersection..... then I'm done! The engine just has no top end to pull these gears and I'd recommend the 3.42 or even a 3.27 to someone keeping a TBI 305 in their car. Just my opinion...

 

Just so I do have some tech in this thread, IMO the 3.08's I have in my car that came stock (cuz' I have a 5 speed) are perfect! It is still an open-ended rear, which I plan on getting a locking carrier one of these days, but I don't think I would want anything else on this car unless I got a different engine. The 3.08's enough to get my car to beat most TPI 305 thirdgens (and I have a member here that can vouch, he has a TPI 305 that went 0-4 against me at the drag strip ) and I still get GREAT gas milege. I average 22mpg with heavy city driving and a lead foot, and I even got 36MPG on my last road trip!! So yeah, if you can salvage a rear-end off a T-5 equiped 305TBI thirdgen, I'd do that.


Bruce (90RS305)

 

I personally think that 3.23's or 3.42's would be the best because of the low rpm tourqe, and that they redline at 4500. I would think 3.73's or 4.10's would pull you through your tourqe band to quickly, and thats the only thing a 305TBI has going for it, tourqe.

 

I fully agree I have the same situation I have the 3.73's since im planning on a new engine, great for the low end but after that. . .

 

dont forget a 350TBI too... dad gummit... stupid bruce and your stupid possessed lo3, stupid dumb ::grumble grumble::


anywho... im going woth 3.42's on mine because i still need to drive the freeway, but i too am tired of being beat down after 50 mph... i can spin em into 2nd no problem, but after that, its all over...

 

Exactly