Gear Ratio For Maverick

not sure which area this should be posted in...so, i figured that this would be a good place to start...i have a 1974 Maverick with a 302 and C4 trans...the rear end is 3.00...my question is, are there any rear ends that are more "freeway friendly"...? thanks in advance for any information...

 

Sounds like you want overdrive. The only higher ratio is a 2.79.

 

Although I have a 250 six cylinder. I swapped my 2.79 to a 3.00 and got better MPG's. The reason is because the engine doesn’t have to work hard with the leverage its getting from the extra ratio to get up to speed or maintain speed.

 

thanks...guess i'll be keeping an eye out for that sometime down the road...

 

A quick fix would be to use a taller tire for now. Then recurve the disty.. because factory advance curves suck cheezits.. for improved power at typical cruising rpm.

An adjustable vacuum pot, bumped initial timing, and limited total timing figures will usually help quite a bit too. That can be worth an EASY 2 mpg or well more on ocassion. If you drive a lot that'll pay for those new taller tires in no time.

 

I had 2.79

Made for good fun on the freeway

Actually schooled a friend in a new mustang from 55mph +

I swear it could go 130 with the 26" tires. Slam second to 6500 grab third and MOVE.

Around town...It was a turd. Leaving the line and slug along until 4000rpm where the motor started screaming.

If you had a 351W or a 460 or something the 2.79 probably would work. With a stick it would be fine, but it was so slow from a dig it was pitiful.



Swapped in 4.11's and OMIGOD. Scary Unfortunately now a 5 speed is in the works due to the 3500rpm cruising at 70mph...

With 4.11's it is spinning way to much to catch 2nd on the freeway, thus it lost a TON of speed up high. With the t-5 I hope she makes up for it

 

I know somewhere in this you said something...

......

 

Long story short...

2.80's are boring.

4.11's are too much fun.

 

Lol ^^^^^

I have the 4.11's and the t5 and love it

 

3.80's and C-4. Haven't tried it yet.

 

3:80's with a T-5....Perfect!

 

It's true that an overdrive will give you the best of both worlds, a good take-off and lower RPM's on the highway, but without the overdrive the 2.79 will slow the engine down somewhat. Compared to a 3.00 the 2.79 will reduce your RPM's 7% (2500 RPM will become 2325 RPM, 3000 will become 2790 etc) It will also reduce your take-off by 7% Gearing is a compromise. If you do alot of stop-n-go, intown driving I would keep the 3.00 if you do mostly highway driving and speeds over 60 I would go with the 2.79 I have owned cars with both and for me I'd want the 2.79 Hope this helps.

Joe

 

In my experience, almost anything running a smaller motor, especially if it's cammed up a bit, with an OD trans and using taller than 3.25 gears will struggle with long highway grades. Plus, around town driving on slightly faster roads won't even allow the OD to kick in very often either.

3.00 rear gear combined with that trans will give you a final drive of about 2 to 1. Seems like a pretty tall gear unless you specifically build the motor for low-end torque. A higher compression would surely help there too.

On the other hand.. the car is pretty light though.. so maybe you'll be fine going up slight grades during 1,400 rpm OD cruising? I just know cars that weight 400-600 lbs more don't particulalry care for it.

If you want your cake and get to eat it too?.. 3.25 - 3.50 gears are perfect "mileage combo's" with an OD trans. Just depends on how often you like to eat that cake.

 

thanks for all of the replies...my next question is...with the 3.00 rear end, what would be a "comfortable" freeway speed that wouldn't keep me in the slow lane...? my Mav has a c-4...

 

I can only assume you meant "freeway RPM" since no one can really tell you what is a "comfortable speed" in your particular traffic situation or law enforcement status. Personally.. I'm not happy unless I'm passing 90% or more of traffic. lol

As of late, there are many here who would know better than me since it's been a while since I've been cruising with 3.00's.

but IIRC, I used to tool down the highway at around 2,200-2,400 rpm @ around 60mph with 26 or 27 inch tires. And the 289's and 302's made enough torque to pull you up bigger hills without issue.