Has anyone installed a gear vendors set up on a 6 cylinder maverick? If so, can you share details? At over 3k dollars I am wondering if it is even worth it from all stand points. Difficulty of installation, improvement on performance, etc. It would be good to see if there are alternatives to the vendors. I am looking for ways to make my car more enjoyable to drive, and that little 250 in it screams for help when I drive on the highway. it has the factory rear axle gears and at about 60 miles per hour it cries for another gear. Thanks for the input.
you should be able to put a aod in. that has an overdrive and a lockup conveter. both of those features will keep the rpms down on the freeway. you may find that that motor doesnt have enough lowend power to pull the car at such low rpms. an aod conversion for you should not cost more than $1500 and will bolt in to the car with just a crossmember change.
Gear Vendor What do u mean (RPM wise) 250 screams for another gear? I don't have GV but at 60mph my 302's rpm is 2200 w\ 2.78 fac ratio and 225*70*14's. It can be driven all day there and can hear stero vry well. :Handshake
With all thing equal both V8 or 6 cyl turns the same rpm to go the same mph. Might want to get some taller tires to drop the rpm.
it could also be that the exhast system makes too much noise when your at those speeds. try a different muffler or system.
I think I know what you are feeling here. After driving other cars, and then getting my Comet (V8/C4), I swore it wasn't shifting into high ... several times. It was, it is just that the car is so light, it was flying through the gears at part throttle. An AOD with factory gears would probably make the car pretty sluggish ... the OD is .67 ... big drop. Gear Vendors is a .22 drop, and that is reasonable. I would be interested to find out if you have the 3:00 ratio in the axle. If so, changing to a 2:73 and 10% taller rear tires will get you the same end result. Very easy to change that gear if it is an 8 inch. You would be giving up some acceleration. Always a trade-off.
That's a gud point. When I got my car it had Cherry Bomb mufflers and at freeway speeds it sounded like my rev's were much above what I thought; though I did'nt have a tach then- so really can't say. I change to quiter muffs and the car don't sound like that anymore even when not lookin at tach. I also had driveline issues too; unbalanced shaft and worn out bearings in the differential. So after all those other issues I guess my comparison may not be all that relevant. I suggest he acquire a tach and that will show whether he needs a change of gearing.
