Alright So I know ll of the pros/cons of switching from the 2.73's to the 3.73's or even 4.10's. Ok no lets just say 3.73. I dont need 4.10 lol. But With the gears it has in it right now, I cant catch a break coming off the line. With brand new snow tires on it Im leaving a smoke trail before it gets up and goes... I wanna put gears in it for the acceleration off the line, but is there anything I can do to prevent spinning? or at least make it spin less? Im not talking about drag strip running im talking about meeting a 350 shortbed at a stoplight and the only reason he blows me outta the water is that my car spins for the first 75ft. Surely there is something I can do,:/ I never had this problem with my old Posi-trac so im helpless here.
Put some decent tires under it. Your car looks pretty much stock. Traction shouldn't really be an issue even one-legging it.
Like I said it has Brand New Wintertrac tires on it. It is fairly stock and it still does it... Maybe its because they are kinda skinny but i didnt think that would reduce traction...idk.
It has some serious traction problems, but if im rolling at like 15mph, Itll get up and go. just when im stopped itll actually sit still for a second or two smoking them before it starts rolling...ive been accused of brake torqing it before. lol
Snow tires have dick for dry pavement traction.
Get a trac-lok as well as some good soft performance tires, and you'll be leaving a lot less tire smoke...until you get a stronger engine ;)
Then again, when my Sport was stock, it would light up the 205/70/14's it came on with ease...but by 35 or 40, was out of steam.
I'm not sayin' to go drop 1200 bucks on a set of Pirelli's or even Toyo Proxes, but something better than an all season radial will definitely improve the traction...at least until you have snow again lol
start in second gear or buy some tires with a lower tread wear rating (softer tire).
or stop racing between lights... it's illegal, and can hurt someone.
Dont step on it so hard off the line till you are moving then smash it to the floor .
Thats what I do against a pen 15y Small engine guy... but those larger V8's ae a little harder to catch if I dont get a jump on em (I have a good reaction time)
I have to second the new tires. I personally had snow tires on my car and suffered from the same problem. When I was 17 I couldn't afford really good tires so I experimented with low cost fuzion HRI's. There were like $60 a piece and they are still great. I have 16in tires on turbo coupe rims, they are 3 years old, and with my stock 302 when I floor it they don't spin.
Just my suggestion.
The winter tires are the whole problem. They're a harder rubber compound than a performance tire. Wait until spring or summer and get a more performance rated tire, then you'll hook alot better. Of course like daminc you really shouldn't be street racing.
Street racing is definately a No No . Try to keep it at the track .
i also agree snow tires are junk for hard acceleration. for good acceleration i would recommend the 3:45 or 3:55 gears w/ traction lock so it wont hurt your gas mileage very much. since your tbird is stock i wouldn't recommend 3:73 or 4:10's till you do some be mods to the engine. i didn't upgrade my gears till i tweaked my engine and suspension and then added a two big shots of nitrous
Nitrous is too addictive. and expensive when you use it because of being addictive. If I cant have an engine run fast enough without nitrous, ill save up the money to build it bigger and better. lol. no offence to you though. And Im going to do the gears... Along with some other little things, If I want it, If i can afford it, Ill get it. then ill buy something to help out that part and so on. (4:11's, Better tires, Mini Spool) see they all compliment each other, then punch out the tranny for it to hold together, then work my way into the engine with H.O. conversion, Cold air intake, and Im putting a Explorer Intake on the christmas list early so Santa can start saving up.
MMM, let me see if I got this right. So your problem is that your spinning to much, which is caused by more power going to the ground than what the tires can handle? So your cure to this situation is to put in lower gears, which increases the power to the ground?
Just trying to make sure I am reading these posts right :D.
haha Well Yep. The mini spool will help the spinning along with the tires, as they said the wintertarcs arent made for quick acceleration. Street Slicks will help. Oh and does anyone know about those shocks that sit semi-sideways back there? will those affect traction or stability?
So you've got a stock 5.0 and you're going to put 4.10s and a mini spool in the rear? :wtf:
yep. Trust me ive seen this trick done before, lol he had everyone thinking he was really fast before he was REALLY fast. Ur talking a quick 1/8 mile running like a corvette or something. and when the engine gets souped. then look out.
I honestly dont know where to start with the engine though.... Heads? Boaring like yours? Intake like yours? idk?
If you're gonna drive it on the street...avoid the mini-spool...
Get a Traction Lok.
Also, I'd probably go no more then 3.73 gears. Until you get a good engine built than can handle higher rpm's, the bigger gears will just be a waste of time, money, and words typing about it...all they'll do with stock-sized tires is push your power band up a few hundred rpm...and with a stock HO, you don't want that. If you have an SO, it'll be even more silly.
Corvettes and 1/8 mile?
That's about like Ferrari's and gravel roads :hick:
Get good tires first, learn to launch with stock power...then start adding goodies, and the like.
Quad shocks are what you refer to...unless you're laying down more than 250 pound feet of torque, I wouldn't worry about that yet.
Get some TC sway bars, good bushings (not stock), and new shocks/struts, and you'll feel like you're in a whole new car.
Throw some TC springs under there while you're at it.
That's a good starting point.
Just don't do like I did, and do the rear stuff first...made the front disastrously loose. In fact, I'd probably put the front bar in, and learn the car, then the rear, and get a feel for how each piece changes the balance. Better to "feel it out" with low power, than to have a lot of horses on tap and learn it.
If you want a rear TC bar, I've got one I'll let go really cheap...I may have a front bar as well-I need to look to verify though.
But really, if you can't get traction now, tires ARE the first logical improvement.
isnt a boar some type of wild animal?
A mini spool is fun for the first five minutes, but then as you try to navigate the parking lot and you can't make a turn without chirping the tires (and wreaking havoc on you rear axles and carrier) you start to think this might not have been the best decision.
If your looking for advice you are at the right place these guys have had years of prctice building these cars. But if you have already made up your mind that your going to do whatever you want to do no matter what anyone else says. Then that is your decision to make.
Either way I wish you the best luck you can have with your ride :D.
Well i have to say yes in my day i did light to light racing but i quit that awhile ago. So please take it to the local track. Thats the best place for racing not side streets! Im sure we all would like to see ya around here for a few 10 or so yrs so please take it to the track. you could kill yourself let alone someone elts if you lose control of the car.
well My dad is the one influencing me and he is used to circle dirt track racing, and a good friend of ours told me that even if you cant afford the big stuff yet, if u want that little extra push off the line to make people THINK you have it, get some gear under that ford! lol i just said mini spool because i thought they converted it to posi-trac....
Full locker and don't look back.
To hell with a mini spool or a spool unless it's a dedicated track car that sees almost zero street duty.
Too much gear is worthless on a motor that won't do much past 4500 RPM.
CHE makes some VERY good control arms for these cars and they are worth 10X the investment IMHO.
Big bar in back + little bar up front makes for oversteer hijinks in parking lots :hick:
I don't want anyone to think the car is fast if it isn't. That's for posers.I'd rather have people think the Sport isn't fast....when it really is.Circle track stuff isn't always great on the street in a daily driver.It is probably a good idea for you to do a lot of studying and learning about these cars,and what actually works well.People here have had a lot of experience with these cars,and know what works,and what doesn't.Learn from other people's mistakes so you don't make the same mistakes and waste time and money on useless "upgrades".If you plan on doing an H.O upgrade,and suspension upgrades,I'd quit thinking about how to make the current drivetrain "appear" to be quicker,and save the money and do it right the first time.Listen to what people are saying.As I stated above,there's a lot of experience here.
We got a young one trying to learn.
We all have to start somewhere.....hopefully not the hard way.
Why would anybody want their car to "appear" fast when it isn't? You'll still lose no matter what you race against with a stock motor.
The Sport has layed the smackdown on quite a few local Stangs because she looks nice,but not necessarily fast.I don't want to advertise it as a fast car.It's a lot of fun to see their faces ...Priceless. LOL.
first of all, there isn't much difference in hardness between brands:
snow tires have more void (space between lugs) so there is actually
less rubber touching the pavement. take a durometer (hardness
tester) and measure hardness between brands, there isn't nearly 1-2 points difference. tread blocks dictate traction, the more sipes:
more biting edges in wet or snow, the best dry tires have less sipes
or cuts in the tread blocks. best advise: weigh the car, then set air
accordingly - tire baron
Because he's 16 yrs old, maybe??
yea, I was young once too.
Age has nothing to do with it. The stupidest thing I've ever heard from someone TRYING to sound knowledgeable concerning cars came from the mouth of a man in his mid 40's.
In this case it sounds as if our new member and his father are relying a little too heavily on third party info without actually researching themselves.....
The knowledge is here and in other places as well. Best of luck ;)
Lol Thats why i joined this forum. and thats why im ALWAYS making new threads. lol I have learned alot about these cars here. Easy on the third party info please lol I have alot of respect for the guy. He kinda started out like me....when i say kinda i mean he has mustangs....now he has a foxbody stang that runs high 9's....i love it and hope to buy it someday haha i cant remember his exact words but he wont sell it to me until i build a car myself...why would i wanna buy his if i have my own pride and joy? Maybe thats the point... and to the guys wondering why i would want a car that has lower gears with stock, because when i come off that line beside that Built 67 stang in town (We only go until the speed limit i dont top speed race anymore thats stupid) ill get him nervous if not keep him beside me.. and you'll see in another thread that im about to buy a whole H.O. engine, but im going to convert it because I dont want to rebuild the things that i dont need for the conversion.
If you have any hopes to keep up with a built '67 Stang, you'd better be getting more than just a set of gears.
Hell, if he just has a 289/302 he's gonna wax your ass.
You've got 150 horsepower, stock. An HO has 225.
3.73 gears will give you a little jump in acceleration, but you're still gonna see Stang tails from the start.
As far as my comments that were taken out of context about tires and stickiness...I was referring to something like drag radials, etc.
And I DO know that you can get softer tires, that aren't strictly for drag racing. I have a pair mounted right now...
To the OP...think this out. You're building (or wanting to, same principle) a decent street car.
Forget ALL the circle track shiznit. That doesn't mean dick on a street car.
You'll want:
Trac-Lok
3.55 gears (or 3.73)
an HO engine, at least
a decent AOD with a good aftermarket, higher-stall convertor AND a shift kit.
and something other than f*cking mud tires ;)
Another word of advice...leave the street racing to the idiots in civics with stupid wings and stickers all over.
Go to a track, and get a timeslip to brag over. Street racing is dumb, and dangerous. I've been there, and done that, and paid a lot of money to get my license back for it. Don't be the guy i was 19 years ago...it's just not worth it. Plus, I was lucky, didn't wreck, didn't kill anyone. I said lucky, not good.
Being dead at 17 doesn't mean shiznit, except you were a dumbass.
Don't be a dumbass. :D
Errmmmm, try gravel roads with a TC bar out back and the stocker up front.
After that I put the front bar on :rollin:
No offense was meant, but at the same time one mustn't judge car knowledge of a person solely on a time slip. I can go out and buy an 8 second car tomorrow. That doesn't make me any more knowledgeable than if I didn't and just stuck with what I have right now.
Always check your sources. Sometimes you can teach THEM. ;)
Do not put in lower gears if you have the 7.5 rear end. Find a 8.8 out of a Mustang and build this up with lower gears, then swap it in. The 8.8 Mustang almost always have posi stock and are pretty easy to find and not too expensive to buy. Used FoMoCo gears are also easy to find off eBay in both 3.55 and 3.73. Stock gears most of the time swap right in with the same shims and this makes it much easier to set-up.
A posi will cure your traction problem and make it much faster. I have a 1949 Willys Jeepster with a Chevy 350. It went 17.3 in the quarter with 3.08 gears and open axle. Then I put in a posi with 3.42 gears and it went 15.3 in the quarter with no other changes.
Have fun and be safe.
TED
Wait...what???? i thought it was like 205 HP or something not 150??!!?? geez My friends 4 cylinder yota has 140. lol.
And I need to look it up some more to tell but idk if its a 7.5 or an 8.8... are all stocks 7.5?
you need to go to Coolcats, and read everything that's written there. you'll learn a lot, and be able to identify parts on your car after doing some reading over there.
87/88 turbo coupes had 8.8 and some 87/88 XR7's
all others should be 7.5
I looked it up and your car is a 1988 5.0 so it would have the 7.5 and not the 8.8.
The mustang rear will bolt right in but it will be about 1 inch (I think) narrower on both sides or 2 inch total. Not a bad thing if you get the correct wheel offset to make up the difference. If you could find one you could also use a Turbo Coupe rear for 87-88 but you have to convert it to 4 wheel disc brakes.
I have a Mustang width rear in my Turbo coupe and I think it looks just fine with stock wheels.
You may also be able to use the Mustang housing and your axles, backing plates, and brake drums to make it work? If I'm wrong here someone will correct me. I know the Turbo Coupe has the same housing as the Mustang.
Anyway the 7.5 is very weak and will not hold up to any HP boost or even the way you like to drive. IMO not worth putting money into.
Just make sure you get the 8.8 when you buy the new one. I have to admit that I purchased a 7.5 by mistake once because I could not tell the difference at the time. This will never happen again.
Here's a search for you http://www.car-part.com/ Just try to find a Rear Axle Assy (RWD) for a 1990 Mustang, the next page will ask you 7.5 or 8.8. Most will be 2.73 or 3.08 but you can swap the gears out. The best part is you can do this while you still drive your car. You should have to pay about $225-$300.
I don't know where your town is in TN but I tried to look on Craigslist for you and found this http://nashville.craigslist.org/pts/1649937148.html Don't know how far you are away here but it's a 8.8 with 3.73 gears, perfect.
TED
He's in Missouri...
Yes, '88 V8 Tbirds were 150 horses.
The '87-'88 TC rear IS disc brake, he'll need new (or used TC) park brakes cables, possibly different master cylinder.
I've got a Mustang 8.8 in my Sport, too narrow...looks like 10 pounds of ass in a 2 pound sack, but I knew that it would be that way when I got it. :hick:
I've heard a lot of people dog on the 7.5's....I've seen a lot of 10 second cars with them, and never a problem. I've also seen a few that made 2 or 3 passes and puke the rear out, too.
Seems as if they don't appreciate slicks and the like...I'd say it'd be survivable for around 300 horsepower though.
If he needs an 8.8, I have a Stang rear...hadn't thought about selling it...but I have no use for it now. Does have trac-loc, 2.73 gears, trac loc is good, and I just put new fluid and friction modifier in it 2 months ago...it's been driven 10-12 miles since.
Spider gears are the weak link in both the 7.5 AND the 8.8....
Putting in a full locker or the like (which eliminates the spider gears) will make it a much more reliable piece.
I've seen stock 8.8's blow up under less abuse than I've thrown at the 7.5 in my car.
My 7.5 took all the abuse I gave it with the H.O engine and it had 3.45 gears ('85 Turbo Coupe rear).Never had an issue with it at all.
the 7.5" will last awhile with a stock motor and tires. It's when you're putting 300 hp to the wheels with stick tires, you'll break it. But only a few here are
making that kind of power and drag racing on a track.
I'm hoping for about 300 when all is said and done.
Ummmm I make MORE......
Like I said, spider gears.....
A posi will help protect the spider gears. Full locker is not a good option for a street car and illegal for the track unless you upgrade to eliminate you c-clips.
I guess that I was not saying that the 7.5 is complete junk (maybe very weak went too far). What I was trying to say is that I would not want to put any money into a 7.5 when you can buy a fairly cheap 8.8 and not have to worry about it in the future.
I have an 8.8 in my Cadillac 500 powered T-bird running 11.45 and with a slight lift on take off and so far so good. I do not think that a 7.5 would survive one run. My upgrades are a truck posi, 31 spline axles and aftermarket rear cover.
There is a reason that Ford use the 8.8 in the Turbo Coupe and Mustang 5.0
When I was a kid I had a 1966 Dodge Dart. I spent money on the stock, small, weak V-8 rear only to have it break twice. Once I upgraded to a 8.75 mopar I had zero problem and saved a lot of money. Just trying to pass on my experience. First thing I always do with a new hot rod is make sure the rear can handle the power. I have seen many broken rears at the drags (mostly GM). It is very embarrassing to hear a clunk and not move at the starting line and you sure don't want to do it next to a Honda on the street.
TED
you seem to have a reading comprehension problem.
On your period?
PMed.
There are examples of 7.5 rears in the 10's..... These are fully built of course, but even one with mild upgrades can stand quite a bit of abuse contrary to generalizations presented preceding this post.
Been a while since I put a name on the ignore list.....guess I'll go do that now....
I was only backing up your statement about them. I know they can handle somr power, but if you're making any real power you should just get an 8.8". why build a 7.5" when an 8.8" can handle it?
I never said a 7.5" couldn't be built to handle 10 sec slips. You're putting words int mouth.
I always see axles brake, 7.5 or 8.8. It's not always pretty either.
my built 7.5 rear end with 3:73 gears has handled all the abuse of a v6 nitrous motor and hasn't messed up yet.