4:10 Gears & PI 3000 TC Installed

[Glenn]

I had the 4:10 gears and PI 3000 TC installed yesterday by Atlanta's famous MM Ford Master Mechanic at Team Ford. I have been reading for nearly a year about the increased performance from the 4:10 gears and the TC. But, I always hesitated due to my self-satisfaction of consistently getting 20+ mpg while driving the MM hard at 70-80 mph. But, the postings kept up my interest until I couldn't stand it any longer. I would read repeatedly by Billy G and others that the biggest performance gain for the money was from the TC.

I finally took the dive and had the gears and TC installed. All I can say is everyone was right about the gears and TC. They have made this a brand NEW car that performs the way it should have been made from Ford. It is a major difference in performance and especially off the line. Also, there is NO significant difference in the action of the TC except when you hail the car.

Example: Conditions - Flat level road, no brake, traction control off, 20,000 miles on tires, 90 degree day. I nailed the gas and was shocked on the immediate reaction of the car. It jumped forward with tires continuously burning rubber. (Before, I never had but a slight rubber burn.) I looked up at the rear view mirror and saw tire smoke, dark rubber strips from both sides and clearly saw the complete tread pattern across both tires on the road. I lifted the gas in total surprise. I didn't expect this type of reaction. I had just laid about 6 feet of rubber and was thrilled - WOW! I'm a believer!!

[jspradii]

Now you know the first set of "secrets", Glenn! Congrats & enjoy!

[SergntMac]

Nice job, Glenn, bravo!

[studio460]

Great report, Glenn! It's so funny--I've been doing the same thing myself, re-reading BillyG's posts over and over . . . I've ordered my P.I. torque converter from Dennis and can't wait to get it in the car . . .

[BillyGman]

LOL.......I guess someone is listening (or reading).......Glen, also remember, that although you might not even notice it while driving on the street, (unless you race someone that you also did before the work was done) but your car will turn a better ET at the track if you ever decide to go there than it would've w/out the Stallion Torque converter. My car was .70 seconds faster at the track as a result of that converter alone, and the Precision Industries company garantees atleast a .50 sec reduction in your ET from it. Part of the gain in acceleration is due to the higher stall speed(I had mine set to 3000 RPM also, which is what P.I. recommends for N/A Marauders) but part of it is due to better torque multiplication from their product than w/some other converters.

I have nothing bad to say about the Stallion Torque converter at all. The only down side to buying one is that it can soften up the shifts in your transmission a little (as would be the case w/any converter w/the higher stall speed), but that didn't matter to me since the car was faster off the line as well as everywhere else in the RPM scale. So I think it's a good trade-off. Let the guy on side of you show-off w/his tire chirps in second gear while you'll be pulling ahead of him anyway. And when you want to show-off, you'll be leaving more rubber from a dead punch than he will be.

One other possible down side is that if you ever decide to get a roots type Supercharger like the Trilogy one like I have, you will definately NOT need a stall speed of 3000 RPM's. Infact having precision Industries set it to the bare minimum of 2400 RPM's would be the best for the Trilogy S/Cer. Yes, they will change the stall speed for free for up to 2 years after you've purchased it from them (and up to two times) but ofcourse that will require you to remove the transmission to take out the converter, and then have your car laid up for atleast a week. I hadn't originally planned on S/Cing my car, so that's why I had the stall speed set to 3000 RPM. It really doesn't hurt having it at 3,000 even if you do get the Trilogy kit, it's just that it isn't ideal, and it really isn't needed. But then again neither is the 4.56 gear ratio that I have in my car(that was also done BEFORE I had ever planned on the S/Cer).

[Glenn]

First tankful of gas over 250 miles since 4:10 gears and PI TC installed. I cannot believe it - still 20 MPG. I checked and rechecked much to my amazement. Tank was topped-off several times to full it. Driving is 80% at 70-80 mph. Still hard to believe - but very pleased with the combination. It is like adding 100 hp. Off the line performance is like a light Mustang. It just jumps.

Glenn

[junehhan]

This is absolutely so tempting for me. I even read that Dennis has 2 PI Torque converters left too............

How does the 3000stall converter feel when it locks up? Also, with your chip, when does TC lockup occur?

[CRUZTAKER]

Congrats! Isn't it great.:up:

[Glenn]

I just completed 1,200 miles on my newly installed gears and TC. A few observations: got 19.5 mpg at 70-90 mph (80% of the time), previously MPG with the 3:55s were 20-21, do not bury the gas petal when you are on anything close to a curve - you will not like the results. When you hit the gas just realize want you are doing and what will happen next - in other words be prepared and not surprised. Hitting the gas hard to down shift with the gears and TC at speed will instantly rev the engine to over 6,200 rpm and you will move quickly with alot of engine and exhaust noise.

One word of caution again is do not give the car alot of gas unless you want to intentionally cross over into strong acceleration. I have a tendancy now to give the car alittle less initial acceleration when starting-up from a stop until it gets going and then give it more gas. The lock up with the TC is silent and not noticable. The cruise control acts perfectly normal going in and out. My OD locks up about 40 mph. The shift points are smooth at normal acceleration and firm when you get on it especially the 2-3 shifts. The gears and TC is like a poor man's S/C. It's the closest I will ever get to a S/C and I am please with the results. Also, do not have the gears and TC installed by anyone other then a Master Mechanic.

[hitchhiker]

I had the 4:10 gears and PI 3000 TC installed yesterday by Atlanta's famous MM Ford Master Mechanic at Team Ford. I have been reading for nearly a year about the increased performance from the 4:10 gears and the TC. But, I always hesitated due to my self-satisfaction of consistently getting 20+ mpg while driving the MM hard at 70-80 mph. But, the postings kept up my interest until I couldn't stand it any longer. I would read repeatedly by Billy G and others that the biggest performance gain for the money was from the TC.

I finally took the dive and had the gears and TC installed. All I can say is everyone was right about the gears and TC. They have made this a brand NEW car that performs the way it should have been made from Ford. It is a major difference in performance and especially off the line. Also, there is NO significant difference in the action of the TC except when you hail the car.

Example: Conditions - Flat level road, no brake, traction control off, 20,000 miles on tires, 90 degree day. I nailed the gas and was shocked on the immediate reaction of the car. It jumped forward with tires continuously burning rubber. (Before, I never had but a slight rubber burn.) I looked up at the rear view mirror and saw tire smoke, dark rubber strips from both sides and clearly saw the complete tread pattern across both tires on the road. I lifted the gas in total surprise. I didn't expect this type of reaction. I had assumed that I just laid about 20 feet of rubber and was thrilled. A few minutes later I drove back to examine the tire marks and much to my total shock I had burn over 60 feet of solid rubber before I lifted the gas - WOW! I'm a believer!!
Glenn,

Do you have a part number for the 410 gears?

Are they the 'good' ones?

Thanks,

David

[Glenn]

The best thing to do is to go to your closest FORD Racing Team dealer and ask for the Ford Racing Team 4:10 gear kit. I bought mine from Ford for $150 and they work fine. Also, get the FRT catalog. It is full of Ford racing and speed equipment.

Glenn