Why can Mustangs with the T5 transmission use higher final drive gear ratios than us?

blkthndr

former sccoa webmaster
The T5 transmission found in all manual Fox body Mustangs actually has much
less aggressive ratios than the ratios found in both versions of the M5R2. The T5 ratios are as follows:

1st Gear- 3.35
2nd Gear- 1.94
3rd Gear- 1.34
4th Gear- 1.00
5th Gear- .063

If you compare these ratios to the 89-93 M5R2 you will see that the M5R2 has
much more aggressive 1st and 2nd gears. Since the first 3 gears of the M5R2
are larger, then naturally you won’t need as big of a final drive gear as a
Mustang needs.

You may also note that the 94-95 M5R2, while possessing more aggressive
ratios, did tame down over time in comparison to the T5. The newer revised
ratios became smaller in the first three gears than the earlier models. In fact,
the new 1st and 2nd gear is not much bigger than the 1st and 2nd gear found in a
T5. The 94-95 M5R2 also shares the exact same 3rd and 4th gear as a T5.
Still, it does have more aggressive ratios and needs less final drive to match the
performance gains that T5 equipped Mustangs will realize with higher rear end
ratios.
 
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