V8 or 4banger T5?

[66Sprint6]

Ok,
If things keep going like they are tranny wise, my C4 may soon become history. I want to replace it with a T5 is possible and would like to know which to get. Alot have said the 4 banger version, but others have said that the 5.0 tranny would be better, especially with my plans to turbo some day. Would the 5.0 tranny be a pain to deal with while waiting for turbo or other power adders or will it be worth the "investment" to get it now, deal with it running a little off then already having what I need when it comes time for more power. Lemme know guys!
Matt

 

[CobraSix]

You won't have a problem running the V-8 T5 now. The only difference is 1st gear and 5th gear ratios. I find that with my 3.20:1 rear, I go through 1st gear pretty quick on the 4cyl T5. Personally, if you have the money, go for the V-8 T5. You'll have no problems with it now, or later. I used a 4cylinder as a stop gap for temporary use while I get other things on the car up. In a few years, I'll probably convert to a V-8 T5.

Slade

 

[xctasy]

I've forgotten more than I've learned from Al's website.

In my opinion, the V8 T5 with its closer intermediates is the pick. Little sixes love close ratios with a 3.20:1 diff. The 3.3's in Aussie geared with a close ratio 5-speed are almost as quick as a 4.1 4-speed. (17.9 sec quarter verses 17.6 second).

With the 5.0 trans, 1st is about 2.97, so it would fit right in where a 2.77, or 3.03 1st gear 3-speed or approx 2.4:1 auto was.

You need to read scrupulously what Al says on these V8 boxes in a car that would have had a pre 68 trans.

Unless your

a) Constantly stuck in a traffic jam,

b) working in a non-turbo environment where the non-world class would not be over-taxed

c) constrained by the huge price of the World Class T5

I can't see why a 4:1 Ist gear 4-cyl T5 would want to see duty behind an I6.

But if costs over-ride, I'd use the 4-cyl one. 175 hp shouldn't kill it straight away, but SVO's got WC T5's, and they were about that for power.

 

[StrangeRanger]

With the 5.0 trans, 1st is about 2.97, so it would fit right in where a 2.77, or 3.03 1st gear 3-speed or approx 2.4:1 auto was.

For the vast majority of V-8 T-5s

1st = 3.35
2nd = 1.99
3rd = 1.34
4th = 1.00
5th = 0.68

This gearing is designed for use with a 3.08 rear. Wit a 3.55 rear, you run out of 1st gear almost instantly, hence the popularity of aftermarket T-5s with a 2.95 1st. On a 6, with substantially less torque than a 302, the 3.35 x 3.20 combination should work nicely, the more you build the engine up, the better it will work.

The standard 4 cyl ratios are:

1st = 3.97
2nd = 2.34
3rd = 1.46
4th = 1.00
5th = 0.79

These are considerably wider than the v-8 ratios and a 3.97 x 3.20 overall in 1st seems a bit too steep to me with anything but a dead stock 200.

 

[MustangSix]

The 3.97 or even the 4.01 first gear works great with the stock 2.80 rear gears. With that gear the multiplication with a 3.97 is 11.11:1 and with a 4.01 it is 11.12:1 which is pretty much the same as you would get from a 2.95x3.73 or a 3.35x3.55 gear combo so launches are similar.

The gear ratios are spread a bit more in a 4-cyl trans, but not that much more. On the top end in 5th, you can expect a lot less rpm, but most of our sixes are happy crusing at 2500 or less.

 

[66Sprint6]

I know I say it alot, but WHAT WOULD I DO WITH OUT YOU GUYS!!!!!!!! I mean it, yall take my ideas that Im a bit wishywashy on and either back them up ot the point that I cant wait to do them or steer me in the right direction before i screw somethin up. Im only 20, goin to school and I drive my stang daily so if it werent for you guys it will still be the old stocker I put up with in High School. I never knew such an awesome forum existed strictly for my SLOW car. If there was some kind of award for being helpful to complete strangers for no reason what-so-ever, yall would get a few of them, lol. Thanx again guys, I hope to stay on this T5 path, but yall know how things go sometimes, somethin else will come up and throw me onto another time and money consuming path that rules out the T5, but to tell you the truth, the new 5 speed would be awesome!
Extremely grateful Matt

 

[rickwrench]

I used one non-WC and one WC S-10 T5 in my wagons. I can't really feel any difference shifting. First gears are 3.76, the overdrives are .72, and both diffs are 3.50. Great for hauling big loads of music crap off the line, and they cruise at 2200-2300 on the highway. First is pretty darn short, but I always get across the intersection first (that's what's important, right?). Most T5s die because of an overshift into 3rd, if you use an aftermarket shifter with stops, you should be able to use the smaller T5 with about any 200 you could build.
Also, antique glass doorknobs make great shift knobs (knob pic), just pop them out of the face plate, and run a tap down the cross-shaft hole. This 40's art deco knob was $9.99 on eBay. I've got my eye on a dark blue cut glass one for the delux. Rambling...too much coffee this morning.
Rick(wrench)