hey guys,

i was just wondering how the SVT gears compare to the stock zx3 gearing.

basically im wondering what rpm your at around 80mph. that would be nice to know. thanks guys. any info on actual final drive would be nice as well.

thanx in advance.

about 3500 i think

That sounds just about right. 70 is around 3000rpm. I only remember that 'cause I get much better gas mileage at that speed...lol

yea, 80 in 6th is about 3400-3500...stupidly short for a 6th gear

and first gear as far as i know is reeaaalllyy tall...

6th gear @ 80mph calculates out to 3,385rpm. I wrote a quick excel equation to spit this out for me.

and first gear as far as i know is reeaaalllyy tall...
Yes it certainly is. Id prefer a shorter first, and taller 6th personally.

I agree with DougoeFre5h (and probably ever other SVT Focii owner) shorter 1st and longer 6th, especially since in Vermont the speed limit on the interstate is 65 and i do about 100mi a day at 2750(65ish)... i could deal with 2000rpm in 6th at 65...that would be nice.. (which would also increase the top speed of the car...with enough power anyways)

Yes it certainly is. Id prefer a shorter first, and taller 6th personally.

Agreed...Our 6th isn't even 1:1!!

yah...
i love the 4th to fifth ratios..
but 1st2ndto 3rd suck balls

I like my first gear, but i agree 6th could be better... third, seems to be my least favorite.

There were apparently space constraints internal to the transmission. The Cooper S version apparently has identical input ratios, but the 2 final drive ratios are actually deeper than ours. I recall reading some time ago they made the input ratio for 1st as tight as they could, but could not fit any larger a gear than they used already. The input ratio is tight as for as transmissions go, but it meshes with a 2.88:1 final drive, which is really very deep.

Interestingly, the input ratios for 3 and 4 match up with those for 5 and 6 respectively, and just mesh with the deeper of the 2 final drive ratios. I'd be interested to see how that actually works..

I like my first gear, but i agree 6th could be better... third, seems to be my least favorite.


That's odd.. I always found 3rd to be a great gear to drop into from 6th to teach someone a lesson in...[woot]

I think what you guys are missing is that Getrag designed the box with performance driving in mind rather than highway cruising. I can't recall the specific final drive ratios, but with the dual-layshaft design 1,2,5 and 6 share one shaft with the 2.88:1 final drive, and 3,4 and R share the other which has a 4.25 (or so) final drive. This results in long gears to start out, short gears in the middle to help you get up to speed and then long again in your cruising gears for a high top speed. To have it the way you guys described, you'd either have an incredibly short first gear (at ~4.25:1 you'd be out of first gear before you hit 20, believe me, I have 4.06 FD gears in my MTX-75 and I can only hit about 25 before I have to shift into second, and that's bouncing off the rev limiter), as well as make the 2.88 layshaft even taller, which would throw off 2 and 5. Or insert a third layshaft, and at that point the transmission would be too big to fit in a transverse configuration and you'd be looking at some bastard transfer box configuration that would add several hundred pounds to the car.

I definitely agree. First is way too tall, and it would be nice to have 2k rpm in 6th somewhere between 75 - 80 MPH

Somehow i expected someone to have already posted this

Gear - Gear Ratio - Gear Final Drive
1 - 4.41:1 - 2.88:1
2 - 2.67:1 - 2.88:1
3 - 1.34:1 - 4.25:1
4 - 1.08:1 - 4.25:1
5 - 1.32:1 - 2.88:1
6 - 1.07:1 - 2.88:1

Somehow i expected someone to have already posted this
It has been...several times.
Search Results for (Getrag AND gear AND ratio*) (http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/search.php?searchid=145334)

And, this recent thread has the gear ratio chart showing final drive ratios:
http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/showthread.php?t=116265

I think 1st wouldn't be quite as bad if our wheels were not so tall...

Somehow i expected someone to have already posted this
It has been...several times.
Search Results for (Getrag AND gear AND ratio*) (http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/search.php?searchid=145334)

And, this recent thread has the gear ratio chart showing final drive ratios:
http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/showthread.php?t=116265

oops, my bad, i see that it has been posted in other threads, but i meant on this thread

I retract my previous statement [goofydrunk]

Having owned and driven both, the ZX3 had taller gears than the SVT does. This is basically what mine was like:

ZX3
1st 39MPH
2nd 70MPH
3rd 90+
4th/5th 108 (limited)

SVT
1st 41MPH
2nd 70MPH
3rd 90MPH
4th 115MPH
5th/6th 130+

In 5th gear on the freeway my ZX3 would just barely be at 3000RPMs while going around 80. But at 80 MPH on the freeway in 6th in my SVT, I'm pushing 3400 RPMs. With an easier revving 6th gear, I think the SVT drivers on this board would benefit from a nice boost in gas mileage on the highway.

i am a fan of the tall 1st

Why?

i am a fan of the tall 1st

could be because first gear can hold out longer when taking off... this isnt exactly going to give you great off-the-line acceleration, but you can go faster before having to shift.

My brother used to have an '89 Grand Am (4 cyl) that would hold 1st gear to 55 on full-throttle (auto trans)... wasnt the fastest off the line, but i liked it.

On the other hand, you can get better acceleration if first gear is low enough to give you more torque. (just get used to shifting quickly)

Older automatics always have tall gearing because they usually only have a few speeds.

most would be 4 speeds...some even 3 speeds. Auto first gears in domestics and older cars tended to be pretty freakin long! But 40+ in first gear for a 4 banger is pretty crazy. My buddies Acura CL-S 6 speed manual tops out earlier in first than my SVT does.

If you go back far enough your looking at 2 speeds too. The old Powerglides are still VERY popular in racing too.

second is awsome i think! thats when it really starts to pull to me... yea first gears is ass