I just purchased a set of Ford Motorsport 4.10 gears which I have not yet installed. I would like to know what kind of performance increase should I expect in overall set-of-the-pants feel and ET reduction? Thanks, HANKFAN

 

HANKFAN-Dan here.
Just got back from Gainesville Dragway last night running Sportsman E.T series. With the stock L with 4.10's the trans shifts quicker so you have to have a chip to correct the trans and speedo plus tire size.
With 3.55 STOCK L 14.22 average @ 98.40 mph in 90degree+ weather.
With 4.10 Stock L 13.91 @ 98.36 mph 90 degree+ weather.
With 4.10's, PSP 4-way chip and PSP Filter, Bassani Exhaust,Level 10 shift kit,
13.39 @ 102.98 mph on F1.s in 90+ degree weather.
THANKS SAL!!!!! PSP PERFORMANCE
STILL WAITING TO TEST M/T E.T's this wednesday @ Test and Tune.
Like chipped L's, in the past, turned a best to date, running Superchips and mods (possible no gears) turning 13.79-13.91 and got worse.
7 runs-.02 hundreths apart put me in the 1/4 finals of a 40 car (Truck) field before traction as the track cooled became more of a problem 13.49 @ 103.68.

I guess you can take it fom here and adjust this to your location and track temp!
Wait till you see the biggest grin of all. INSTALL UM!!!!!!!!!

 

I was going to install the 410s in my truck but I looked at the pros and cons of doing it and it doesnt seem worth while for the street.This is the way i look at it.

I run consistant 13.3s all day long and when the track cools around 8:00 at night ,I start running13.2s.Keep in mind,This is on stock tires which means I can run this same time on a street race,That is what I am so impressed with.If i put 410s in,My truck might be 2-3 tenths quicker at the track with slicks BUT,It will be 2-3 tenths slower on the street due to the traction loss on stock tires.so I would run aprox12.9s on the track with slicks but only 13.6 on the street.that is no good in my opinion.I dont have a race truck here,I have a limited production truck that is in pristine condition that is just as quick off the track that it is on.I would rather run as good on the street and track than just at the track.What do i say to the guy next to me after he smokes me at a stop light? "LET ME GO HOME AND GET MY SLICKS!!"??I dont think so.If someone told me that,Id laugh.I go by the saying run what ya brung.I would rather get a pair of 26 inch slicks which will probally drop me in the 12s anyway as fast as my tuck is.i want to keep my truck as collectable and close to stock as possible.Ive pondered whether to do the hood,gears and so on but i choose to keep it relativly stock.I look at it this way.I spent $500 to get a 13.2 truck.It would take me 15 minutes to return it back to stock,I would take out the chip and put the air box back on.Oh ya add 30 more seconds to take the vinyl ford stickers off the both emblems.This is one major reason why my exhaust is still stock also.Most people frown on limited production vechicles that are more than just chipped .My truck is just right!Ill be posting pics soon as my wheeels come back from the chromer.Hopefully this friday.Ya ya ya I know they didnt come stock chrome but we all know they look pissa and stock wheels can be bought at tire rack cheap with no trace. LOL

 

LightningQuick, Thanks for your response but I have a hard time beleiving that you would run slower with 4.10 gears and F1's on the street. Granted you would probably spin more on the launch but I feel that you would more than make up for it once you stopped spinning. My logic behind this is when I compare my 00 L againist my cousins 94L. I have 3.55 gears and he has 4.10 gears. I have a little over 100 more horsepower than he does but our 60 foot times are identical. We are both running street tires. The only way to expalin this is the 4.10 gears. Maybe some other L owners could could add to this? HANKFAN

 

well again i disagree.I have been racing for about 7 years and i have witness many things.The thing i find the absolute most is how much just a little wheel spin can make or break a race.I have seen 12 second cars run 14s all night because of wheel spin.i have seen many lightnings running mid 13s to mid 14s depending on traction.What suprises me is how very little wheelspin takes so much time off the ET.I have also noticed that after the 60ft mark,most trucks are pretty much the same with or without gears.Im not saying that gears do not help on the rest of the track but I absolutly am saying that you do not gain enough in the middle and at the end of the track to make up for a bad launch.This is why even on pretty bad runs,(Bad spin) your MPH does not change much at all.Usually not even by 1 mph.Im sure anyone who race alot will say the same.I still stand behind my opinion and I respect yours also,Mine is more correct though NO flame just fun.Im also sure this thread will go on and on as the opinions start to come out.That is what is good though,We all learn more with more input.

 

One more important thing,I have yet to see 1 reply in anything to do with gear threads say that the gears alone have taken off an exact amount of time.Im sure they do but not one person had showed any proof of an exact time gain by gears alone.The only way for this is to start with a chip, then do gears and have the chip calibrated for the gears only.I wish someone would.

 

Hankfan,

Do you have the Ford Motorsports gears or other, USGear, ect.

If you have the F.M.S. gear and you don't want them let me know PLEASE!!!!

Kevin- ksanp@aol.com

 

Lightningquick-Dan here.
I tend to disagree having installed the 4.10's on my L On the street- The lose of traction"as you call it" isn't as real as you state. Before the 4.10's I had to powerbrake my L , on the street to launch hard with alttle tire spin. With the 4.10's NO POWER BRAKE, Hard launch minimum tire spin but acceleration through the quarter is faster that's why the rise in shift points in the chip. By the way the slicks don't add THAT MUCH MORE ET's.(.05-.1) They BETTER 60'ft TIMES and Provide a BETTER LAUNCH but actually lose 3-4 mph on the high end do to smaller diameter tire.
So I have no trouble ON THE STREET PlAYING.GAS and GO!!!
I don't consider installing different modification on my L Changing the value any. Didn't plan on selling my L today anyway. Probably NEVER, especially when I FINALLY get it the way I want it. But then again, whose to say when I will get it the way I want it. My truck is a daily driver NOT A RACE TRUCK. IT.s just a Quick DAILY DRIVER that LOOKS STOCK!! IMHO!!!
You spin just like the rest of us, You just have to know your limitations!! HE SAID-JOKINGlY SPEAKING!!! You must have some mighty good air up north to turn those times. The airdown here NEVER GETS BELOW 90-100 degrees from spring to fall and forget about cooling off at night. Last night at 10:00 at the drag strip it was 89 degrees. Can't wait till fall.
Hope you can now see the other side of your view point from someone that has the mod's!!!
CHOW-Dan
LOL

 

Jigawatt, Yes I have FMS Gears, Went through Hell and High water to find a set. If I decide not to put them in I will let you know.

HANKFAN

 

Lightningquick, I had narrowed down my next performance mod to either 4.10 gears or 80hp shot of NOS. I was leaning towards the 80hp NOS but since I was new to NOS I was a little worried that I might run into problems with the Supercharged Lightning motor. So I thought that I would go with the 4.10 gears. I rarely ever go to the tack but I do street race often. I respect your opinion( since you race often) but how can you explain why the 94L with 100 less horsepower and street tires had the same 60 foot times as me? It seems like it would have to be the gears. HANKFAN

 

well i see your point you having the gears in and all.I guess down there you dont have that much of a traction issue.Up here the air is usually so good,The traction is a problem for many.You have your points and the one I am trying to make is IF...traction becomes a problem like it does up here,it will hurt you ET more than you think.You dont understand because you have great tration because of the air quality (temp HUMIDITY!!).If all you are getting is a little spinning with a 410 geared Lightning,You either have a real bad air or great traction.I think those temps are the factor here.i know on hot days,My lightning will just chirp and take off,and it seems ALOT slower.I completly understand but it still goes back to the fact that if you do spin you lose alot! Have you ever race at the track and lossed traction and the guy next to you hooked up good.If so,You would understand because while your spinning,they take off like a rocket and its a short distance to reel them in My other comment on keeping my lightning stock is just my preference and thats it.we all have diffrent views on that.Now I am just replying to the traction issue.Come up to New England Dragway and with the times youll get(if you get traction),YOU WONT WANT TO GO HOME!!

 

lightning quick-dan here.
I had the 4.10's in with stock lightning BEFORE CHIP. ET'S dropped approx.15tnths in 1/4 mainly "BECAUSE TRUCK WAS SHIFTING SOONER 4800rpms instead of 5200rpm". The computer waS READING THE WRONG RPMS AND SPEED!!! GOT CHIP,put it in, go to strip run almost ONE FULL SECOND FASTER from 14.28-13.39. NOW tell me the chip made .90 thths difference in 1/4 mile time with all other factors ie;weather,etc the same????
Of course NOT it had to be partly do to the gears. RIGHT?? How much, you tell me. Either that or SAl's 4-way chip has some Kick A$$ programs on it!!!!

Dan

 

Well i cant say how much down in florida.I gained 7 tenths between chip/downs intake.Im sure you didnt get that much.If your #s are accurate,I would guess 5tenths(chip)4tenths(gears).That would be a great improvement for gears.Thumbs up!! Still we run into the same ol problem.Nobody can give an exact consistant time gain for the gears.Im sure they work when you can get traction but when you lose traction,Its all over.Not to mention when you lose traction and your truck ends up shifting too early and then kicking back down and such,all this loses big time!!I am not saying you did not gain but come up here where the air is good and i guarantee you will lose ET on street tires.Thats all im saying.Traction is the biggest time killer period!

 

Here is an example that is not fabricated in the least!!!
You say you can punch it with 410s and spin a little.

I have stock 355s.I can punch it on even ground with no imperfections at all and this is what my truck does.It spins right through 1st keeps spinning into 2nd for about 70-90 ft depending on the pavement.the tach is at about 4000rpm in second while spinning and slowly goes down to about 3500 until the tires stop spinning!At this time I am doing about 50mph coming out of a burnout with NO BRAKE!!!That is impressive but its no good for ETs You think that is bad,You should see how my 16 inch firestones light up!! They are on my truck right now while my wheels are being done.I have to be gentle while launching unlike you do.Ive got it down pretty good concidering how my times are so consistant.

 

lightningquick- I gur=ess you were replying to me. My point is last night 1/4 final run I had to spot a car 2.4 seconds. Since you have been racing 7 years you all know what it's like to wait for your tree to start down with one eye and watch him keep getting farther and farther away from you before you can leave. Anyways, your biggest fear is red-lightning (that when it usually happens) I got a little anxious waiting and power-baked it to 1400 rpms. BIG MISTAKE-My 60'ft time was actually better because I came out of th hole harder but spun for about 25 ft then hit second. I did run the camaro down at the end but ran over my dial in by.09 hundreds after losing traction.not tenths nor seconds. If these cars you mentioned were running 14's instead of 12's
it was because they knew they were beat and just saved the motor by coasting through.Not losing traction through the WHOLE 1/4 mile.