How to make my Mark faster

Go deeper.
3.73 is too shallow for this heavy car if your staying auto... n/a.
4.10s or deeper.

And yes please take it to a good speed shop for the install, very important that it is done correct.
 
ford nut said:
Go deeper.
3.73 is too shallow for this heavy car if your staying auto... n/a.
4.10s or deeper.
Click to expand...

I figured I would get tortured for mentioning a gear any steeper. There is some weirdos around that think anything steeper and your car automatically loses 100mpg. :rolleyes:
 
Will the shift points be screwed up after stepping up to 3.73s? I am trying to decide if I need to buy a performance chip right away after doing the swap. Already got the speedo gear.

I had bought some FRPP 3.73s for my Crown Vic, fortunately I didn't have them installed before totalling it. I had a police interceptor so it had the traclok installed already and is 28 spline. I took the trac lok out of the Vic, and am having that installed with a rebuild kit and the 3.73s.

A lot of people on the CV boards noticed a big improvement when going to 3.73s from 3.27s. I am hoping you guys are exaggerating when saying there isn't much of a diff going from 3.08s > 3.73s. Granted, my Vic weighed a little over 4k empty.
 
do it!

and yes, your shift points will be off, it will shift early. so just turn off the overdrive in the city and its alright.
you'll want a chip sooner or later though. and it does alot more than fix the shift points.
 
KStromberg said:
I figured I would get tortured for mentioning a gear any steeper. There is some weirdos around that think anything steeper and your car automatically loses 100mpg. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Those people usually have never done gears in a car before. And you know what happens when you assume.

I get around 14mph too but I do almost all city driving in the Mark. I did average about twenty going from Long Island to the Bronx and back which I don't think is bad at all.

chris2523 said:
do it!

and yes, your shift points will be off, it will shift early. so just turn off the overdrive in the city and its alright.
you'll want a chip sooner or later though. and it does alot more than fix the shift points.
Click to expand...

+1
 
Rich88LSC said:
I get around 14mph too but I do almost all city driving in the Mark. I did average about twenty going from Long Island to the Bronx and back which I don't think is bad at all.
Click to expand...

Exactly, and another thing to consider is that we both have stall converters. If we didn't, I'm willing to bet that even with a steep gear such as 4.10s, the mileage would be even better. Also, as I'm sure you know, a stall converter is very sensitive to throttle input. It loosens up in a hurry with heavier throttle and shifts high on the tach, hence the reason some tuners lock the converter as soon as possible into overdrive under reserved driving to give better fuel economy. Driving habits can greatly vary a person's mileage, especially with a stall. It doesn't surprise me that I get 14mpg because I drive in a spirited manner by nature. But that also goes for any car really, but we, or at least I, have a tendency to drive a little bit more spirited because the car is modified and it's easy to do. ;)

Another thing I try to remind people also is that we have this wonderful attribute with the 4R70W transmissions called OVERDRIVE. (no duh, right lol) That is HUGE on fuel economy. But I'll tell you what, if people want to complain about running steep gears in these cars, try driving around a car with steep gears and a Turbo400 transmission for example. That is a 3 speed. My buddy has a Regal Turbo-T with the Turbo400 and he is pulling 3000 rpms on the highway at 60 mph with 3.43 gears. Our Mark VIIIs are really very good with fuel economy when considering a steeper gear choice. 4.30s are just a crazy a$$ street gear and I love them and still manage to get what I consider to be great gas mileage for such a naturally aspirated beast.

So while my buddy is turning 3000rpms at 60 mph with a 3 speed, I won't see those rpms until about 80-82mph. Overdrive is a very good thing. :D

And I'm not saying people here complain, because it seems there is not a lot of fear of the gear here on this forum. But I've heard people's worries before and I think they just need a friendly reminder of what we are driving. It's not a carbureted small block Ford. It's a fuel-injected, computer and emissions controlled RWD V8 with an automatic overdrive transmission. I think even Mike Schultz with his supercharged monster managed in the low 20s for mileage coming back from the track.
 
Way way off topic here, but why is your buddy running a turbo 400. He is probably hurting more than helping unless we are talking about a low 9 second car. The 200-4Rs will hold pretty much anything you throw at them with just a few mods.

And back on topic yes many people fear the gear. I had 4.10s in my 5.0 Thunderbird. Car ran 13.4@104 NA and still got 25 mpg, but it is also a sacrifice that I am not willing to make on the Lincoln. It is for interstate cruising and 4.10s put the car in a range that I am just not comfortable driving in for 5-6 hours straight.

-Alan
 
KStromberg said:
Exactly, and another thing to consider is that we both have stall converters. If we didn't, I'm willing to bet that even with a steep gear such as 4.10s, the mileage would be even better. Also, as I'm sure you know, a stall converter is very sensitive to throttle input. It loosens up in a hurry with heavier throttle and shifts high on the tach, hence the reason some tuners lock the converter as soon as possible into overdrive under reserved driving to give better fuel economy. Driving habits can greatly vary a person's mileage, especially with a stall. It doesn't surprise me that I get 14mpg because I drive in a spirited manner by nature. But that also goes for any car really, but we, or at least I, have a tendency to drive a little bit more spirited because the car is modified and it's easy to do. ;)

Another thing I try to remind people also is that we have this wonderful attribute with the 4R70W transmissions called OVERDRIVE. (no duh, right lol) That is HUGE on fuel economy. But I'll tell you what, if people want to complain about running steep gears in these cars, try driving around a car with steep gears and a Turbo400 transmission for example. That is a 3 speed. My buddy has a Regal Turbo-T with the Turbo400 and he is pulling 3000 rpms on the highway at 60 mph with 3.43 gears. Our Mark VIIIs are really very good with fuel economy when considering a steeper gear choice. 4.30s are just a crazy a$$ street gear and I love them and still manage to get what I consider to be great gas mileage for such a naturally aspirated beast.

So while my buddy is turning 3000rpms at 60 mph with a 3 speed, I won't see those rpms until about 80-82mph. Overdrive is a very good thing. :D

And I'm not saying people here complain, because it seems there is not a lot of fear of the gear here on this forum. But I've heard people's worries before and I think they just need a friendly reminder of what we are driving. It's not a carbureted small block Ford. It's a fuel-injected, computer and emissions controlled RWD V8 with an automatic overdrive transmission. I think even Mike Schultz with his supercharged monster managed in the low 20s for mileage coming back from the track.
Click to expand...

Good point. Without the loose converter I'm sure my mileage would go up. And the more mods the harder it is for me to keep my foot out of it.

lobird91 said:
Way way off topic here, but why is your buddy running a turbo 400. He is probably hurting more than helping unless we are talking about a low 9 second car. The 200-4Rs will hold pretty much anything you throw at them with just a few mods.

And back on topic yes many people fear the gear. I had 4.10s in my 5.0 Thunderbird. Car ran 13.4@104 NA and still got 25 mpg, but it is also a sacrifice that I am not willing to make on the Lincoln. It is for interstate cruising and 4.10s put the car in a range that I am just not comfortable driving in for 5-6 hours straight.

-Alan
Click to expand...
I guess it all depends what you are trying to accomplish. If I wanted a freeway cruiser out of the Mark I prob wouldn't have done 4.10s. But since I'd rather surprise someone at a stoplight then if I did it again it would get at least 4.30s.
 
Rich88LSC said:
I guess it all depends what you are trying to accomplish. If I wanted a freeway cruiser out of the Mark I prob wouldn't have done 4.10s. But since I'd rather surprise someone at a stoplight then if I did it again it would get at least 4.30s.
Click to expand...

Could not say it better.
Plan your ride.

Stop light car go deep.

If I would do it again I would go 4.30s......and I do a lot of freeway.
Love the seat of the pants.
Hell maybe deeper if I drove street.....:cool:
 
K.B.R said:
I always hear 3.73's or steeper but what about 3.55's?
Click to expand...

some people say its not enough of a difference in a NA car for the cost.

seems to be a good gear in a boosted setup though. better for building boost and cuts down on traction issues with more horsepower.
 
lobird91 said:
Way way off topic here, but why is your buddy running a turbo 400. He is probably hurting more than helping unless we are talking about a low 9 second car. The 200-4Rs will hold pretty much anything you throw at them with just a few mods.
Click to expand...

I couldn't tell ya Alan. He bought the car as is ready to run 11s for $5k. Time will tell. If it runs low 11s like the owner claims it does, he'll be revving pretty high at the traps with the lower rpm pushrod V6 that is in it. The car is extremely fast when it starts boosting but I have a feeling the transmission is not the perfect choice for the car. I think he agrees with me, but he's just going to rock it this year and see what happens.

Not to get off topic, but here is the car below. It's a nice grab for $5k regardless of the transmission in it. It will be a learning experience for him for sure coming from a cammed 99 Crown Vic that ran a 13.54 and I'm sure a lot of changes wil be made over the next year quite possibly including the transmission setup.

Dan's 1987 Buick Regal Turbo-T Built Car - YouTube
 
Gotcha. Yes he has a learning curve ahead of him but those cars are addicting. Mine has everything you can bolt on without going into the engine and other than my race car it is the fastest thing i have ever been in from a 50mph roll. It just spools and its gone. Tell him good luck with it.

-Alan
 
lobird91 said:
Gotcha. Yes he has a learning curve ahead of him but those cars are addicting. Mine has everything you can bolt on without going into the engine and other than my race car it is the fastest thing i have ever been in from a 50mph roll. It just spools and its gone. Tell him good luck with it.

-Alan
Click to expand...

Thanks Alan. I sure will! There is a lot of things that need to be tidied up on the car. The tach is on the floor :rolleyes: and the wiring under the hood for the alcohol injection that was on there previously is just kinda, well, all over, the speedometer is pegged and doesn't read properly and some other things. I don't think the guy who owned it worked on it a lot but rather had the work done by a separate party. He really couldn't give a whole lot of info on the car but my buddy impulsively bought it anyways after a short car ride and briefly looking it over. It's the fastest thing I've ever ridden in. I rode in a twin turbo Vette that might have been close to how this car feels on the street.

Sorry for veering off course. I do that a lot and ramble. :p
 
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