Thinking of getting a gear job on your car? It makes a lot of sense, because I can tell you that 410's make for off the line acceleration that will nail you into your seat, and it is fairly cheap right?
Before you make that move, read this warning carefully. I recently decided to make the leap, and got a recommendation for a shop, off of a mustang club website. I didn't do a lot of research, and made a quck decision on who to use, based on one website. I had the guy do the job, and afterwards I had whining, droning, and other noises, which changed depending on the speed. After finding the real pros in town (AMP in Phoenix), they told me a good gear job does not make any noise, and that I should have it fixed under the first guys warranty. He then redid my gear job. After that it was a bit quieter at speed, but I started getting this rubbing / droning sound in tight corners. I jacked the car up and inspected the wheel bearing and brakes, and all looked good. The stock tire had tons of clearance, so what could this be? I drove the car over to AMP, and the next morning the verdict was in. The gears were now trash because they had a bad pattern from bad adjustment. On top of that the gears I was told were "Ford Racing" were actually the generic version made by Motive, not the "real thing". After discussing it, I elect to throw them in the garbage and have real Ford Racing gears installed by someone who actually knows how to set them up properly (what a concept right?).
But that isn't the worst part. The real slap in the face, came when I was told the carrier in my rear end was now destroyed, because he used the wrong fluids. It was creating that droning / rubbing noise I mentioned above, while making sharp corners / turns. Now that is being replaced, along with the gears. Wonderful.
So please, remember these words. Do your research before you get a gear job, and make sure you are picking the best possible person for the job. A gear job is not a "no-brainer". It takes experience and skill to do right. Don't let some hack touch your precious mustang. What he says means nothing. Talk is cheap. Get references. Get several references.
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2006GT - C&L Racer CAI - FR 410's - Mac Axle-Backs - Diablo Sport Tune - 255/45's on 18x9's
As do I... Nothing worse than a bad gear install, except two bad gear installs
or 3 or 4 it seems lately...
The FRPP/Motive thing is getting worse and worse - it seems (anecdotally) that "ford" is making fewer and fewer of the gear sets and re-branding "motive" gears...
I am surprised this is still so difficult given that manufacturing tolerances on just about everything have improved drastically even over the past 10-15 years...
But it is... Easy for Motive to make gears that are prone to noise and VERY easy to install them incorrectly... Even easier for installers used to FRPPs relative ease to install noisey Motive gear sets which evidently require more care/measurement - have not tried Motives myself...
I do and have done FRPPs myself, but it takes me for ever as I measure everything 400 times... good thing I don't do it for a living, I would be bankrupt...
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'06 GT Vert - Saleen S/C
'05 GT Coupe - Under Construction - currently etching an "11" on the dial
'85 GT T-Top 351W N/A
Sorry to hear about your troubles, but I thank you for sharing your experience with us so we can be more conciensious of who we let work on our posessions.
I was considering going 3.73 FRPP gears and limited slip diff. as my next mod but now i'm a bit scared to take the risk as my 'Stang is my daily driver.
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Black 2005 Mustang v6, 5 speed, IUP, EUP and Leather.
Razzi 1/4 window scoops, Mustang GT Sway Bars, Flowmaster American Thunder Single Exhaust, Clear Front Turn Signal Lenses, Demolet CAI, X-cal2 91 tune, Hurst Comp/Plus Shifter, FRPP T-Lock, Ford 3.73 gears
I used Yukon gears sold by Randy's Ring and Pinion. Had them installed by a local racing shop. (Well known for their quality of work.) I thought at first they were expensive but after reading everyones problems I'm glad I spent the extra money. BTW - around $750 for the labor only
No problems at all so far.
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05' GT Premium, Triple Black, Hurst Short Throw Shifter, DiabloSport Performance Tune for 93 Octane, FRPP Spring Lowering Kit, Auto Meter Gauges and Tach. Light, White 10" Rally Stripes, K & N CAI, White Faced Steeda Gauges, 8" Shortie Ant., 18" Chrome Deep Dish Rims with Toyo TS-1S's, Strut Tower Brace, Borla Catback Exhaust System, Red Line Tuning Hood Lift Kit, Eclipse AVN 5500 Nav. System, 6.5" kappa speakers, 12" Subwoofer, 500w Kicker Amp., 3.73 Yukon Gears
I was considering going 3.73 FRPP gears and limited slip diff. as my next mod but now i'm a bit scared to take the risk as my 'Stang is my daily driver.
I am going to suggest you go get that gear job. There is not one single mod you can do for under $1000 that is going to give you that big of a bump in off the line performance. Not only that, but when you are cruising down the freeway, you can pick up speed quickly, at will, WITHOUT having to downshift, or force your auto tranny to downshift. That is really an added bonus in my book. Around these parts a GOOD gearjob will run you about $700-$800, but it is money well spent. For someone on a budget, I think a set of 410's with a CAI and a good dyno tune, with some nice sounding axle-backs, makes your car worlds better for under $2000. Money well spent.
I am just reminding everyone considering such things to get references for the person they hand the keys over to.
To put it in perspective, think of this. I have talked to people who drive from Nevada, and California just to have AMP work on their mustangs. I think that speaks for itself. We are talking about a facility that rolls out 900 RWHP turbo stangs, and competes on national TV programs against other builders, and has built cars that hold world records.
The trick is, to find someone with this kind of skill, within driving range of your home, and to expect that they may charge a bit more for top notch work, than the neighborhood grease monkey.
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2006GT - C&L Racer CAI - FR 410's - Mac Axle-Backs - Diablo Sport Tune - 255/45's on 18x9's
Gears that are whining are an installer issue not the gear(in most cases). I recently bought and had installed a set of Motive 3.55's. I have absolutely no whining, droning, noises or anything coming from the rear end.
I took several weeks reading every post I could find on gear swaps and it seems like alot of guys that had noises etc... purchased a set of Motive. They all attributed the noise to "must be a junk set of gears" and "I better warn everybody about the crappy quality of Motive"
Being a mechanic, I looked past all of the bs and after careful consideration, decided on Motive brand 3.55 for my application.
I/we followed the instructions by Motive to the T, including the breakin period. It has now been 2.5 weeks since the install and I am extremely happy with my decision. For me, the acceleration has improved dramatically as has my gas mileage and like I said, I have no noises whatsoever from the rear end.
Just something for you to consider when looking into this.
I do and have done FRPPs myself, but it takes me for ever as I measure everything 400 times... good thing I don't do it for a living, I would be bankrupt...
Gear Job - A Warning - Read 
