questions about the T5 transmission

[JaredS]

I heard of people changing the 5th gear to make it more usable on a cobra. Have any of you done this? Will the standard gearing on the T5 work just fine, or will I need to be over 80mph to get into 5th?

Also what is the difference between a T5-Z and the stock? Should I get the regular T5 or something else?

[JaredS]

I will be running a 351w with around 385hp. I will also be running the 8.8 rear with 3.55's.

[Jim Werth]

Buy the best transmission you can afford! My first t 5 lasted 760 miles. Go for a Tremec. Jim

[427sharpe]

The T5 is a good trans for relatively stock motors. It has a .76 5th gear in most performance applications, so take your rpm at whatever speed you wish, multiply the rpm by .76 and you'll be close to your rpm with the T5. The great weakness of the T5 is the 3rd gear syncro and cluster, which are KNOWN for exploding on a regular basis and trashing the transmission. If I were you, and were going to put a 5 speed in a Cobra (always driven like a baby, right???? ) I would look into the Tremec 500, or if you want REAL bullet proof, the 600. A few extra $ now can make for a lot less headaches (and expense) later.

[JaredS]

Is the tremec the same size and fitment as the t5? Will I need to modify the chassis or have it set up special?

[Jack21]

When I went shopping for a trans, my choices boiled down to two. B-W T5-Z, or Tremec 3550. Both involved compromises, and neither was the best solution for everyone.

Tremec has a web site that explains the differences between the two.

Since this has been discussed at length here, long story short.

After a rather lengthly conversation with Liberty Transmissions, I opted for the close ratio (2.95 1st) T5-Z, blueprinted, and with the .62 5th gear swapped out for a .80. Filled with synthetic ATF, and topped with a Hurst shifter, I have a trans with 5 useable gears, and a 2300 RPM cruise. Shifting is quick, and smooth. With now 16,000 miles on it, have had no service problems, and don't expect any.

Today, were I to put a Honker motor in the car, and get on it a lot, I'd get the Tremec T-600 road racing trans with 2.87 1st, and .82 5th. It uses a different bellhousing than the T5, different driveshaft yoke, and the length is a little different. But for sports car style driving, the smooth and quick shifting close ratio T5-Z is hard to beat.

[JaredS]

Is the T5 really that bad? I'm going to be using the car for cruising. I don't plan on racing. I read the T5 is good for 330ftp's. I thought that would be good for my 351w motor setup?

[CobraEd]

The bad rep on the T5 is because there are many iterations of it. The early ones were very weak. Over the years, Tremec improved them. The best one in a production car is the "World Class" T5 and it's pretty good. It came out on the later Mustangs and is rated at 305 lbft. The very best one is available only from Ford Motorsports as an aftermarket piece is the "Superduty" T5Z. It is the strongest (330 lbft) and has a 2.95 first gear vs a 3.35 on all the others. It also is the only one that comes from Ford with a sweet short throw shift. I have it and it is NICE!

Check out this site.

http://www.jason.fletcher.net/tech/t...nsmissions.htm

I don't know why he calls the T5s Borg Warner, but all the numbers are right. You can see the wide range of torque ratings, . . . Thus the poor reputation if someone used one of the weak ones from the early releases. But, the T5Z is rated at 330 lbf and is a good unit!!!!



If you want an indestructable T5 that is stronger than ANY factory transmission, check out this:

http://www.g-forcetransmissions.com/tran_gt-5.asp

"Although we do not like to put torque or horsepower ratings on our products due to the vast differences in clutch, engine, chassis, tire, and mounting combinations, we can give a very rough estimate. There are simply too many variables to consider when trying to figure out how much power or torque a transmission will take in a particular application. Generally, it can be assumed that with the available upgraded mainshaft, the G-Force T-5 kit will handle roughly 600 hp or 500 ft-lb. or torque in a 3300 lb. vehicle running drag radials at the track with a moderate clutch upgrade."


Ed

[fxbill]

I ran a stroker with 529 HP in front of a T5Z for almost 2 years with no hitches whatsoever. In fact a fellow member here just purchased it from me and is in love with it. If you have the right model T5Z you can change the fifth gear ratio from .68 to .87 and it runs about $300 at most transmission shops including part and labor. Had I not just installed a 446 cu in stroker and felt that I needed a TKO600 to go with it I'd still be running the T5Z.

[kidcobra]

Jared,
I had a stock NWC T5 in mine and it lasted about 3000 miles. It just couldnt handle the abuse we put them thru. I also ran into a guy who was having the same problems with his tremic T5 so I went looking for a racing one. I was able to get one out of PA from G-Force Transmissions. They are a lot more $$ then the others but when you try to pick theres up you can feel the difference. I just put it in this weekend and I love it. And they changed out the gear ratios for me to fit my needs. It is rated for over 600 horse and 700 foot pounds of torque. So I doubt you would ever need to get another tranny. There customer service was by far the best I have delt with in a long time. And they build them to your order so you have to wait about 2 to 3 weeks for it to show up on you steps.
The nice thing about them is it is an actual T5 case so you dont have to change anything out besides the tranny.
Matt

[pmfranke]

i hope to have a 400 hp 351 with a t5z tranz and my kit . it came with a 9inch ford 3.0 rear.low profile tires 17 inch rims,can any one guess the speeds in 1st and 5th gears aprox? or should i count on changing to a 3.55 rear for driveability?

[fxbill]

With a .68 5th gear, 26 inch tires and a stock 3.27 rear 70mph was at 2,000 PRM. I couldn't stand it because the engine had very little torque there. With a 4.10 rear instead I ended up at 2500 RPM to do 70mph. With the new tranny and a .87 5th and the original 3.27 back in I get a 2600 rpm to do 71mph... exactly where I wanted it since the new engine has max torque at 3,000 RPM. There's a great calculator for figuring out final speeds at specific rpms here... http://www.angelfire.com/fl/procrastination/rear.html
Hope this helps!