The SVT focus has a very close ratio gear box. There's not a lot of difference when you go from one gear to the next, which I think is really cool for keeping the car in the good RPM range.

For drag racing, a more aggressive first gear would help a lot. However, I wouln't want all gears to be more aggressive. I think the 6th gear is too agreesive for a final gear. On long road trips, a 7th gear would be nice. At 60mph, the car is already at 2500 rpm. At 90mph, the rpm is at 4000.

 

The SVT does not have a close ratio gear box.
We've gone over this before, but when looking at a gear box, you have to look at not just the ratio from gear A to gear B as compared to other cars. But look at also how many gears the car has. The SVT has overly large first and second gears. Realistically they should have lowered the theoretical top speed of a useless 170mph and brought it down to 150 or 160 and given us truly short ratio'd gear sets.

Now with boost the large first 2 gears are helpful, but when NA, they are tough to get through quickly.

Oh and to answer the first question, I think our only option is to swap in the gear set from the Mini Cooper unfortunately, the mini's gears are taller than ours, so it's worse. I think quaife as gear sets but they are like 10K. We're kinda stuck.

 

The SVT does not have a close ratio gear box.
We've gone over this before, but when looking at a gear box, you have to look at not just the ratio from gear A to gear B as compared to other cars. But look at also how many gears the car has. The SVT has overly large first and second gears. Realistically they should have lowered the theoretical top speed of a useless 170mph and brought it down to 150 or 160 and given us truly short ratio'd gear sets.

Now with boost the large first 2 gears are helpful, but when NA, they are tough to get through quickly.

Oh and to answer the first question, I think our only option is to swap in the gear set from the Mini Cooper unfortunately, the mini's gears are taller than ours, so it's worse. I think quaife as gear sets but they are like 10K. We're kinda stuck.

yeah thats what I was thinking too, I think w/boost and such it would be nice because of the spinning issue, but 70 mph in second gear is rediculous. Does anybody ever swap out the svt tranny for a zetec tranny?

 

I personally would consider it pretty close ratio, look at the RPM drops per shift (based on 7000RPM shift with stock tire size):

1st to 2nd 4198 (2800RPM drop)
2nd to 3rd 5091 (1909RPM drop)
3rd to 4th 5638 (1362RPM drop)
4th to 5th 5802 (1198RPM drop)
5th to 6th 5689 (1311RPM drop)

Other then the huge 1st-2nd RPM drop, I can't imagine it getting much more closer ratio'd (I wouldn't want it any closer, I skip shifts already as it is in day to day). Here is the overall gearing for those interested(diff * gear):

12.7872 7.6896 5.6525 4.5900 3.8304 3.1104

Here is the gearing by gear, we have 2 output shafts one is geared 2.88 and the other is 4.25 (dots to help formatting):
Gear Ratio......1st.....2nd.....3rd.....4th.....5th.....6th
2.88...............4.44....2.67......................1.33....1.08
4.25....................................1.33...1.08

 

I personally would consider it pretty close ratio, look at the RPM drops per shift (based on 7000RPM shift with stock tire size):

1st to 2nd 4198 (2800RPM drop)
2nd to 3rd 5091 (1909RPM drop)
3rd to 4th 5638 (1362RPM drop)
4th to 5th 5802 (1198RPM drop)
5th to 6th 5689 (1311RPM drop)

Other then the huge 1st-2nd RPM drop, I can't imagine it getting much more closer ratio'd (I wouldn't want it any closer, I skip shifts already as it is in day to day). Here is the overall gearing for those interested(diff * gear):

12.7872 7.6896 5.6525 4.5900 3.8304 3.1104

Here is the gearing by gear, we have 2 output shafts one is geared 2.88 and the other is 4.25 (dots to help formatting):
Gear Ratio......1st.....2nd.....3rd.....4th.....5th.....6th
2.88...............4.44....2.67......................1.33....1.08
4.25....................................1.33...1.08

I hear what your saying and all, but your first and second gear are your important gears off the line. I know I wouldn't want to have my second gear running up to 70 mph. Maybe w/boost, but if there was a way of changing the first and second gear the svt tranny would be great. But I dunno, if you can bolt the zetec tranny up or not....

 

Yeah I agree, but then you also have to look at the design purpose of the SVT. It was never designed to be a drag car but rather a road race/handling type car and so the gearing is there to keep it in the meat of the powerband (5k-7k) for those situations. This doesn't mean the SVT can't drag, it just means its a litte tougher to do. Keep in mind in drag racing, as power increases it can actually be a benefit to have higher ratio'd gearing in the lower gears because its easier to maintain traction (think of how many powerglide cars you have seen). Especially on a FWD car.

Also there is always the infamous roll start, from ~40mph up the car will be close ratio'd

 

How can you look at an econo box 4 banger and justify a tall 1st and 2nd gear? This is counter productive considering the power characteristics of the car.

If you look at the over-all ratios of our 6 speed compared to that of the 5 speed MTX you'll see that we BARELY have closer ratio gear set. Does this mean our gears are close ratio?? Absolutely not.

Again 1st and 2nd gears kill any thoughts that our gear box is a close ratio gear box. You can't say "well if you ignore the [insert gear here]" we have a close ratio gear set. you have to take that into account being that those gears are the foundation for the rest of our box. We should have a similar mechanical top speed as the zx3 instead of shifting our mechanical top speed an extra 20mph that this focus is incapable of seeing.

Of course this is just my opinion

 

How can you look at an econo box 4 banger and justify a tall 1st and 2nd gear? This is counter productive considering the power characteristics of the car.

If you look at the over-all ratios of our 6 speed compared to that of the 5 speed MTX you'll see that we BARELY have closer ratio gear set. Does this mean our gears are close ratio?? Absolutely not.

Why? Because our we have a another gear thrown into the mix. Why is our 1st gear TALLER than the MTX first gear consider we have a 6th gear? Now if we went to a 4 speed gearbox you would expect taller gears would you not? So how do you explain a taller 1st gear than the MTX considering a 6 speed box?

Again 1st and 2nd gears kill any thoughts that our gear box is a close ratio gear box. You can't say "well if you ignore the [insert gear here]" we have a close ratio gear set. you have to take that into account being that those gears are the foundation for the rest of our box. We should have a similar mechanical top speed as the zx3 instead of shifting our mechanical top speed an extra 20mph that this focus is incapable of seeing.

The reason I can justify it is because of the FWD setup, it's better to apply the power slower since we are shifting weight off our drive wheels. I'd much rather roll into the launch then have to pedal the dickens out of it because of wheelspin, and I would rather be able to accomplish some speed in 1st rather then just a little blip of acceleration before shifting. Could be personal preference I guess.

Also I don't really think our 1st gear is that "tall" really. I think it's the RPM's we turn creates the illusion that we have this really high first gear because of the mph we end up before shifting. My 5.0L with 3.73 rear gears only had a 11:1 first gear for example, the SVTF is 12.8:1, factory setup my 5.0L had a 9.15:1 first gear. Yes that is a V-8 vs 4 cylinder but still I'll give you another example, one of my friends had 4.10 gears with the stock T5, he had 13.375:1 first gear. 1st gear was totally worthless, you'd be lucky to get 15mph out of it before shifting and without slicks that 15mph is just a total waste of time with wheel spin.

I also think the biggest issue is our 2nd gear, we drop from a 12.8:1 ratio to a 7.7:1 which also amplify's everyones belief that we have tall gearing. I personally wish 2nd gear was more like ~9:1 but then you'd need to bump up the other gears past it to keep it close enough ratio'd.

The reason our first gear is higher then the MTX is because they could not fit a lower gear into the set from what Colleti (I think) was saying.

I think we have a basic definition conflict here, to me close-ratio means the gearing keeps the RPM's up, which our tranny does on all but the 1-2 shift. Many race cars have a really low first gear to help them get moving and then the rest of the gears are very high to allow the speeds they run. They are considered close-ratio just like I consider ours close ratio (with the 1-2 gear caveat).

Now I am not saying they did a perfect job with our tranny, I would love to see a better setup but I don't think ours is total crap either like some.

 

We should have a similar mechanical top speed as the zx3 instead of shifting our mechanical top speed an extra 20mph that this focus is incapable of seeing.

Most cars have a mechanical top speed that they can not reach. This is so you don't have to run it at an insane how rpms on the highway. My sister's ZX3 has lower rpms in 5th gear than my SVT in 6th gear.

 

Guys I'm not saying our gearing is crap. But from a strictly "performance" oriented perspective, it's nothing to rave about. To often I see people claim our gearing is a close ratio setup and that our cars are better than Hondas and so on because of that, when that's simply not the case.

Sonic.. I understand your point about being FWD but do you think that's a problem with a 130 ft/lbs of torque?? I'm putting down 220 ft/lbs right now and 1st gear "barely" breaks loose. So I'd say 1st is just about perfect for the power I am currently putting down but not for NA power (which it was meant to support).

Ovbviosly concessions were made for mileage, driveability, fitment and so on... but we're not talking about that. I'm just saying, please stop referring to our gearing as "performance" oriented or "close ratio gearing". It's just not. (It might be close, but not in the aspect that performance enthusiasts would use the term "close ratio").

 

Sonic.. I understand your point about being FWD but do you think that's a problem with a 130 ft/lbs of torque?? I'm putting down 220 ft/lbs right now and 1st gear "barely" breaks loose. So I'd say 1st is just about perfect for the power I am currently putting down but not for NA power (which it was meant to support).

Your right about that, it's not an issue with 130lbs of torque and the gearing we have. But I have a feeling that SVT was looking at FI originally and must have ditched it before production. Reason I say that is these cars respond so well to FI, have a solid shortblock (do you really need 320whp capability/dependability in a 170hp NA engine?), and the gearing is suited more for FI as well. SCC and other car mags have made similar comments about how the SVTF was geared like a turbo car. Granted that is all speculation on my part however.

My main point of this is to show how the gearing is not ideal but it's not that bad either. Given the choice, I'd still keep the getrag over the MTX because I think its more flexible even though I wish 1st and 2nd were closer.

 

I wish first and second were closer too... and that the final drive was alot lower.

Traffic jams + ceramic clutch + Aluminum flywheel = GG for SVTF.

Has anyone had any luck with a shorter wheel tire combo?

 

I was reading some rambeling in a magazine colom one day talking about how most performance cars are geared. Most cars now can do 60MPH in second gear. The peorson concluded that the first 2 gear rations were chosen to get good 0-60 times, to get good times that means only 1 shift. I would also conclud that this is the case with the SVT.

I just hate the shift between first and second, having to wait for the rpms to slow for a smooth shift.

 

Also take into account the ST170's running in race competitions in Germany, putting out 240BHP N/A..you know what they've done ? Put an MTX75 in 'em cos they don't need the tall first gear !
I actually think 1st is perfect for sitting in traffic. Just lift the clutch and it'll pull away smoothly with no need to use the GO pedal.
Quaife now do two gearsets for the Getrag box in our cars, one for fast road and the other for race useage.

 

the svt gearing has its advantages and disadvantages. but imagine if it had the zetec gearing, it would still pull good gas mileage in fifth gear while pulling better quarter mile times and not sacrificing any driveability.

 

Our cars will go 67 mph in second, so shorter gearing would give some improvement, but in the quarter, we are just hitting the lights at 88-90 mph - and 90 mph is fuel cutoff in third. So if you shortened up the ratios, you're going to have another gearchange to make, and that's going to slow you up. That's why the SVTF really needs a big power boost to do better times in the quarter - if you shift into fourth a hundred yards from the traps, you're losing time to make the shift, and then you're trying to accelerate the last couple hundred feet in fourth.

If you have a tune that raises the cutoff to 7600 that would help (you'd be hitting it at 95 mph in third).

Don't get me wrong - the car will still accelerate faster with more power, but in a time-to-distance race (the quarter), that extra gearchange is going to cost you.

 

Borderline 100mph in third gear

 

I wish first and second were closer too... and that the final drive was alot lower....Has anyone had any luck with a shorter wheel tire combo?

That's what I was thinking - 16" wheels with 215/45 tires. Mathematically, that's about 6% shorter gearing. I think that's as good as it's gonna get (within reason). I mentioned this at Belle Tire and the guy behind the counter says that it might adversely affect the traction control and ABS, though. Anybody got any thoughts on this?

 

bump

 

Oh and by the way, there are gear changes for the SVT from Quaife America. But last I heard it was near 10K

Here's the link:
http://www.quaifeusa.com/gears/gears.htm

If anyone wants to contact them to find out the details, knock yourself out.

 

Here is the actual data about the Quaife Gearing possibilities:

Thank you for your recent inquiry. The cost of the kit is $6195.00, and should be available by June. The ratio sets that will be available are going to be :

Road 3.846 2.588 1.875 1.543 1.250 1.029
Race 3.846 2.737 2.126 1.711 1.367 1.100

Let us know if there are any other questions we can answer for you.

 

Issue with those gear ratios...you need to know what the layshaft ratios are too. I imagine that ratios 3 and 4 are interpolated from 5 and 6 using the layshaft ratio to work it out. Don't forget there are actually only 4 gearbox ratios in the Getrag box.

 

If the SVT has a taller 1st gear, and rev's higher in 6th than the ZX3 does in 5th, well I'd say thats a close ratio gear box, especially with an extra gear tossed in the middle! My opinion is, I like 1st the way it is...I can actually accelerate for a bit, rather than just 'squirting' for a couple of seconds, then grabbing 2nd...
But I still think the gearing is a little too tall, overall, especially since it has a higher redline as well...
If I had the dough, I'd spring for that optional Getrag gearset for sure!

 

If the SVT has a taller 1st gear, and rev's higher in 6th than the ZX3 does in 5th, well I'd say thats a close ratio gear box, especially with an extra gear tossed in the middle! My opinion is, I like 1st the way it is...I can actually accelerate for a bit, rather than just 'squirting' for a couple of seconds, then grabbing 2nd...
But I still think the gearing is a little too tall, overall, especially since it has a higher redline as well...
If I had the dough, I'd spring for that optional Getrag gearset for sure!

that's a close gear ratio when u look at the last 4 gears, but when looking at 1st-2nd thats when most zetecs are in mid 3rd gear

 

If the SVT has a taller 1st gear, and rev's higher in 6th than the ZX3 does in 5th, well I'd say thats a close ratio gear box, especially with an extra gear tossed in the middle! My opinion is, I like 1st the way it is...I can actually accelerate for a bit, rather than just 'squirting' for a couple of seconds, then grabbing 2nd...
But I still think the gearing is a little too tall, overall, especially since it has a higher redline as well...
If I had the dough, I'd spring for that optional Getrag gearset for sure!

that's a close gear ratio when u look at the last 4 gears, but when looking at 1st-2nd thats when most zetecs are in mid 3rd gear

That is true - and that's why STs for example practically stop accelerating in 4th and 5th. If you look at 0-60 and 1320 times for the '05 ST, they are very close to the SVTF - maybe a couple of tenths 0-60 and a half-second or so in the quarter, Then you go to 0-100, and the SVTF gets there over 2 and 1/2 seconds faster.

You wanna talk about too-long gears? Check out 4th and 5th in an MTX-75. You hit 4th in that box and you're done.