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RPM at 70mph

Why are the rpms so high. I thought it would be around 2500. My 08 focus is at 2400 at that speed
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because of the gear ratio in the differential. if you had a a 2.73:1 gear ratio, engine rpm's would be lower at 70mph then say 4.11:1 gear ratio I suspect that svt or ford put a higher gear ratio closer to the 4:11 to make the car feel faster and to make up for lack of power and torque in the 2.5 in the lower rpms

for example the 98 explorers with the 4.0L V6 come with 4.11 to 1 gear ratios but the V8 5.0 explorers come with 3.73 to 1 gear ratio

your 08 focus is built more for gas mileage so Ford put a lower gear ratio in it which enables it to cruise a 70mph at a lower RPM thus allowing for better mileage in theory. Gas was much cheaper 10 years ago and the SVT contour is suppose to be a sporty car so Ford stuck a higher gear ratio in it to help it accelerate faster and feel sportier which sacrificed some mileage and cruising RPMs..
 
Thanks for the reply. Just like my Cobra when I changed the gears to 4.10's vs the stock 3.55, but the mustang has a lot of options when it comes to changing the ring and pinion gear, does the contour have the same.
 
Here a few more points for your speedo check. And my speedo was verified by GPS also, 50, 60 & 70mph dead on. 80 indicated actual was 79mph and 90 indicated was actual 88mph

50 mph = 2200 rpm
60 mph = 2550 rpm
70 mph = 2950 rpm
80 mph = 3400 rpm
90 mph = 3750 rpm
 
The Duratec final drive ratio is 4.06, where as the Zetec is like a 3.82 or 3.86. The car revs high. That was the first thing I noticed when I bought my first SVT. I drove it home and kept trying to shift to a higher gear because I was doing ~3500 RPM at 80, and it didn't feel right after coming from a Chevy truck with a 3.42 that would have been pulling like 2100 at 80.
 
Thanks for the reply. Just like my Cobra when I changed the gears to 4.10's vs the stock 3.55, but the mustang has a lot of options when it comes to changing the ring and pinion gear, does the contour have the same.
 
jlm98silversvt said:
Thanks for the reply. Just like my Cobra when I changed the gears to 4.10's vs the stock 3.55, but the mustang has a lot of options when it comes to changing the ring and pinion gear, does the contour have the same.
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No. Basically your choices are 4.06 or the Zetec, from my understanding. There aren't aftermaket options.
 
Dyoel182 said:
Thats what I see on the tach and speedo. Of course my GPS and radar verified speed is 67-68 but thats a known issue.
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Your car is retarded. Did you ever think that maybe somebody had indiglos on it at one time, so they took the tach needle off and didn't put it back on quite right? Just a thought...
 
TX00SVT said:
Your car is retarded. Did you ever think that maybe somebody had indiglos on it at one time, so they took the tach needle off and didn't put it back on quite right? Just a thought...
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That made you sound retarded. If I drove a 98 Integra GSR that might be the case though.
 
Dyoel182 said:
That made you sound retarded. If I drove a 98 Integra GSR that might be the case though.
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I don't exactly know how that made me retarded, but whatever. Learn to take a joke. Believe it or not, indiglos DO exist for the SVT, and several people have them. Anyways, you should get with someone with an XCAL, datalog your RPM and speed, and reposition your needles.
 
TX00SVT said:
I don't exactly know how that made me retarded, but whatever. Learn to take a joke. Believe it or not, indiglos DO exist for the SVT, and several people have them. Anyways, you should get with someone with an XCAL, datalog your RPM and speed, and reposition your needles.
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I took your joke and made another about Honda owners. I figured someone would get a laugh out of it. My speedo issue turned out to be a known issue when I brought it up a while back. Its about 1mph off at 50, 2 at 60ish and almost 3 at 70. When I had the scangauge it was fun to have the gps going as well so I could ponder the 3 different speeds being shown to me.
 
GPS doesn't lie. Accurate enough for NASA and the Military then accurate enough for me. Just make sure your speed is stable for a few seconds (i.e. cruise control) and then compare. GPS is not as instantly responsive to changes as your speedo would be.
 
jlm98silversvt said:
Any opinions on this
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As someone else posted, you are somewhat limited. There are two final drive ratios, the 4.06 on the V6 (including SVT) and 3.82 (I think, might be 3.84) for the 4 cylinder. They are somewhat interchangeable, with the taller gears often being used with a 3 liter swap. I say somewhat, because I understand there are some limitations between the various years. Terry Haines is the expert on this topic. You may want to contact him. He is a former Ford engineer and was involved with the Mondeo launch. Today he owns a motorsprts shop in Michigan. He doesn't post here, but if you search around you can find his contact information.
 
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