I was wondering of anyone could give me some advice on the following things because I really don't know much about them .

- Stage 2 Shift Kit for my BF XR6 4 spd. What are the pros and cons of doing this? Also, what are some good brands and places in Melbourne I can call up for quotes.

- Underdrive Pulley. How much would it cost roughly for it and installation and how much power increase should I expect? Also, what specifically does this do? Will it effect my sound system or anything?

- 3.7 or higher diff ratio upgraded from the standard 3.45's. What are the pros and cons of doing this? On average how much higher will I be revving and will it increase my fuel consumption by a lot? Also will this put any extra strain on any other parts like drive shaft etc. or will anything else need to be changed?

Sorry for all the stupid questions but I'd love to hear some feedback.

Cheers,
Jova.

Not much help here as i am querying at the moment to.
Though after a bit of research i am looking at a Underdrive Pulley aswell, Seems www.norcom.net.au has them for approx $360, Most mechanics can fit them. If you know a bit yourself you can do it.

I have no idea what you just linked lol... It's redirecting.

Seems you are right lol, I only just came across it last night let me try find it again.

This is the exact link that i was at and works. http://www.norcom.net.au/~bpt/Ford%20un ... ystems.htm

Ok yep that one works. Thanks .

Stage 2 shift kit;
i just installed mine a few days ago, the pros = it'll make your 4sp trans last longer because it shifts "harder" letting the bands in the trans remain theyre lengths. When the bands in the trans start stretching, that's when you'll start seeing your gears changing slower and lagging... So it's definately a pro.

http://www.shiftkits.com.au/index.php?m ... ducts_id=1

That's the shift kit that i got. you'll need to cut wires and what not from the loom. It comes with instructions on how to fit it.


Underdrive Pulley;
Should see an increase in your rwkw's & hp's with installing this, it'll also get you faster to 100kmph or whatever speed you want to get faster to. Won't do anything with sound... it just reduces "drag" caused by the belts in your engine blah blah blah

Diff ratios;
Well.. i think the BF and BA's Diff are the same.. as in they both use the M78 cradle-like diff. If you plan to do burnouts at some stage... i'd suggest getting an xr6turbo or xr8 diff. But then again you'll need to change tailshafts and what not... but if you aren't looking for burnouts in your car, then just change the gears to 4.11's .. your fuel economy/consumption won't be too much.. and you'll probably idle rev at around 1000 or 1500 rpm.

Also look into a hi-stall converter. What this does basically let's you start moving at let's say.. 2500rpm so basically that is around the point where your car makes power. Instead of accelerating off 0.800rpm your car will accelerate until your rev hits 2500rpm. It's just like as if you are in a manual car waiting to race someone holding off on 2500rpm then dropping the clutch and going for it! booyah :p But it's not anything cheap expect $1500 for it.

Wow thanks so much!
So the shift kit can be turned on and off with just a flick of a switch? Where do they have the switch?
And so there's no down side to getting a shift kit other than the ride isn't as smooth if you have it on? How bad is the jolting? And how difficult is it to install yourself..?

I meant with the Underdrive Pulley, does it effect the power being supplied to everything else? I've read that if you don't get the correct one it could cause light timing or lowering the sound of your speakers. Would you happen to know labour costs for getting one installed? And will I have to replace any belts or anything else or is it a simple switch over?

I won't lie, I do on occasion do small burnouts. Not like swinging hoops or anything though.
A high-stall doesn't seem very practical for every day driving though. =/

Yeah the shift kit can be turned on and off by a flick of a switch! the switch can be anywhere you want so long as you can get it there! the wires for mine go under my drivers seat and the switch pops out near the centre console so it's close to me... some people have it in the passenger side glove compartment box... there's no real downside i guess of a shift kit being installed that i know of, the jolt from 1st -> 2nd gear is a bit of a shock the first time, feels like your car is itching to jump to second all the time when it changes gears! But other then that it's pretty good... the ride is smooth, i mean driving it normally is fine as well.

Oh i guess a downfall of installing the shift kit is that if you take corners to fast and you shift let's say 1st-2nd in a corner (mainly when wet/moist roads) your back end will start sliding :p good fun in the rain! But yeah you need to hold it on a gear when going around corners. unless you want to go sliding everywhere

and as for the underdrive pulley a 20% underdrive should be good.. they ARE the correct ones. If you're looking into purchasing one, get one from ebay or from the Powerbond website. Powerbond 20% under drives are very good, a lot of BA people have them, they also come with instructions on how-to install them. But if you don't feel like you can install them, a mechanic MIGHT charge you 1-2 (most likey just 1) hours labour. and mech. rates are roughly around $80-$95 max. anything above those rates... get someone else to do it. but if you have a mate that's done it, problem solved :p

and yeah burnouts aren't good for the BA's unless you have a locked diff or a stronger diff!

take it from me, i did a burnout, next day. big end knock which = new engine!

Ok thanks mate. Can any normal mechanic install a shift kit? How hard is it to do yourself? I wouldn't be very confident doing it to be honest. And with the switch you can turn the shift kit off so it'll just shift like stock? Also, does it change the downshifts? Will it jolt dropping from 3rd to 2nd or 2nd to 1st? I when going downhill the auto shifts down by itself and it can be quite surprising and you feel a jolt.

Ok thanks for the info on the underdrive pulley. I'll take a look into that. And just to clarify I don't need to change belts or anything else? I've heard some issues with the harmonic balancer when you try install the pulley. Do you know what they are?

I'm driving a BF and even though the tag says STD it does LS quite often but it isn't very tight.

hmm not too sure on the harmonic balancer sorry... D: ! but as for the shift kit, it's more of an electrical installation so there should be auto-electrics installation places around where you live. or yes.. you could even just try a normal mechanic,

oh yeah sorry mate, the shift kit will only be active on going UP in gears. not going down. and yes if you flick the switch off, it'll shift like normal

Thanks a lot man. I'll be sure to post how it goes once I get one.

so when you say only active going up gears, if im in fourth cruising and decide to plant it, will it downshift quick, if not are their any systems that can downshift quick??

also efun where did you buy yours from, ive only seen single stage shift kits available for BA and onwards, all the others (2 stage or variable) only work on e-au series.

hmm not to sure if there's anything to make it quicker at downshifting... if youre in 4th and you plant your foot it'll still act normal with or without the shift kit.

i got mine from www.shiftkits.com.au

here is the link to the one i purchased:
http://www.shiftkits.com.au/index.php?m ... ducts_id=1

i got it for $85 all together including express postage.

Then installed it. Took a bit to install... i'll take a picture of it tomorrow if it ain't raining and upload it on here.

ah k, yer cause like jova im really looking into this thing, . but as a rough estimate 0-100 times, im getting 7.3, will this push me down at least to 7.2, or will i barely see a difference in times.