3.55 gears and 31x10.50's

[my91explorer4x4]

I have a 91 EB 4x4 5spd, i think i have 3.55 gears on the front so the tag says, so does that mean it is 3.55 on the rear as well? how do i tell if it has a tow package or not? how good are 3.55 gears? bad ...ok...Good? what type of gear are better 4.10? i plan on getting a new set of 31x10.50's Dunlop Radial Rovers. thanks!!!

 

[SteveVB]

Front and rear gear ratios have to be the same or the drive train will bind! When/if you change gears the front and rear should be done at the same time.

If the tag on the front diff. says you have 3.55's then the rear is also. I think the towing package had 3.73's with trac lok in the rear(a L/S).

I have 31's and 3.55 gears with an auto. trans and there was a drop in the acceleration from stops, takes a bit longer to pass etc. but its not horrible. With a 5 speed I think you will be better able to compensate for the tires cause you choose your shift points. If you just drive around town the 3.55s should be ok, but if you wheel the beach, or up into the mountains then something lower would be better. 4.10's with 31" tires sort of equates to 3.73 with stock 235 tires. Good-Bad-Better depends on what you are going to do with your explorer.

Do a search of the site you should find plenty of other responses to the gear/tire question


Steve VB
91 Navajo

 

[Ray Lobato]

my91explorer4x4,
If the truck has not been modified, you will have the same gears on the rear as you have on the front. It is an ok gear ratio if you are just running around the street. I don't think I would tow anything with it though. I have 3.55's on my truck and it has 31X10.5 tires, but the SOHC has more horses then the OHV that you have in your truck, so the power loss is not really noticeable. I plan on changing gear ratios after I lift the truck. Hopefully mid year. I don't do too bad going off road, but have to work alittle harder then those with lower gears. You will probably do alright if you add a drop in K&N filter, but you won't be winning any races. You have to know what you want to do with your truck before you can tell what gears are best for you. If you want a daily driver, but like to do some decent 4wheeling. I would suggest 3.73:1 at the least, and lean more towards 4.10:1 if you find you really like 4wheeling alot. If you are serious about 4wheeling, then you should have at least 4.10:1 and maybe you should look at 4.56:1 gears, just remember that you can't have a good commutor truck and a serious "Big Dog" truck that gets good gas mileage.

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Happy Wheelin'
Ray L.
97 XLT 4X4 4.0L SOHC

 

[Andy97XLT]

I've a 97 XLT OHC 4D w/4WD and don't think I have the towing package (no class 3 hitch). How do I tell what gear ratios I have? I want to throw on some BFG All Terrain 31 x 10.5s and am concerned with how the increased tire size will affect my gas mileage , if my current gears will be able to handle the 31s off road and if my tranny will be fine with the tires. I do some decent off road but nothing too extreme.

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