33's... What next?

[BackBone]

Hey guys! Needed tires immediately so I just broke down and bought some 33's. I am running 3.73's and am wanting to get some mileage back. Now I plan to do both the 4.10 swap and the 4406 swap. My question is, given both options and my current setup, what would you do first?

Thanks for your input.

 

[96ex5.0]

I would do the 4.10's first then the 4406.

 

[BackBone]

I would do the 4.10's first then the 4406.

Thanks. I keep going back and forth over this.

 

[colintrax]

Def 4:10
4406 isn't mandatory for 33"s lol

 

[Hards01FX4spt]

Go 4:56

 

[BackBone]

Go 4:56

Maybe in the future. I can afford the diff swap via JY but not the the gear change. Plus I can do the work myself. Not too sure of the gear swap.

This is mostly a dd. plan some weekend runs.

 

[colintrax]

4:10 will be fine for 33's and a V8

But just as any FYI rangers did come with 4:56 in certain trucks. But they have drums out back

 

[BackBone]

4:10 will be fine for 33's and a V8

But just as any FYI rangers did come with 4:56 in certain trucks. But they have drums out back

They had 8.8's in the rear with the D35 up front?

 

[colintrax]

They had 8.8's in the rear with the D35 up front?

Yes, but rangers are SOA and drum brakes. Also they're 27 spline except the FX4 lvl 2 which is 31 like our explorers.

If you see a lvl 2 grab the axle lol I'd take the drum brakes for that kinda savings in gears.
Lots of other cool stuff in those trucks that'll fit your ex

 

[corkey]

times whatever the count is up to on the 4:10's,, it's cheaper and like said the 4406 is a preference , not a requirement,,

with the gear change you should get most of the mileage back,,
that translates into savings for the 4406 swap,,

 

[BackBone]

Yes, but rangers are SOA and drum brakes. Also they're 27 spline except the FX4 lvl 2 which is 31 like our explorers.

If you see a lvl 2 grab the axle lol I'd take the drum brakes for that kinda savings in gears.
Lots of other cool stuff in those trucks that'll fit your ex

I'll keep my eye out!

times whatever the count is up to on the 4:10's,, it's cheaper and like said the 4406 is a preference , not a requirement,,

with the gear change you should get most of the mileage back,,
that translates into savings for the 4406 swap,,

This makes sense. Would a locker in the rear also be recommended before the 4406?

 

[99XLT-Explorer]

i was scared at first about doing gear swaps but i started doing some research and its honestly not that bad.
I swapped in 456s in my explorer myself its not too bad just do the research and get a few tools.

you dont need to buy top of the line 300 dollar dial indicators or anything just the basics. the rear 8.8 is alot easier than the front because of the shims being on the outsides of the bearing.
the front dana 35 chunk is alittle harder but all that you need to do is create a set of setup bearings...

What i did was take a set of cheap carrier bearing and used a grinder to equally grind the inside diameter of the bearing so it can be slipped on and off the carrier easily to change the shimming. after you get the right setting you press the bearings.

If you do it your self you can do it for under about 300 bucks per axle.

Honestly read the hell out of this write up and you will learn alot.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/articles/tech/billavista/Gear_Setup


Also it depends on what kind of wheeling you want to do. if your xcase is working good as it is just do your gears and a lunchbox locker.

Then as you are doing your gear installs gather parts for the 4406 swap bc you need new driveshafts and you will need shift linkage which is usually made of unobtainium lol.

 

[BackBone]

i was scared at first about doing gear swaps but i started doing some research and its honestly not that bad.
I swapped in 456s in my explorer myself its not too bad just do the research and get a few tools.

you dont need to buy top of the line 300 dollar dial indicators or anything just the basics. the rear 8.8 is alot easier than the front because of the shims being on the outsides of the bearing.
the front dana 35 chunk is alittle harder but all that you need to do is create a set of setup bearings...

What i did was take a set of cheap carrier bearing and used a grinder to equally grind the inside diameter of the bearing so it can be slipped on and off the carrier easily to change the shimming. after you get the right setting you press the bearings.

If you do it your self you can do it for under about 300 bucks per axle.

Honestly read the hell out of this write up and you will learn alot.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/articles/tech/billavista/Gear_Setup


Also it depends on what kind of wheeling you want to do. if your xcase is working good as it is just do your gears and a lunchbox locker.

Then as you are doing your gear installs gather parts for the 4406 swap bc you need new driveshafts and you will need shift linkage which is usually made of unobtainium lol.

Thanks for this post!

$600 bucks? While that is do-able, I think I would be better off getting a set of Junkyard 4.10 axles for half that, then selling mine to recoup some of the cost and running that set-up. Then I could make the decision to increase the gears and save for that project. In the mean time, if I like the 4.10's then I could look into a locker while saving for the 4406. I think this is the route I will take.

 

[Explorin'VA]

I went the 4.10 diff/axle swap route because it's cheap and quick. It's just tough finding a D35 front diff with 4.10's, but they are out there.

 

[delexploder]

I disagree, the 4406 is the upgrade I would do, 4:10s with a ls are not easy to find and its such a minimal gain for the amount of work and money, the 4406 will make you feel like you are driving a totally different truck, then if you need more get up and go do a gear swap,

 

[BackBone]

I disagree, the 4406 is the upgrade I would do, 4:10s with a ls are not easy to find and its such a minimal gain for the amount of work and money, the 4406 will make you feel like you are driving a totally different truck, then if you need more get up and go do a gear swap,

Do you notice any front drive shaft vibrations? Also, are you running the 4406 with 33's? I think that if I go 4.10's first then I get back my mileage and from that vantage point I am able to make decisions on whether to lock or not and determine if I need more "crawl" power for off road - 4406.

 

[delexploder]

Im running 31s , 4:10s will be almost not noticeable coming from 3:73s ,the 4406 is just a better way to go if you are not ready to regear to 4:56 , the gains you get from the 4406 will be on par if not better than a 4:10 swap, MPG, better steering on road, less noise, stronger setup, if you know someone with a 2wd second Gen v8 take it for a spin and compare it to the awd, its night and day, and it will hold up better to your 33s, like I said im on a brand new set of BFG ATs, 31x10.5 ,a little smaller but they made my mounty feel like a turd, did the 4406 im now getting better MPG and it takes off better than it did with the p235 /75r15 , and the power increase to the rear tires in 2wd is impressive, it takes way less pedal to get going,

 

[99XLT-Explorer]

Heres the problem with that option i dont think its going to be easy to find a 4.10 donor truck especially a 4wd one and i would be rather dumb to get a ranger axle because its much weaker and drum brakes which i cant stand.

And not to get you down or anything but 600 bucks is pretty cheap for a regear front and rear. go to a shop and hear the price they give you and you will realize that 600 bucks is cheap haha

 

[LONO100]

Regear for sure. Then after that, a rear locker and then suddenly your X is showing JK's and rovers up on the trail.

 

[99XLT-Explorer]

i believe that 4.56 would be wayyy over geared for 33s with a 5.0

Im running 4.56 with a sohc 4.0 and i have a 5 speed trans. im not sure what the 4r70w has for a od ratio but mine is .75 and i turn 2500k at 65 with my big heavy 33s