99 Sport Towing: Gears, etc.

[heathmo]

Ok, well I know the weight it can tow and all that due to it being a 4wd that obviously lowers my towing capacity. But I'm not planning on heavy towing, maybe a small boat, pop-up camper or a small moving trailer, things along those lines. So from what I've gathered the 3.27 gears aren't really ideal for towing, but from what I've seen there was never 3.55 or 3.73 gears available for the 99 sport from Ford. At least from the site I got specs from. For the most part my Explorer is a Daily Driver, just to grab some groceries, run to my buddies houses, so it does spend a lot of time sitting. I try to go somewhere at least once a day especially now that it's winter in IA and we've been seeing sub-zero temps this year. No driving to work as I live in the same building (pretty convenient). But ok back to my point, for light and less frequent towing how terrible are the 3.27 gears going to be compared to 3.55s or 3.73s or even 4.10s? It's not lifted, and right now I'm not planning on a lift due to the cost of replacing all the parts. Maybe 4 doors springs because I've got a bit of rear end sag. As of now the only mods planned or done are K&N FIPKII, Magnaflow cat-back exhaust and probably a custom tune, maybe headers after that. And eventually high flow cats. But for now it'll remain near stock. So back to the point, what are your recommendations?

 

[MountaineerGreen]

Generally speaking 4wd's have heavier suspension and are rated for higher capacites. Also, 4x4's come with lower gears, making them more suited for towing.

For light towing, your gears are fine, a trans cooler and possibly temp sensor would be a wise investment. 4 door leaf springs would be a wise change as well as a frame hitch. Don't tow anything with your bumper, I wouldn't suggest it.

3.27's does reduce your overall tow rating, a change to 3.73's would be a good all around change, 4.10's would be even better. If you change gears eventually, don't fear the gear.

 

[heathmo]

Cool thanks

I appreciate the info. I'm a bit of a noob when it comes to trucks and suvs. I've driven them and towed with them, but never my own so never had a chance to really get into the workings. So I've got a few more probably dumb ?s. I try to do my homework, so if I'm understanding correctly, the 3.73 or 4.10 would effectively reduce the RPMs it takes to get torque to the wheels? Do the 2nd gen Explorers with Auto Trans have the same transmission? I'm sure I've probably seen that in the manual so if no response to that I can figure it out. With a swap in the rear I would most likely have to do the same to the front right? How does a gear change affect on-road, non-towing performance? For quite some time I will still run the stock 235/75/R15s, will that throw off my speedometer? I have a feeling that's a no, but just want to cover all my bases, but if I were to go to larger tires the gear change would help with the issues like inconsistent shifting at high speeds right? My stepdad put bigger tires on his 88 Bronco and it threw off the speedo and made it hell to drive on the interstate, you couldn't keep the needle at 65 either you were speeding up or slowing down. Thanks again for any help.

 

[MountaineerGreen]

Yes, "deeper" gears change the power output to the wheels. The trade off is higher highway RPM's and possibly decreased MPGs at higher speeds.

All auto trans are essentially the same in the 4.0's.

If you change the gears, you must change front and rear gear sets. Should you engage 4x4, the transfer case could grenade or other things tear up. Just change both sets and be done.

On road, non towing performance, you will notice increased acceleration and power, as well as highway RPM's.

Since your speed is measured at the axle, gears won't affect your speedo.

 

[heathmo]

Thanks again

Thanks for the info, I figure yeah, both same time. I couldn't imagine it working any other way. I figured it would probably screw up the 4wd pretty well not doing both at the same time. Where would be a place to purchase the gears at. I've found them online, but they're for Mustangs, but they are for the Ford 8.8. Little confusing. Thanks again. That'd be a good time to do the switch to synthetic gear oil too. Sounds like a good summer project, gotta do the transmission fluid this summer too. But I'll look into a cooler and gauge first. Thanks again for the help.

 

[MountaineerGreen]

Really, unless you plan to to often and heavy loads, a gear change isn't really necessary. Its not worth the effort and expense, IMO. If you do want to change gears, find junkyard axles with the gear ratio you desire, and swap the whole axle assembly in. Far easier and faster, probably cheaper, depending on your salvage yard.

 

[gijoecam]

Lets just cut to the chase here: What engine, transmission, and gear ratio do you have in your 99 Sport? Ultimately, that will determine the maximum towing capacity of the vehicle. As long as your trailer is within those specs, I wouldn't worry too much about it.

 

[heathmo]

I got it

I was mostly just curious, after browsing through the forums I learned quite a bit but didn't get all the info when I searched. But, it's a 4.0L SOHC, and 3.27 gears, I know the limit as is, but was wondering what to expect if I ever had decided to change. And I had read about tow packages and that the gears were different. I just don't want to have my Explorer have any problems, and want to know before hand anything I should do before doing anything with it. But I've pretty much got it all figured out now.

 

[gijoecam]

the 4.0L SOHC with 3.27 gears is rated for a max trailer weight of 3380 lbs for a 4x4, 3000 for a 2wd. The sport was definitely available with 3.55, 3.73, and 4.10 gears. (Mine's got 4.10s, and IIRC, 3.73s were pretty standard)

Changing the gears might be all it takes to gain towing performance. I'm not aware of any other significant differences between the tow package and non-tow package Ex's of that vintage (although I'm hardly a reference book of Explorer options).

-Joe