gears and tires

[scottyg]

i have 3.55 stock gears and want to know how i could accomodate for 32" or 33" tires. what has to happen and how much does it cost for me to get 4.10 gears? this is the only thing holding me back from going out and buying new tires on the spot because i am clueless in this department. do i even need higher gears? will it just make my truck slower? will it damage my transmission? if anyone could shed some light on this for me it would be a great help. thanks!
'97 4.0 sohc

 

[dman726749]

it will make your truck slower and over time it could hurt the tranny. trying to move the larger heavier tires without the aid of higher gears over time will hurt the tranny.

 

[Redrig]

actually 4:10 over a 3:55 is a lower gear. (higher the number the lower the gear). gear swapping is expensive parts and labor is about 6 to 8 hundred dollars and axle. how much lift do you have or will you be adding? are you 2 or 4wd?

 

[dman726749]

yea i meant higher numerically

 

[scottyg]

i am planning about 5-6" of lift and 33's. the lift either by TT and shackles and 3" body lift or with the superlift kit and 2 inch BL. i cant find a superlift kit right now is the only problem.
so it would be really slow and eventually would hurt my tranny you say? well if possible....could anyone kind of take me through the process of getting the gears switched? where could i go to get this done? and i am looking at about $800 right? is there anything else i should know about this? like...do i get the gears from a junkyard or order new ones at the shop i chose to get the job done at? thanks a lot. i know im clueless...but this is a serious inquiry. and im really looking forward to actually getting this done to my explorer. thanks again!

 

[scottyg]

4wd too. sorry bout leaving that out

 

[Redrig]

with 4wd you will have to do both axles. if you only do one and put it 4wd you will cause ALOT of damage. so your looking at that price times 2. you will want to get the gears new. and have them put in by a shop. if it was me id get4:56's with 33's . yes 3:55's and 33's will be slow and put stain on your tranny. theres alot of info on all of this on the site. search for lifts, tranny's, gears etc. and good luck.

 

[scottyg]

twice that price for 4wd. that sucks. i think i will ask for a raise tomorrow. thanks a bunch for your help.
also just a quick question....what is the advantage to an open differential? thanks

 

[Alec]

advantage to an open diff? None except it's less intrusive on the road than an autolocker.

 

[scottyg]

sweet....what is an autolocker? the thing that the gears are housed in?

 

[Alec]

autolocker: locking diff that locks and unlocks automatically such as the Powertrax.