gears or not

[explorer ak]

hey guys im soon and makeing the jump to 33s so should i gear it as well or can i run the stock ones

 

[XLT]

if you got 4.10s you can get by. But anything else and i would consider regearing. If you got the money i would probably regear anyways.

 

[Paraphoe]

I have 33's and 3.73s and I never really saw the need to regear. At $1000+, it was too expensive for me at the time, and honestly, the truck isn't as sluggish as some make it out to be. As long as you understand that you drive a lifted truck and not a stock car. Just one man's opinion, though.

 

[kstrayhorn]

same question for me. Going from 235/70-R15 (29" x 9.25") to a 265/75-R16 (32" x 10.43"). Gears or no gears? I don't know what I am running now, it should be the stockers for my 02 XLT 2wd.

 

[rjcooperss396]

I had 3.73 in mine when I went from the stock 235/70/15 to a set of 31x10.5x15 and I noticed a difference. Especially when climbing a grade on the freeway. I've since moved to 33's and installed 4.56s and it's much better.

 

[AspenX]

You guys that dont know what gears you have, need to find out before you ask a question nobody can answer. If you have 4.10s you are fine on 33s. If you have 3.73s you can live with it but it wont be very good. Anything else you have to regear.




OK you can lock the thread now.:



and maybe make it a sticky.

 

[explorer ak]

not to be dumb but how do i go about finding what gears i have

 

[gavin]

it will/can also depend on what you do with your truck, and what kind of roads you drive on.
for me, even with a V8, 33's, and 4.10's, I'm not happy with the drive. But then again, the highways have a lot of hill'y spots.

If it's strictly a pavement pounder and relatively flat roads, you should be fine with 3.73's. But it's also a personal preference.

On the trails, lower (numerically higher) gears would probably make you happier.

 

[Paraphoe]

not to be dumb but how do i go about finding what gears i have

Look up the axle code on your door jamb sticker.

If it's strictly a pavement pounder and relatively flat roads, you should be fine with 3.73's. But it's also a personal preference.

On the trails, lower (numerically higher) gears would probably make you happier.

Very good point. I was most unhappy with my 3.73s on the trails. On road, I'm fine with them.

 

[petzl90]

Is there any other way to find out what gear I have? I spent a few minutes looking for that darn sticker, thinking it should be in plain sight. But then I remebered that it had been wrecked on the driver side and, probably, had the door replaced. So Im sure that sticker is long gone.

 

[gavin]

Is there any other way to find out what gear I have? I spent a few minutes looking for that darn sticker, thinking it should be in plain sight. But then I remebered that it had been wrecked on the driver side and, probably, had the door replaced. So Im sure that sticker is long gone.

there should be a metal tag on one of the diff cover bolts that will also display the gear ratio.

 

[olskool reddevil]

gear numbers

There should be a tag on the front and or rear diff that has the gear ratio.
You could also do it the old fashioned way mark your driveshaft and mark one rear drum and the backing plate. Roll the truck slowly and count how many times the dshaft turns to make one rev of the drum not very accurate but ballpark. Best to mark the pass. side drum so you can stay on the driverside and NOT UNDER THE TRUCK!!! Truck has to be on the ground unless you have a posi you can loose part of a revolution in the spiders if you do it jacked up with an open diff.

REMEMBER DO NOT GET UNDER THE TRUCK AND ROLL IT !!!!

sorry to repeat this but I've seen it done luckly wasn't hurt bad

 

[unclemeat]

Re-gearing is expensive. If you can afford it it is the best performance mod. You get better gas mileage and less drive drain stress. I had 3.73 with 33s and a 5-speed and it was like loosing 1st gear. I have 4.56 ratio now and I love it. The acceleration is excellent. It really makes the truck fun to drive. City mileage is better, highway is about the same.

My best advice is if the truck is being used for off road or towing, then re-gearing is a necessity. Otherwise you can get by without it. A free flow muffler and performance intake can really help if money is tight.

 

[petzl90]

I crawled under my truck and found the tag. It had 56128(frist line) 3 55 88 8D07(2nd line).

So Im guessing 3.55 gear ratio and an 8.8" ring. But I swear that I have limited slip. If it was limited wouldnt there be L in there between the 3 and 55? Sorry if Im asking dumb questions, auto mechanics is not my strong side.

 

[unclemeat]

You should be able to determine the axle ratio by the door tag. Driver side jam. You will have to search this site, but that info is easily accessable. If you have an old limited slip diff, the clutches are likely worn out, and it is not functioning properly. If you re-gear, make sure you rebuild the diff, or replace with a better limited slip or auto locking diff.

 

[coupester]

Here's a couple of good links to help you out:
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=153160
http://www.explorerforum.com/ntrprize/Axle.htm

 

[Fifty150]

Okay, guys with the 302 please:

- what kind of mileage are you getting w/ 4.10 & 33's?
- what kind of mileage are you getting w/ 4.56 & 33's?
- what is your 0-60 w/ 4.10 & 33's?
- what is your 0-60 w/ 4.56 & 33's?

I'm looking for statistical data. Anybody with quarter mile ET's? Which other mods do you have in combination? Intake? Exhaust? Tuning? Pulleys? Supercharger? Electric Water Pump? Electric Fan? Port & Polish? Bore & Stroke? Cams? Et Cetera

 

[RaveDigger]

I have a manual trans with the 4.0 OHV engine, 4.10 gears, 33s, and a K+N intake. I get around 18mpg which is only slightly lower than with stock-sized tires. I have no idea what the 0-60 is, but acceleration is tolerable. I have to ride the clutch a bit more to get going in first, but it's not terrible. I may regear at some point in the future if funding permits, but for the time being this will do. I really don't care about acceleration in this truck because it's not meant to go fast. As long as I can get up to highway speed in under 20 seconds, I'm content.

 

[coupester]

I'm not running the 302 either, but I too have a manual trans with the 4.0 OHV engine, 4.10 gears. I'm running stock 30' tires that are worn down to about 29.5'. I'm getting 20.8 mpg. I was thinking about going to larger tires but I see that RaveDigger has the same engine and gears with 33s and only getting 18 mpg. I guess I'll stay with 30s. Truck is high enough for what I want anyway.