Help - No Time! Gears Question!!!

[Shagnasty]

Okay,

I've bought the kkm and put in a gibson. Marginal help at best. I'm trying to make my explorer (2000 xls 5 speed manual) tow my 2500 boat safely, without burning my clutch up on the boat ramp.

I'm taking my truck in tomorrow to get the gears done, and have an auburn pro put in, and my question is....

I've got 3.27 now... should i go 3.73 and play it safe, or balls out 4.10 and get larger tires to compensate if the gears are too high? I'd have to suffer the 4.10 for almost the whole summer, as my tires are pretty good, but i'd have much better gearing for the ramps. BTW, I live close to work.

What are your thoughts, as I've got to decide by tomorrow am.

Thanks ya'll

 

[Shagnasty]

ttt,..... c'mon. People are looking at it but not reporting anything. What'd the dilly yo?

 

[Con Seann3ry]

My explorer has 4.10 gears with stock tires and it's fine...but it's also an automatic. I'd day go for the 4.10s, even if it's too much it's only one summer...but if the 3.73s are not enough you'd have to regear. When you get explorers from the factory with the tow package they come with the 4.10s...so I say 4.10s, but I don't know if this is different between auto or manual, hope i helped

 

[Shagnasty]

def. a help. Keep the input comin!~

 

[Okrazie1]

I went from a 3.27 to a 4.10 in mine (I have a manual, but I'm running 31's). What it ends up being is the RPM you turn now in 4th gear would be about what you would turn in 5th gear with the 4.10, so it's equivilent to losing your overdrive.

 

[CobraXP]

4.10's will work great on the ramp, but everyday driving - you will suffer the gas price worse than the 3.73's. I have 3.73's in mine, but also have the 302 and auto. I pull my 24' boat easily out of the water with no slip, and haul around a 7500lb John Deere tractor on a 1200lb 18' flatbed trailer from time to time with no problems.

If you are close to work and do not have a lot of traveling time - more red light to red light, I would go with the 4.10's. Like Con said, if you do the 3.73 and you feel its not enough - you're going to 4.10 anyway.

Just a side note though - My X came with the towing packege and a limited slip 3.73, so I know they didn't all come with 4.10's for the towing package. Or is that just for the 4.0's?

 

[Con Seann3ry]

must be just for the first gens if i'm right...I know some first gens came with 3.73s with limited slip...but I don't know if those came with tow package, if so...4.10s are at least more common with tow package I think. Yeah...it also depends on your driving. Like if it's city driving you save money on gas because you're geared lower, if it's freeway driving you're gonna be crusing at higher rps...so it's all about the happy medium.