Lets do 4.56 Gears on this 4.0L 06'..

[engineeering]

Hi All...

Its decided... 4.56 gears going into my 2006 4th Gen XLT 4X4 4.0L V6. Now.... what else should I do at the same time? And what gears should I go with? Are there swap options from Jeeps or other stock Fords? I have access to lots of salvage but I will probably purchase new if swap options are limited....

Been doing some research but I am not an expert with gears. I'm open to limited slip options but my main goal is to change to 4.56 gears.

I did a bunch of reading and this is the best source of data here. http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=317166 Been reading through it a bunch but I want 4.56 and I think I need help with the carrier options if I go limited slip. Also... if I keep an open diff... which 4.56 gears will fit in my stock carriers?

Be awesome if some of you have some knowledge to chime in!!! I promise to provide pictures and progress info for future bloggers

Thanks!!

edit... My need for lower gearing (higher ratio) is because I have large tires and a manual swap resulting in a very high gearing and bottom-end needs some serious help. I want to make sure my highway cruising is not to high on the rpm.... so see my Table below for my actual speeds/rpms as a result of my current setup (currently have 3.73... ~90% sure cause no tag on diff) and the selected 4.56. I also have 4x4 so I need front and rear!

EDIT: see below ratio/rpm table since I thought I actually had 3.53 and this table is incorrect.

some current (and soon to change) pics of the rig:

 

[MotorCityFats13]

one guy on here found that the ford racing limited slip for a 03-04 cobra pops right in with minimal effort and its like $250 so pretty good price to ditch the open stocker and costs way less than a locker if you know how to shim it up and get it installed

 

[engineeering]

Thats what I want to hear. Thanks [MENTION=276121]MotorCityFats13[/MENTION]! I do believe lots of the mustangs in various years have the 8.8. Lots of Ford Racing options in the rear. Not so sure if they have anything in the front... I think not actually. I would really like to stay with Ford Racing where I can too.

Here are some front Gear options I was looking at... some quick pricing I found online too:

Front Gears options:

Yukon Gear & Axle 4.56 - YG D30-456 (~$226)
Nitro Gear 4.56 - D30-456-NG (~$179)
Motive Gear 4.56 - D30-456 (~143)
Richmond Gear 4.56 - SD3005 (~212)

All options above are as follows (i think):
Ring and Pinion Ratio:4.56:1
Cover Bolts:10
Ring Gear Bolts:10
Pinion Spline Count:26
Ring Gear Rotation:Standard
Ring Gear Teeth:41
Pinion Gear Teeth:11
Ring Gear Diameter (in):7.200 in.
Pinion Shaft Diameter (in):1.376 in.



Rear Gears options:

Ford Racing 4.56 - M-4209-G456 – (~$250) - These are on the "to purchase" list
Yukon Gear & Axle 4.56 - YG F8.8-456 (~$240)
Nitro Gear 4.56 - F8.8-456-NG ($230)
Motive Gear 4.56 - F888456
Richmond Gear 4.56 - 69-0312-1

All options above are as follows (I think):
Ring and Pinion Ratio: 4.56:1
Cover Bolts:10
Ring Gear Bolts:10
Pinion Spline Count:30
Ring Gear Rotation:Standard
Ring Gear Teeth:41
Pinion Gear Teeth:9
Ring Gear Diameter (in):8.800 in.
Pinion Shaft Diameter (in):1.626 in.



... I'm thinking those gears (the ford racing ones bolded above) need to go into a TrueTRAC or other limited slip carrier or something otherwise they are open diff like the stockers (Im obviously not an expert on this ... lol). Also... I have a feeling ALL front gear/pinion options will require a new carrier judging by the blog I linked above.....

 

[SoCal2V]

Not sure on the front end but I can "+1" to the above post that 8.8" stuff from any of the Mustang aftermarket suppliers should go right in for the rear.

I'm more involved and knowledgeable on Mustang stuff than these trucks; most of us Mustang guys use the FRPP gearsets. Motive Gears alledgedly manufactures the FRPP gears, lots of people opt to save a couple $$ and run Motive in their Mustangs and have no issues. I've heard/read complaints of gear whine with Richmond but I tend to believe that to be due to faulty installation.

As far as differentials for the rear, there is no difference between a diff for an IRS equipped Cobra and an SRA equipped GT. They are completely interchageable with one another. Only thing I'm not sure of is compatibility with your axles. If you have 28 or 31 spline then any diff that's sold for a Mustang should work.

 

[engineeering]

This is great info. I was on the phone with Truckworks kelowna today and learned lots too . I'll keep the blog updated with what I find!

 

[engineeering]

Ok. I've done some digging and I definitely don't have all the tools to do it myself. Due to time and tool constraints... gonna go with my local shop for install. I will probably pull out the clam shell assemblies my self and drop off the parts for them to do the install. Will save time and $$$.

some more searching and I have a local dealer who does Yukon gears and is quite price competitive. What do you guys think of Yukon Gear & Axle? The also have a nice lookup by vehicle here:

for 2006 EX - stock parts lookup (good for determining what you have... will call them for alternate solutions)

FRONT

Parts List Front: Click Here

REAR

For Parts List Rear - Click Here

 

[engineeering]

After talking to my local shop... wanted to get some info directly from Yukon.

As much as I want to consider myself an "off-roader"... I only drive offroad sometimes. Still use the truck for commuting etc. Sooo... I think I have to pass on the front limited slipping diff and the rear locker.

conclusion: I'm thinking a limited slip carrier in the rear (like the Yukon Dura-Grip) and 4.56 gearing in the front and rear is the ticket.

Here is a breakdown of what I'm thinking of doing:

DANA SUPER 30 FORD FRONT (std rotation) - 4.65 Ring & Pinion Set
Part No. YG D30-456
~$233.04 (4.56) - prices quoted from Yukon directly

FORD 8.8 IRS SUV REAR - 4.65 Ring & Pinion Set
Part No. YG F8.8-456
~$247.91 (4.56) - prices quoted from Yukon directly

YUKON DURA-GRIP
Part No. YDGF8.8-31-1
~$503.00 (rear carrier swap) - prices quoted from Yukon directly

*ps. for those of you with the V8 and/or have the 3.5x gears (assuming 4th Gen), you need to consider the carrier split in the front (btw 3.5x & 3.73). You will not be able to use your stock front carrier if you go to 3.73+ numeric gears.


If you are more serious than me and don't do much on pavement... get the Grizzly locker as it is much more aggressive and will do a full lock.

YUKON GRIZZLY LOCKER
~708.00 (rear clicks to allow turning on pavement) - prices quoted from Yukon directly


Although I will likely go with a local dealer here in Canada due to the current exchange rate right now (CAD is worth about the same as monopoly money right now), I have to give a big shout out to Joe @ Yukon Gears. He's really really helpful.

Yukon Gears Number
BY PHONE - 1-888-905-5044 (Toll Free)

 

[SoCal2V]

My personal opinion on gears or brands particularly is that as long as they are set up properly by somebody who knows what they're doing - proper backlash, observing contact pattern of the ring n pinion, pinion bearing preload etc then they should be problem free and noise free for the life of the vehicle. Yukon is a fairly major name that's been around for a while, and while I have no experience with them I wouldn't have ajy reservations with using them and instead focus mostly on the competency of the installer.

As far as differential type I think that based on your use of the vehicle that LSD rather than full locker is a good choice. Why not LSD in front too though? Shouldn't have any negative effects on dd'ing and will definitely enhance off-roading. For most situations just having the LSD rear is sufficient though, so I guess it comes down to cost and what sort of off-roading you intend on hitting.

 

[King of So Cal]

I'm running 4.56 with 35's. 4th gens come with 3.55s. Are you sure you have 3.73s?

Now if your tranny is geared higher then the stock tranny, you may want to consider 4.88s. That was my first plan but settled for 4.56s because my truck was my DD at the time and i was only running 33's. But you said that you DD your truck so 4.56's may be ideal. But if you take yours off roading the high gearing of the tranny and 4.56s may not be happy working with the trucks brake control system.

Speaking of that, you does your system perform now with the swap?

 

[engineeering]

Thanks [MENTION=128965]King of So Cal[/MENTION] and [MENTION=297694]SoCal2V[/MENTION]! Great suggestions.

You guys are right. For starters... although I was 90% sure I had 3.73... I HAVE 3.55! LOL. Called ford and did the VIN check on Friday. Sure enough... 3.55.

Also, since the carrier break is from 3.55 to 3.73, I need a new carrier in the front (can't use my stock one and leave it as an open gear). So the suggestion to do LSD in front AND rear is very warranted especially since I need to buy an new carrier now anyways.

OK... calling Yukon again and making SURE I have the correct parts list to make one big order. Nothing like paying shop time for a truck on the hoist without the right parts

Thanks guys. Will be posting pics of the build as it gets closer.

PS. Yukon has a mail in rebate right now for the LSD. I'll probably get around $150 back If I order this week


EDIT. 5th GEAR new rpms/speeds for each gear ratio based on my sampled previous samples (previous was incorrect due to assumption of 3.73 gears):

 

[engineeering]

oh yeah... in response to your question about how does my truck handle with the swap...

So, the ABS system works the same with the AdvanceTrac as before, but the transmission/engine control portion of the system has been disabled in my tune so that is obsolete. In general, the torque limiting portion of the engine controls has been disabled (or zeroed... not sure), and so has the transmission controls. The codes (that usually would arise from this) are also turned off. I had to get SCT to update their database cause nobody has ever used SCT to disable these codes before. LOL.

 

[engineeering]

Ok... looking up the transmission gearing to double check... don't want to be dissapointed with it and want 4.88 down the road.

My new transmission's gearing (1st to 5th) M5OD-HD Manual
3.40 / 2.05 / 1.31 / 1.00 / 0.79

My 5w55S Auto (1st to 5th) *note: 5w55w (didn't have this) has a slightly taller 2nd & 5th gear (2.41 & 0.75 respectively)
3.22 / 2.29 / 1.54 / 1.00 / 0.71


Fortunately my 1st gear is a higher so with the manual that's nice. But 2nd & 3rd are lower ratio (higher gearing) so that's not desired. All-in-all, I still think 4.56 is the ticket.

 

[SoCal2V]

Trans ratios between your old and current aren't very much, like 0.2 at the most. The little bit of torque multiplication you're missing in 2nd and 3rd vs the 5R55 I should think would be unnoticeable. If anything, the manual I would imagine probably feels like it has lower gearing anyway since there's a direct mechanical connection to the flywheel vs a torque converter and the energy lost in that.

Then again, as we say over on the Mustang boards, "don't fear the gear" lol. Years ago I did 4.10's in my '01 w/ TR3650 trans. At 80mph the tach is perched right at 3K, which is about the same as you will be at with the 56's. I'm happy with them and for all intents and purposes they do a good job of keeping the engine in it's torque curve but if I had it to do again I would go 4.30's.

Obviously though I did gears to go faster. I don't get the idea you plan on doing much street racing with your Exploder; assume you're planning on some bigger tires, right? If so, that needs to be figured in to your rpm calculator (or maybe it was and I missed that part?).

Here's another gear calculator that may be helpful http://paladinmicro.com/pmicro.php# **For whatever reason it won't link directly to the gear calculator. Using the menu bar on the left, click on "calculators" and then select trans (I know you're swapped, not sure if what you have is a listed option or not) and fill out the other fields as appropriate.

 

[engineeering]

Thanks for the tips.

rpms are dealt with in the table above. Red numbers are actual rpms and driving speeds as it stands now... just comparing it to other gears in the table.

As for why... I do lots of towing and this truck is really heavy compared to a mustang. With >4000lb trailers and a 7passenger truck... not fast in the slightest. LOL. It's kinda like driving a tractor in 10th gear. hahha. Sooooo bad. I'm actually supercharging probably this weekend or next and with the gears it should be much better.

Also, nothing is flat here in BC. Constant grade changes and rarely are the highways >80km/hr (~50mph). Also, I have larger tires now (~32") and may be going 33" down the road. 4.30 sounds like a good trade off still. I'll give it another though for sure... thanks for the comment.

 

[engineeering]

ok... just putting my late night research in 1 place so I can find it Hope someone else will also find it useful.

After vin lookup... want to get EXACTLY what I need.


THIS IS WHAT I HAVE RIGHT NOW:::: (see next posts)

 

[engineeering]

STOCK FRONT on this 4.0L (prior to upgrade):

Dana "Super" 30 Ford Front *below from YukonAxle
• Ring Gear Diameter: 7.120
• Cover Bolts: 10
• Ring Gear Bolts: 10
• Spline Count: 27
• Dropout: False
• Pinion Support: False
• Carrier Breaks: 3.54 / 3.73
• Rear Suspension:
• Pinion Nut Size: 1-1/8

Exploded Drawing (parts list below) *below from Ford (vin specific)

3204 front axle diff case
3219 axle shaft
3222 diff ring and pinion
3a222 diff spacer
3b067 diff pinion shim service kit/shim kit
3l22 diff carrier bolt
3z498 diff output shaft clip
4026 diff 3.55 ratio
4067 diff side bearing spacer / shim kit
4221 rear axle differential bearing
4222 diff flange locking nut
4630a diff pinion bearing outer cup and bearing
4630b diff pinion bearing inner, cup and bearing
4851 diff pinion flange
4859 diff pinion deflector
4l616 diff pinion seal
hw1 washer

(ALTERNATE VIEW & ADDN'L PARTS)

3010 diff housing
3254 stub axle seal RH
3a443 diff housing bushing (front)
3a443b diff housing bushing front
3b476 diff vent hose front
3l010 diff drain plug
4022 axle vent tube
4033a diff cover
4033b diff cover service kit
4346 diff cover bolt
4b413b axle diff bearing bushing, plastic
4b416 diff side cover seal

 

[engineeering]

STOCK REAR on this 4.0L (prior to upgrade):

Ford 8.8" IRS SUV (i believe standard rotation) *below data from YukonGears
• Ring Gear Diameter: 8.800
• Cover Bolts: 10
• Ring Gear Bolts: 10
• Spline Count: 31
• Dropout: False
• Pinion Support: False
• Carrier Breaks: none
• Rear Suspension: Independent
• Pinion Nut Size: 1-1/16

Exploded Drawing (parts list below) *below from Ford (vin specific)

3z498 diff output shaft clip
4010 diff housing
4022 axle vent tube metal
4033 diff cover
4a064 diff drain plug
4a109 axle diff repair sleeve kit
4a331 cv joint boot kit
4v413 axle diff bearing
4b422a axle shaft lock c-clip outer
4b422a axle shaft lock c-clip
4b422 axle shaft lock c-clip inner
4b478 cv joint boot band inner and outer, small
4b478 cv joint boot band inboard, large
4k138 cv axle shaft RH
4k138 CV axle shaft LH
hb1 bolt 5/16" unc 0.75"
hn1 nut m24x2.0
hp1 plug - oil drain (1 1/4")
hm1 plug (1/2" - 14)
4346 screw (5/16" screw & washer)

(ALTERNATE VIEW & ADDN'L PARTS)

4067 differential side bearing spacer (!!!! lots of diff sizes .241 to .307? increments of 0.002" to 0.003" I think are available from Ford)
4204 diff case
4209 diff ring & pinion 3.55 ratio (does not include carrier bearings)
4211 diff pinion shaft
4215 diff pinion assembly
4221 rear axle diff bearing
4222 diff race
4228 washer-diff pinion (thrust)
4230 washer diff pinion
4241 diff pinion pin bolt
4616 axle diff race outer
4621 diff pinion bearing Outer (front)
4625 diff pinion bearing inner, cup and bearing (inner)
4628 diff pinion race inner, cup
4630 diff pinion bearing inner, bearing (front)
4662 pinion bearing spacer (1 5/16" id x 15/32 collapsible)
4663 diff pinion shim shim kit
4670 diff pinion slinger (rear)
4676 diff pinion seal
4851 diff pinion flange
4859 diff pinion deflector (front)
4216 bolt 6/16
hn1 nut 3/4 x 20

 

[engineeering]

...gotta say... those CV joints look a bit wimpy. Kinda wish I had a solid beam. LOL. I'm sure they are pretty solid.

 

[Tech By Trade]

Yeah, these things were the beginning of the slippery slope of the Car that passes for an explorer now days. The IRS does provide a car like ride, but it comes at a cost. At least they tried to make them look like an SUV on the last generation. When you read through Stylin's 5.0 Adrenalin build, that was one of his concerns too. Spinning the CV shafts off with the extra power.

 

[engineeering]

I think I'll stick with the IRS for now. Deep into this build and don't want to look back right now. I second what you're saying tho! ( [MENTION=203717]Tech By Trade[/MENTION] ). I don't think my hp will be too much for it though. It's just a 4.0L and my max boost will be about 9psi... so I'm guessing 325 crank power max-i-mum! (probably closer to 310). That's not much more than the 4.6L so it should hold. ... but the look of those c-clips don't seem nearly as solid as my Ranger's solid beam (has a 4.10 LSD).

Gonna call Yukon again and get this list of materials down in details....


PS. SO GUYS... HOW MUCH DO YOU GUYS THINK THE LABOUR COST SHOULD BE? Thanks!
-Install of Yukon Dura Grip Carriers Front & Rear
-Install of new ring/pinion gears
-Aligning/assembling and replacing bearings and whatever else they do
-No hoist/diff removal/etc required (**I'm pulling the assemblies out and bringing the parts in to the shop)