New Ranger. Lift idea help.

[C_7777]

Thanks alot! i really like the way your x looks with the 4 inch suspention. and the 31's dont look to bad. thats where im going to be after i buy mine. so you helped me decide alot. i would like to see 4 inch susp with 3 incbody and 33's still. 35's are out of the question now lol. O and will the 4" susp with 3 inch body mess with the stearing geometry or anything?? i still want this truck to ride nice.

 

[Four0Sport]

the body lift wont mess with anything really. its the suspension lift that will exaggeratre your steering. a drop pitman arm wont get the links exactly parallel with the axle but will get it close to what it was before. so deffinetly pick up a drop pitman arm when you purchase your lift.

 

[C_7777]

well im thinking about geting this lift kit http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/83-97-Ford-Ranger-4x4-Rough-Country-4-Lift-Kit_W0QQitemZ140284419434QQihZ004QQcategoryZ33585QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
and it includes the drop pitman arm. thisis a cheeper lift tho. do you think the quality is okay?

 

[Four0Sport]

yes i do.. bc thats the lift im running lol

 

[C_7777]

ah okay awesome b/c i like how yours sits. I also got 5 32x11.5x15 wheels from the junkyard and those are going to bo going on my truck indstead of the 33's. I need to install a new winshield and a tranny and then ill actualy be able to drive it. Im also thinking about alot of other mods ofr this truck. im putting a 5r55e in, 01 ex heated seats, and maby a 01 front bumper. ill see how this goesand post pics.

 

[Four0Sport]

you should start a before and after thread in the registry forum, that way you can keep track of all your work in one thread. deffinetly post some pics of how it is now so we can follow the progress.

 

[4x4junkie]

The X comes w/ 29" tyres stock. My X came with 3.73s. The gear calculator says that the perfect gearing for 35" tyres would be 4.50, so I went with 4.56 and it made my speedo almost exactly on. 4.88s is pretty damn big IMHO for 35s. The gear calc says that 4.26 would be the exact gearing for 33s. You could go either way at that point, 4.10s might be a better option if you don't plan on ever running 35s. I would figure out the gearing of your truck and punch it in the gear calc and figure out what would be best for you.

Going by what came stock is hardly ideal. You need to gear it so the engine RPM is in the most efficient part of it's powerband (for reasons I can't figure out, this is something Ford rarely ever got right ).

I have 4.10s with 33s in my Ranger and it's not all that great. I would've much rather had 4.56 (this was infact a result of such a calculation based on the 3.73s my truck had originally as well... big mistake).

 

[C_7777]

so as an update i just bought my lit kit today. 440 for a 4" lift = unglodly good lol. However im thinking about using the factory coil spacers with my lift to gain extra lift for my truck and then add drop brackets(forgt name) on the back of the rear spring. has anyone done this or does anyone think this will work okay? i really want to do the coil spacers at the same time as i do my front lift because it will all be appart.

 

[Four0Sport]

it will work.. im planning on adding the f-150 spacers when my front coils sag, they have settled a bit but nothing too bad yet.

 

[r37ribution]

Going by what came stock is hardly ideal. You need to gear it so the engine RPM is in the most efficient part of it's powerband (for reasons I can't figure out, this is something Ford rarely ever got right ).

I have 4.10s with 33s in my Ranger and it's not all that great. I would've much rather had 4.56 (this was infact a result of such a calculation based on the 3.73s my truck had originally as well... big mistake).

Typically manufactures gear vehicles for best milage, not the most power. I'm not sure where the 4.0L OHV's peak torque is at. I've read clams on here from 2200RPM to 2800RPM stock. Either way, its not very fuel efficient to cruise on the freeway in your power band all day long.

As you can see from the RPM numbers below 33s w/ 4:56s would put you at 2438RPM @ 70MPH. A little higher than what I was looking for. I wanted to be just a few RPMs above stock and that's where I am - 2298RPM vs 2269RPM @ 70MPH. My engine was lacking a lot of power so I'm putting a cam in it. It runs great already with the gearing I have, and with more power it will run excellent.

4.88s would be running right at 2500RPM at 70MPH and I usualy run it at 80 on the freeway which would be way too high on my runs to play in the mud and putting around with it on the street. 4.56 are the largest gears you can install before you need to start cutting the housing in the 8.8. I don't even know if they would fit in the data 35 up front with the small housing.

Here are some gear calculations for your reading pleasure...

2500RPM w/ 29" 3.73 in 4th (4R55E .75 FD) w/ 4x4 (BW1354 1:1) - 77.1MPH
2500RPM w/ 31" 3.73 in 4th (4R55E .75 FD) w/ 4x4 (BW1354 1:1) - 82.5MPH
2500RPM w/ 33" 3.73 in 4th (4R55E .75 FD) w/ 4x4 (BW1354 1:1) - 87.8MPH
2500RPM w/ 35" 3.73 in 4th (4R55E .75 FD) w/ 4x4 (BW1354 1:1) - 93.1MPH

2500RPM w/ 29" 4.10 in 4th (4R55E .75 FD) w/ 4x4 (BW1354 1:1) - 70.2MPH
2500RPM w/ 31" 4.10 in 4th (4R55E .75 FD) w/ 4x4 (BW1354 1:1) - 75.0MPH
2500RPM w/ 33" 4.10 in 4th (4R55E .75 FD) w/ 4x4 (BW1354 1:1) - 79.8MPH
2500RPM w/ 35" 4.10 in 4th (4R55E .75 FD) w/ 4x4 (BW1354 1:1) - 84.7MPH

2500RPM w/ 29" 4.56 in 4th (4R55E .75 FD) w/ 4x4 (BW1354 1:1) - 63.1MPH
2500RPM w/ 31" 4.56 in 4th (4R55E .75 FD) w/ 4x4 (BW1354 1:1) - 67.4MPH
2500RPM w/ 33" 4.56 in 4th (4R55E .75 FD) w/ 4x4 (BW1354 1:1) - 71.8MPH
2500RPM w/ 35" 4.56 in 4th (4R55E .75 FD) w/ 4x4 (BW1354 1:1) - 76.1MPH

2500RPM w/ 29" 4.88 in 4th (4R55E .75 FD) w/ 4x4 (BW1354 1:1) - 59.0MPH
2500RPM w/ 31" 4.88 in 4th (4R55E .75 FD) w/ 4x4 (BW1354 1:1) - 63.0MPH
2500RPM w/ 33" 4.88 in 4th (4R55E .75 FD) w/ 4x4 (BW1354 1:1) - 67.0MPH
2500RPM w/ 35" 4.88 in 4th (4R55E .75 FD) w/ 4x4 (BW1354 1:1) - 71.2MPH


70MPH w/ 29" 3.73 in 4th (4R55E .75 FD) w/ 4x4 (BW1354 1:1) - 2269RPM
70MPH w/ 31" 3.73 in 4th (4R55E .75 FD) w/ 4x4 (BW1354 1:1) - 2122RPM
70MPH w/ 33" 3.73 in 4th (4R55E .75 FD) w/ 4x4 (BW1354 1:1) - 1994RPM
70MPH w/ 35" 3.73 in 4th (4R55E .75 FD) w/ 4x4 (BW1354 1:1) - 1880RPM

70MPH w/ 29" 4.10 in 4th (4R55E .75 FD) w/ 4x4 (BW1354 1:1) - 2494RPM
70MPH w/ 31" 4.10 in 4th (4R55E .75 FD) w/ 4x4 (BW1354 1:1) - 2333RPM
70MPH w/ 33" 4.10 in 4th (4R55E .75 FD) w/ 4x4 (BW1354 1:1) - 2192RPM
70MPH w/ 35" 4.10 in 4th (4R55E .75 FD) w/ 4x4 (BW1354 1:1) - 2066RPM

70MPH w/ 29" 4.56 in 4th (4R55E .75 FD) w/ 4x4 (BW1354 1:1) - 2774RPM
70MPH w/ 31" 4.56 in 4th (4R55E .75 FD) w/ 4x4 (BW1354 1:1) - 2595RPM
70MPH w/ 33" 4.56 in 4th (4R55E .75 FD) w/ 4x4 (BW1354 1:1) - 2438RPM
70MPH w/ 35" 4.56 in 4th (4R55E .75 FD) w/ 4x4 (BW1354 1:1) - 2298RPM

70MPH w/ 29" 4.88 in 4th (4R55E .75 FD) w/ 4x4 (BW1354 1:1) - 2968RPM
70MPH w/ 31" 4.88 in 4th (4R55E .75 FD) w/ 4x4 (BW1354 1:1) - 2777RPM
70MPH w/ 33" 4.88 in 4th (4R55E .75 FD) w/ 4x4 (BW1354 1:1) - 2609RPM
70MPH w/ 35" 4.88 in 4th (4R55E .75 FD) w/ 4x4 (BW1354 1:1) - 2460RPM

 

[4x4junkie]

I don't think you read my post correctly...
The engine most certainly is most fuel efficient running at or around it's peak torque RPM (this is 2500RPM on the 4.0L, it's even higher on smaller engines). It's been shown by many that BOTH mileage AND power on a "slug" such as a 4.0L w/3.27 gears (or a 3.0L w/3.45 gears) will improve greatly by swapping to 3.73 gears (w/4.0L) or 4.10 (w/3.0L) and stock tires. Others have proved it by running through a full tank and never putting it in OD for that tank (which would only show the difference mainly in hwy mileage, the difference is even greater with in-town driving). These engines are not big ol' V8s that can lumber along at just above an idle... You'd likely find your engine ISN'T lacking so much power had you gone to 4.88 when you regeared.
Ford clearly missed the mark on this and is why I stand by the fact that going by what came factory is not always the ideal way to figure out what gear ratio you need on a Ranger or other RBV (especially when the greater rolling resistance and inertia of bigger heavier tires are involved).

And yes, 4.88 of course fits in both the D35 and the 8.8" (I have 5.13 gears in my BII).
What would you need to "cut" inside there anyway? I didn't cut a thing in mine... other than the very tip of a gear tooth to get the crosspin back in (yes, people do this all the time too. It's not something that affect the gear)

 

[r37ribution]

I remember reading that cutting is needed on either the front or rear to fit 4.88s, maybe that person was mistaken or maybe they were talkin about cutting the tooth just as you are.

You said poeple swap to 3.73s for better milage with stock tires. My truck came with 3.73s stock and is the 4.0L. The calc said I needed 4.50s to maintain my ratio when going to 35s, so I went with 4.56 - just a tad higher. 4.88s would be great for 38s or maybe 36s but we all have our opinions that's why your truck is yours and mine is mine. There are a ton of reasons for a truck lacking power, for example 220 lb-ft torque and 160hp on a vehicle that weighs 3800lbs or maybe the 208k miles my engine had, or maybe 3.73 gears but you said poeple swap to these for milage on the 4.0.

I agree that factory specs aren't always ideal for what some people do with their trucks, many people mod their stock vehicles to their liking.

:edit: just noticed your truck is the 3.0L, if i had that engine I may have gone with 4.88s or 5.13s as your truck has only 75% of the displacement mine has and probably less torque thus needing to rev higher for the same power as you noted. So keep that in mind in your reply.

 

[4x4junkie]

My Ranger has a 4.0L, my BII a 2.9L.
I fully realize how engine size play a factor (note that I did specify two different ratios for 3.0 and 4.0 engines in my above post )

My ranger came factory with 31s (265/75R15s). It should've had 4.10 gears factory, not the 3.73s it came with. If yours has 235/75R15s stock, then 3.73 would work better. But because of the increased drag of a lifted truck rolling on bigger tires, it's always good to go another full step deeper when regearing (and is why I originally mentioned 4.88 for 35s).

FWIW, I have a friend running 4.56 with 33" tires and he's completely happy with them. His truck has way more punch than mine with 4.10s and he gets the same mileage I do. There is no reason to not go that extra step deeper on the gear.

 

[C_7777]

Well i got my lift today and im planning on doing the f150 coil spacers. Im planning on doing a before and after post as well as a write up on how to install the lift kit and the coil spacers. Ill also be doing a write up on how to install a new automatic transmission into my ranger. I had the 4r but i am going to be puting in a 5r. I noticed that there was very little information on that for me so it should help people. Ill also be installnig alot of other stuff. I have bed quards and rails, a tool box, a radio, speakers, and some ods and ends that will need to go on. Eventaly i will be fixing all of my dents with pannels that i have taken from the jnkyard and repainting my truck. hopefully all goes well and i can begin my lift/ trans next week.( im waiting till i have my transmission back in my broken 1970 chevy)