Scared of 4:56 gears

[sirhk100]

I'm currently on 32" tires and will be going to 33s soon. My explorer is not a daily driver it's only used on weekends to go out at night with, cruise the dirt in, and haul my dirt bikes. I know you've all said I'll be fine with 4:56 gears, AL4D Trans, and 33" tires but the shop that's doing the install for keeps swearing that I'm going to regret it. Please reinforce my gear choice so I don't have to call back and make him change my mind!!! These gears are being installed Thursday night so help settle my mind on this cause it would be expensive to have to redo this cause I went too low. What kind of RPMs are you guys running with the Auto tranny, 33" tires, and 4:56 gears?
Khris

 

[Dannyboy]

You will have power, probably not see 100mph, and be ok. This way if you ever go bigger you will not have to do it over. I know a guy running 4.56's in a ranger with 32's and he says it tops out around 80-85. Dont worry, remember Ford put 4.10's stock in early 90's rangers and in the newer Explorers, so you are just stepping up one sizen from this

 

[BUCHVILLEMAN]

i recall an article in off road mag a few years ago that had a black blazer going from stock wheels and gears to 33's and 4.56. this choice was based on heavy offroad use. you will be turning fairly high rpms on the higway. i know that there are some guys on this site that are runngi nthis set up but i thought i would asss my .02.

 

[Raceit]

From what I've read it sounds like you'll be over a little bit. But I'd rather be over then under incase you go to bigger tires latter on. I've heard that 4:56 gears and 35 inch tires are about as close to the factory setup as possible. Regarding the speedo calibration and tourque and whatnot. So going with 33's would be fine. And pulling trailers with dirt bikes will make it even better. I think the people that go with 4:10's do a lot of highway driving and use it as a daily driver and are concerned more with gas milage and stuff.

 

[sirhk100]

That's what I'm thinking too. It's not my main vehicle, it's the one that I have fun in and like to be seen in. I generally don't do more then 70mph and that's rare. Also I could forsee going to 35s once I get my suspension built better and glass fenders to clear the tires so I think I'm fine. I am concerned about gas milage but that's why I commute in a Honda Civic that gets almost 40MPG.
Khris

 

[Rick]

You will regret it if you don't get the 4:56 gears. With the 4:56 gears you will have the best of both worlds. Good low end torque and the ability to cruise at highway speeds without a problem.

 

[sirhk100]

Alright if Rick's telling me to do it I guess the authority has spoken and it will be done. Thanks a lot guys. The guy at the shop is just going with what the charts are telling him and I always get my mind set and then he asks if I'm sure and I get all paranoid again.

Rick,
Last year at the truckhaven run Perry McNeil said one of his sons had a white Explorer with a 3 link rear out there. Do you know if he's going again? Also, what did you think of the performance of that rear end?

Khris

 

[Robert]

I don't remember what ratio you have stock and what size your stock tires are, but to figure out the ideal gear ratio to stay as close as possible to stock divide your 33" tires by you stock tire diameter and then multiply that number by your stock gear ratio. My '97 came stock with 30.1" tires and a 4.10. To maintain as close as possible to stock I would need a 4.50 gear ratio. Since that ratio is not possible, I would get the 4.56. It is better to be a little over on your gear ratio than under due to the increased mass from the larger tires. I think 4.56 would be just fine and you would probably get mileage within 1 or 2 MPG of stock. Your take off power would be much better as well.

 

[Robert]

OK, I just went back and found your other thread. Assuming your Explorer originally came with 235 75R15 tires and your 3.73, the ratio you would need to go to to maintain stock RPMs would be 4.26. A 4.26 isn't available, however I think a 4.27 is, it would maintain your original RPMs while driving that your Explorer left Ford with. You would be a bit more sluggish with 4.27 than your Stock Explorer was just due to the heavier tires so I would still go with 4.56. They will make your RPMs run about 7% higher than stock. Not that big of deal. If your Explorer ran 2200 RPM at 70 MPH when stock, it will only be turning 2354 RPM.

 

[sirhk100]

Robert,
Thanks for the forumla. I scrolled down and read your first post and got the same numbers as you before I even noticed that you had done a 2nd post with my info. Knowing that info I'm definately going to 4:56 which will help out with the trailers and hills around my area. Also I think the higher RPMs will pump the fluid through the tranny faster to keep it cooler or is that not right?

 

[rpenner54]

I had 33's with 3.55's for a while and lets just say it sucked! I couldn't do any off-roading easily at all. Forget about going up into the mountains too! I have been running 4.56's for a while now and thats where I will stay at.

 

[Rick]

Khris, there is a very good chance that Justin McNeil will be back there again this year. It was his cousins truck that was at T-haven last year (the white one) Justin's is yellow and has the same rear end. His setup is great for high speed performance off-road. I believe they get 5k for the complete setup.

 

[sirhk100]

Yeah, I was at Perry's house last Thursday looking at the Yellow Explorer because I'm hoping to have that front end in mine by the truckhaven run except with 2.5" SAW or King shocks. I don't think I'm gonig to do the 3 link in the rear but after seeing it in action that may change. For now, I'm thinking a custom set of leafs, reservoir shocks and a 2 link to control axle wrap will do fine. I want to build mine for high speed but still have 4wd for the hills and fun stuff.

No offense but when it comes to rocks I'll stick to our CJ although I'm positive your Ex. will go much further then our CJ, although it does get us where we generally want to go. It's on 32" tires, locker in the rear, 66:1 crawl, full cage, MPI fuel injected I6 instead of the CRAPPY stock carb, 6000lb winch, on board air, and the trusty hi lift. Nothing exotic but very functional.

 

[Perry]

I run 33's with 4.56 gears and they are a good pair. I had 3.73's and that sucked in the mountains. I can still do 85 and 90 on the highway so you won't loose anything.

Like Rick said you would be crazy not to do it.

 

[Dannyboy]

MY 2 cents. I dont know if anyone else here runs into what I do everytime I go to a shop or tell a "pro" what I am doing, but when I say it is for an Explorer, they say I am off my rocker. Then I either walk out of there shop or tell them they are wrong and I AM doing it wether they want the business or not, and then after it is done, I take it BACK and tell them how happy I am, and how well it works, good example is when I was told I was on crack if I wanted to run 32x11.5's on stock rim with a 3" body lift, no rubs at all.
This Board Rules Over All Shops Now in MY Life, A Good rule to follow

 

[NedFlanders]

All this talk about regearing to 4.56 for putting on 33s... Do I need to regear my truck when I get my 32s on it next week?
It's actually not fully 32" eithter, 265/75-16 would be something like 31.6".
My '96 came with 255/70/16s and 3.73 ratio stock.

 

[01EB5.0]

NedFlanders,
No. I think that change will not require re-gearing. You may ned to change the speedo gear so your speedometer will read correctly, but thats all.

 

[01EB5.0]

NedFlanders,
Do ou have a lift on your explorer? I am thinking those tires you are getting may not fit without rubbing? I have 265/70R16 and they are close to rubbing. I would double checkon the tire/wheel forum real quick.

 

[NedFlanders]

Originally posted by 95XLT
NedFlanders,
No. I think that change will not require re-gearing. You may ned to change the speedo gear so your speedometer will read correctly, but thats all.

I actually drove past one of these "automatic speed measuring boxes" a while ago doing 90, and it showed 85. when I put my old and new tiresize and a original speed of 85 in to the fields under speedometer check on the Dead Link Removed it said my new speed would be 89.2, so it seems my speedo will actually still show a little more than actual speed..

Originally posted by 95XLT
NedFlanders,
Do ou have a lift on your explorer? I am thinking those tires you are getting may not fit without rubbing? I have 265/70R16 and they are close to rubbing. I would double checkon the tire/wheel forum real quick.

I am going to lift my truck hopefully this weekend. Twist up the front and throw in some add-a-leafs in the rear. If the a-a-ls don't give enough lift I'll add some new shackles later. I have more or less the same setup on my truck as MarkDrysdale has, and he's put on the excact same Pirellis as I'll be buying with just tt and a-a-l.. Think one reason his don't rub is maybe 'cause the tires will be 265/75-16, wich will be slightly smaller than a full 32" tire.. Actually 31.6" in diameter and 10.03" wide, while many of the tires I've heard people talking about on the board are eighter 10.5 or 12,5 inches wide and a little bigger in diameter..

Thanks for your quick answers though..

 

[NedFlanders]

Originally posted by NedFlanders

Think one reason his don't rub is maybe 'cause the tires will be 265/75-16, wich will be slightly smaller than a full 32" tire.. Actually 31.6" in diameter and 10.03" wide,

hmmm... my eyes and fingers doesn't cooperate to good today... 31.6" tall and 10.43" wide was what I ment... ohwell...Just a li'll narrower and smaller than a "normal 32 inch tire".. hopefully it's work fine, I would hate tu cut my truck...but I also hate to drive around in one that looks exactly like all the others... and since I have to do it now to get Ford to pay for my new tires....my guess is my eyes wil sit 3" taller in traffic by the end of next week...