Scared of 4:56 gears

[sirhk100]

I'm currently running 3:73s with 32" BFG MT on my '92 Exp. It does fine for normal driving conditions. Towing a trailer or climbing hills around SoCal it's normal to drop down 50mph and I watch my Trans temp guage climb. I'm hoping the gearing will help out on the trans temp which is the majority of the reason I'm doing the swap. As long as you're not racing around or towing all the time like me you'll be fine. I only use my Ex. on the weekends and it usually sees 200-300 per weekend of towing dirt bikes to different tracks or trails.

 

[NedFlanders]

Originally posted by sirhk100
I'm currently running 3:73s with 32" BFG MT on my '92 Exp.

wow! are those 32s on your picture there..? they look huge! Now I really can't wait to get mine...
btw... it sais 33s in your sig..(and your truck looks grate btw.)

anyway, I'm not doing much towing at all, but will I notice much drop in accelleration and stuff? The 32s aren't THAT much bigger than the 30s I have on now...

 

[sirhk100]

Opps, you know what, that's a typo in my sig. Yeah those are 32s with about half the tread on the tiny picture in my link on the profile. Everything else is right on the sig though, I'll make that change.

 

[sirhk100]

Also, I'm not sure about the acceleration. that picture is exactly how I bought it infact it was taken off the auto trader ad. I can say this though. We went from 30" to 32" on our CJ7 and noticed a difference in power and braking. Then again it's a '83 with a way different motor that wasn't built to accelerate, it was built to chug along like a tractor. To stop it you have to push HARD on the pedal now. The Explorer does fine braking wise. The only problem I have is on a down hill grade if I have to panic stop I don't have a chance cause all the weight shifts way foward and the rear tires lock up real easy. This causes it to want to come around on me. I have to pump them to keep the vehicle lined up and straight. Basically I drive carefull and leave room in front of me on steep down hill grades so that I have a little more time.

Thanks for the compliments, I've got big plans for that thing that are just begining. I've put manual hubs on it, it's going in for gears tomorrow and then the suspension will be getting cut off and highly modified with a TTB custom made system. The rear is still up in the air though.

 

[NedFlanders]

good luck with all that stuff.. hehe.. seems you'll be spending a lot of $$ on your truck.. I'll be happy for now just getting the 2" tt and add-a-leaf done and putting on the 32s..Guess it'll look much tougher. I've just added a set of Lightforce240s, same as Leebo, and they to gave the truck a much more aggressive look.. Have to take it easy for a while after theese small mods though, it's always nice to afford to drive the truck too

If I realy loose enough power to feel it really good I guess I probarbly regear it, but I hope I don't have to... guess that will be expensive as hell(at leas if I have to go to ford....), and I don't have to much money right now, so...

 

[sirhk100]

Yeah, I'm dropping $1000 even on gears. I wouldn't take it to ford unless that's your only option. I'm sure you can find someplace that'll do it chearper. 4 Wheel parts wanted $1500 and ORW (a local offroad store chain in San Diego) wanted $1300. I just lucked out by getting hooked up with a guy that'll do it as a side job under the table. The guy is the head mechanic for a race team and I know he knows what he's doing.

As for the total cost of the suspension. I won't be surprised if it's over $6000 when all said and done. But I'm young, still don't have any large bills and I'm not in debt so I might as well do it while I can. Everyone around me says do it while I'm single and don't own a house or else!!!

 

[Robert]

Originally posted by NedFlanders


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...

Go to http://208.38.138.31/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=88790&t=7074#post88790 for a complete discussion with pictures on putting 265 75R16s on some '97 Sports, mine being the purple one. When I put them on, I had no lift. Once I cut the small piece in the front wheel well, I had no rubbing other than at full lock on the front sway bar. My TT/Shackle lift wasn't required to put the tires on. I only did it so the tires didn't look like they were stuffed in there. Your '96 should be similar. If you don't have the larger wheel moldings, you might get by without trimming.

 

[NedFlanders]

Originally posted by sirhk100
As for the total cost of the suspension. I won't be surprised if it's over $6000 when all said and done. But I'm young, still don't have any large bills and I'm not in debt so I might as well do it while I can. Everyone around me says do it while I'm single and don't own a house or else!!!

Whoah..! 6 big ones! that's a lot of money... As for debt.. I still have over $20'000 left on my loan on my X(bought it used a year ago for abt $22'600). Hopefully we'll manage some more years without the rearseat, 'cause it's another 10 grand just in taxes if I want to fold it up right now..(stupid norwegian rules, the seat and safetybelts and everything IS in the truck, but the state takes a ****load of money if you want to use it... stupidity on a higher level or what..?)
Ohwell, it is my dayly driver, so I don't want it to high anyway.. Just a little higher and tougher than everyone elses..

Originally posted by Robert

If you don't have the larger wheel moldings, you might get by without trimming.

Thanks for the tip, Robert.. Hmm...well, I have the big, grey plastic-stuff around my tires, guess that's what you mean.. But it didn't look like you had to cut out to much to make them fit, guess I can live with that if I have to do it..
I don't think Mike Drysdale cut out anything on his X, and it's pretty much the same as mine, except mine is green and a '96 instead of '97. Maybe there are some differenes on the european version? Click on the pic of his truck if you wanna see the rest of his pics..

 

[Dannyboy]

Khris,
I am curious, are you the guy running the 4" body lift? If so did you buy it with that?

 

[sirhk100]

No, that's not me. If it was I would have taken it off right away. I'm not a fan of Body lifts. They seem to put more stress on the body mounts and cause cracking around the body where it sits on the pucks. I've got a 6" lift that uses all drop down brackets and handles like crap. The guy that did it took the cheapest method he could to get it up high just for looks.

Ned,
Let me get this straight, your country charges you to use the vehicle to it's capacity?

 

[Dannyboy]

Do you know which 6" kit it is, Ryan1 is looking for a lift if you are dumping one soon. And sorry about that 4" bodylift ? someone in your color has a 4" body lift and it looked like yours, but probably wouldn't handle like it.

 

[sirhk100]

No honestly I don't know what lift it is. All the Bracketry is powder coated grey just like the new Pro Comp stuff but Pro Comp doesn't make a 6" lift for our vehicles. All my lift consists of is Springs, shocks, dropped brackets for the TTB and Radius arms. It handles like crap right now because the dropped brackets are for a 4" lift and the coils and shocks are for a 6" lift so the caster is off. I checked it and the toe and camber is fine. Who ever ends up with this lift I would suggest getting the Excentric lobes or whatever their called that enables you to adjust the Caster and then it'll do fine. Honestly the lift does flex pretty good for what it is!!! Unfortunately it doesn't have extended radius arms. I would let it go for cheap. $100 plus shipping maybe if that's reasonable. I'll even toss in all 4 shocks for the front. The 2 that were ran in front of the coils are dented in a little from the tie rods hitting them but they're still good. The rear just has the axle flipped up on top of the axle. If Ryan1 is interested in it I'll keep him in mind, if not I'll probably post the stuff on here in the for sale section. I'm hoping to have the stuff off my vehicle by the end of Jan. cause I'd like the new front end for Pres. Day Weekend out at the desert.

 

[sirhk100]

BTW,
The mechanic that's doing my gears had an family emergency related to the NY attack so he flew out last night. He called and asked if he could do it Mon. or Tues. night. I understand his problems so it looks like the gears won't be till the beginning of next week.
Khris

 

[Ryan1]

hey if you do get rid of that lift ...I got first dibs

Ryan 1


Thanks ....Dano......you rule

 

[sirhk100]

It's not really an if, it's more of a when I get rid of it? I'm hoping sometime in January to get the new stuff on there. Keep an eye on the suspension forum on the "Long Travel" post. I'm keeping that one updated with my intentions and stuff. As long as Xmas and any unforseen expenses don't kill me I should be doing it around then. My hopes are to move out of my parents guest house just after Xmas, and take a week or two to settle down then get it in the shop cause. They would kill me if they new I was dumping that much into it since it's already lifted. They're into looks and don't understand the level of performance I'm looking for.

 

[Ryan1]

well when you actually pull it Off I'll take it

Thanks
Ryan