what is a good highway gear

[DJRockit69]

Hey guys
Right now I have 3:73 in my explorer and I'm looking to swap them out for a set of gears that are more suited towards highway speeds any suggestions?

 

[RangerX]

3.55, 3.27, but it might be easier to just put on slightly larger tires to get the same effect.

 

[DJRockit69]

I do have a set of 31x10.5 15 but I'm also trying to half way decent gas mileage too

 

[joecrna]

If you are running 31's, I would not go any higher then the 3.73's currently in the truck. You will get very little improvement in mileage and likely much worse acceleration. 3.55's are what, 6%. Probably wont be able to measure the difference. Certainly not worth the money.

 

[colintrax]

Stick with 3:73. If you're constantly pulling a load or driving in less than ideal environments (rocky mountains, or the like) 4:10 might even help mpgs

 

[rb142]

Be glad you don't have the 4.10 or your highway mileage would really suck. Switching to 3.55 or something really wouldn't be worth it, especially with 31s on it. A 5L Explorer is the wrong vehicle if you are worried about fuel economy.

 

[SoNic67]

Just drive with less speed. After 60mph, air drag on our brick-shaped trucks is 10x more important than tire size and rpm's.

 

[drdoom]

I am happy with the 3.73, it keeps the SOHC at a good power level and good mileage.

 

[DJRockit69]

I run 235/75/15 in the winter and my 31s in the summer but My 31s are getting a little worn down and need replacing here soon so this I was gonna stick with the 235

 

[delexploder]

What are you getting now , mpg , and what is your hwy speed and how long do you hold that speed , I get 22/24 mpg at between 55/60 mph , with the 4406 and manual hubs on 31×10.5 all terrains and the stock 3:73s but Delaware is mostly flat south of Newcastle and there's a town with a stoplight every 10/15 miles , if you are running say 70/80 mph for long periods on relatively flat land then I would say a set of 3:27s would keep your cruising rpm down below 2000 probably around 1600 , the v8 has plenty of torque so its not like you won't be able to take off, look at the brick shaped ltd crownvics , yes it will take more fuel to get going but if you are long hauling over the plains it will be offset by the lower rpm at speed,

 

[DJRockit69]

I live in ND so it's pretty flat and the speed limit on the highway in town is 55 but when I get out of Fargo it bumps up to 75. I'm normally at highway speeds for about 20 to 30 miles but I may be starring a new job that's about 45 miles away. I yet have to add Manuel hubs. I'm planning on doing the center disconnect swap soon after I get this figured out

 

[SoNic67]

The TC swap is just a waste of money. Find a flat road with no traffic. Drive with 35mph and put the transmission in N. Let it roll until it stops... pretty long run, no? That's the amount of friction in your drive train - insignificant. This includes tires, hubs, disc brake drag... things that will remain in place no matter what.

If you have a friend with a 2WD, do the same experiment (same tire pressure, same weight inside the truck).
See if is any difference at all in distance. Probably not, you won't get any savings in mpg. Just money wasted on swaps and manual disconnects.

If you are so worried for mpg, get an used compact 4 banger...

 

[delexploder]

I live in ND so it's pretty flat and the speed limit on the highway in town is 55 but when I get out of Fargo it bumps up to 75. I'm normally at highway speeds for about 20 to 30 miles but I may be starring a new job that's about 45 miles away. I yet have to add Manuel hubs. I'm planning on doing the center disconnect swap soon after I get this figured out

I look forward to seeing what you come up with

 

[DJRockit69]

well this is what I came up with I did the 4406 swap. I put my factory tires on 235/75/15 I recently took a trip from Fargo ND to Duluth Mn I got 20 mpg on the way there and back. All I did was I kept my speed at 55 when possible Im pretty happy with that also I did put a k+n filter in it. That was with visor still on Im sure if I took that off I would have got a 1 or 2 more mpg. The trip was 240 miles one way. Oh just rolled my explorer over to 218000 miles

 

[SWIGIN]

I'm glad you had good results with your 4406 swap.

I went from an average of 15.5 to 17.2 mpg after my swap.

 

[koda2000]

3:73's and keep the speed down (55-60) and I get 22/24 hwy, which for a 4000 lb brick-shaped, V8 truck is pretty good. I don't think you'll see much improvement by changing diff ratios and even if you did squeeze out a mile or two more per gallon, how long would it take to pay for the cost of the swap? Besides gas will be under $2 a gallon soon. Enjoy it while it lasts.

 

[2TimingTom]

The cost of swapping gears will take forever to pay off in terms of gas savings.

Far better to buy a 4 cylinder.

 

[DJRockit69]

I managed to my swap for about $200 plus I made that money back by sell the awd transfer case and the drive shafts the only it costed me was my time