I called my local 4 wheeling shop about installing these mods and the first thing they asked me was if I had the parts or not, seems they dont mind using your own parts. I also know that my fuel mileage is going to go down, i was just saying that I would like to keep the gears as high as possible to keep fuel efficiency as high as possible.

 

I agree, I would say just have them do the alignment and supply the parts. who knows you may not need new bushings.

And yes up sizing your tires will lower mpg below your current 13-14. especially before you re-gear. Just make sure you gear it right and you will be back to similar power but still slightly lower mpg with 32's.

 

Your gearing logic is wrong. 4.10s would net you better milage than 3.08s in this case

 

Oh I got you. Since the tires are so big, the mileage would be better with the lower gears?

 

Correct. It would put the engine closer to is power band

 

Ok that makes sense. So you think I should just get the springs and let the alignment shop worry about the bushings?

 

Keeping high gears won't necessarily keep your mpg higher. If you have high gears your motor will have to produce more power to turn the tires, which, of course uses more gas. LOWER gears will convert the power of the motor better and so turn the tires easier, but you will still use more gas because the gears require more turning, thus giving you more power, but still less mpg. I think this is how it works, again there are some guys on this site with WAY more experience on gearing than me.

 

Yes, let them do the worrying lol

 

Haha I don't know if I want to because then I'll be the one worrying when they come out with the bill!

 

So in your opinion, I should just get the springs, install them myself, then take it to an alignment shop and let them take care of the rest?

 

My understanding is that, with lower gears, your engine will transfer the power better, resulting in slightly better mpg, but the faster you go, the more your engine will be revving, resulting in lower mpg. Higher gears are better for cruising at higher speeds, but lower gears are better for torque.

 

A few things of note:

Nobody is bashing you for not knowing everything. That's why forums like this exist, for information and help when you need it. It's also a place that can pass misinformation, such as installing F250 leaf springs on the front of your 2WD. Simply put, that's a horrible idea.

Your idea of installing the springs and letting the shop worry about the camber bushings is correct. Camber bushings can be a pain in the *** to get out, even with air tools and torches.

Check with the shop doing the work, to compare pricing of you bringing them parts to install, and them supplying parts and labor. Many shops will charge a higher labor rate to install parts that you bring them, and sometimes you end up not really saving much money at all.

You're going to hate the acceleration of your truck with 3.08 gears and 32" tires. Also, what Brad mentioned is exactly correct. Your fuel mileage will improve with 4.10s, simply because it puts the engine in the correct powerband. Larger diameter tires numerically lower your final drive ratio. It's a lot to explain, but perhaps a google search of "final drive ratio" or something like that would turn up an article or writeup that would be helpful.

 

Thanks Bob, I will go ahead and order the springs. I'll keep y'all posted!

 

Looking forward to seeing it done! There is another member here with a lifted 2wd Flareside that looked great. I haven't seen him post in a while.

 

Ok the springs are officially ordered. Are there any other things I should look to have to replace before I can be aligned? I know when I took our Expedition, they said it needed new ball joints before they could align it so we got some and installed them ourselves.