New user here. I'm just dying to ask a bunch of questions and seek opinions from knowledgable folks around here. First question (theres more coming in the future): what gains in acceleration and top end will a ring and pinion swap from a 3.08 set to a 3.55 net? I sometimes race my truck at the local speedway. Just curious if this worth my time (those 3.08s are pretty wimpy). I don't use my truck for alot of towing so that is not an issue here. Thanks for all input.

 

the lower the gear (higher numerically) the more acceleration you will have but top speed will decreas (not by a lot with that little of swap). im puttin 4.56s when i get my 1ton rear in to turn my tires. so the gear swap will help you off the line but you will reach your top speed sooner.

 

What would allow a faster top end? I do reach top end in the 1/4 and it hurts my time. I don't have a governor it just roars and wont go 1 mph faster.

 

If acceleration isn't your prob and you reach your top end, lets say 100 mph in the 1/4n mile, going to lower gears (numerically higher) will hurt you in this case. You will get to your top speed sooner, but it will only be 90 some mph. Your engine will still hit it's rpm limit, but your tire speed will be slower due to the gear swap. If this is the case you should go from 3.08 to 2.73's. This will increase your 1/4 times, but will give you a top speed over 100. A cheaper alternative (maybe) would be to try different size tires. They can "simulate" a gear swap. Try a smaller tire for better acceleration, larger for faster speeds. In any case (gear or tire swap) your speedo will need recalibrating. Good Luck!

 

If you are looking for a good street/strip you should go with 3.73 or 4.11.
3.08 are way to high if you run on the strip at all, (unless you are running 20" OD tires)
If you are changing gears don't waste time with 3.55, at least go 3.73 or 3.90. I don't think you have to change the carrier to put in 3.90's
you may be hitting top end but it's not because you are gear bound.
With 3.08 you should only be about 3300 rpm in drive at 90 mph.
Lowering the ratio (higher #) will get you off the line faster and keep the engine into a good power range towards the end of the track
A friends 92 mustang with some mild mods and 3.73's will only get into low 14's in 1/4 mile at 97 mph
That's just my two cents.

 

Thanks guys for the info. The fastest constant speed i've been clocked at is 105 (thats a little more than the 1/4, I ran the strip with someone clocking me). At that speed, the engine sounds about like its hitting possibly 35-3800 rpm guesstimated (actually, it sounds more like 4800 rpm thanks to the custom exhaust and k&n FIPK). I have no way of telling as I have no tach of any sort. As far as tires go, I have p275/60r15's, stock size. Is there a rev limiter on this truck? Is it one of those that prevents a certain rpm then bounces back down or does it hold it at a certain rpm and speed, such as 105 at 3500 rpm? Its not really a concern, as I don't run the quarter much and do not like to go such high speeds, just curious so I can decide which gear size is better for me. This is a daily driver, so I want to have drivability without any radical changes. Gracias.

 

 

In my opinion, a set of 3.73's would be great daily driver and performance gears when you have an overdrive.
If you want to go the extra mile,go with 4.11 but you have to change the carrier.
The Lightning trucks come with the 4.11....maybe possible to find the rear end from one of those.