Need some gear advice
Thread Starter
|
Freshman User
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 37
Likes: 0
From: Annandale Va
Need some gear advice
Ok so i put a 6" lift with 35" tires and still have the stoker gears and wanna change... Which gears will bring me back to the stock feel and be the least wear and tear on my motor and trans? I read the 4.56 is the best. It has the stock 302.. do you know which rear it has so i can order the gears? and how hard is it to replace? Ohh also the stearing isnt tight at all...very loose. I replaced the stearing box the drag links and the tie rod ends but still loose as ****. Any ideas?
Last edited by surfincowboysrt4; Nov 24, 2005 at 01:58 PM.
Junior User
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 59
Likes: 0
I had a 1995 Ford F-150 4x4 with a 4.9L 300cid and a manual trans. I had six inches of lift and 35" tires. I put 4.10 gear in the rear and 4.09 in the front. It ran great had hardly any noticeable loss in power. I could even chirp those big swampers in first gear. My truck had the road gear in it originally 3.08. Yours most likely has a 3.55 limited slip. I know for a fact that if you go as tall as 4.56 you have to do some modification to the spiders. The 4.10 is the highest you can go in a Ford 8.8 rear end without this type of mod. Good Luck.
Tuned
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 262
Likes: 4
From: Lake Jackson, Texas
You need to have the same ratio for both ends, so yes you'll need new gearset for the front, too.
Trending Topics
Post Fiend
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 19,402
Likes: 38
From: Bonita Springs FL
Originally Posted by cradar69
Yours most likely has a 3.55 limited slip. I know for a fact that if you go as tall as 4.56 you have to do some modification to the spiders. The 4.10 is the highest you can go in a Ford 8.8 rear end without this type of mod. Good Luck.
You don't have to do anything to the rear. And yes, the front and rear need to match.
You can't install gears yourself without expensive tools and a lot of expertise. Basically, if you have to ask, you have to take it somewhere to have it done.
FTE Stories
Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts
3 Best / 3 Worst Parts of Modern Ford Ownership
Brett Foote
10 Amazing Upgrades That Solve Common Ford Truck Owner Headaches
Pouria Savadkouei
Every 2026 Ford Engine Explained
Brett Foote
10 Ugly Ford Trucks That We Still Kinda Love
Joe Kucinski
10 Things Every Truck Owner NEEDS (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalyptic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Most Expensive Ford Trucks Ever Sold on Bring a Trailer
Joe Kucinski
2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)
Brett Foote
Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies
Joe Kucinski
Thread Starter
|
Freshman User
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 37
Likes: 0
From: Annandale Va
ok right on.. I was lookin and i think the front and back gears will be around 400ish for parts.. so im guessin with labor about 800-1000 sound right? Im goin to look sometime soon to find someone to do it but i dont wanna get ripped off
Senior User
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 339
Likes: 0
From: British Columbia
4:56 gears will bring you around stock with close to 42" tires if you start with 3:08 gears. I put 4:56's in my bronco with 36" swampers and it was overkill, acceleration was no better cause of having to shift more often, top speed dropped due to to rev limiting, highway cruise was something like 2500 rpm @ 60 mph. Long story short, 4:10's would be more than adequate but as stated earlier you will have to change your front carrier. If you have 3:55 gears and want to run 35's, keep em and invest your money into a bit more power and maybe a locker.
JMHO but bin dair dun dat
007BRONCO
JMHO but bin dair dun dat
007BRONCO
Last edited by 007bronco; Nov 25, 2005 at 10:24 PM.
Elder User
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 559
Likes: 0
From: South Carolina
If you know tire heights, gear ratios et al, check out the gearing calculator on this site - accuautoparts (you know the rest, rhymes with "not tom") Upper right hand corner of the page. This is the best gearing calculator I've ever found, as you can compare the original setup with a new setup, tweak numbers, etc. As a hint, go measure your tires with a tape, because the overall height is always a little shorter than the numbers would indicate. 
