anyone run 456 gears w/ 35" tires on a 79 F150?

 

i know that you asked for 456 gears, but i have a 77 witha 351m 35's and 4:10 gears. and with my setup it winds out pretty good on the highway. you can take off in town in 2nd gear (np435 2nd) going up a hill. low (1st) is only for pulling stuff or crawling thru the woods. that might give you an idea on what 456's might be like.

 

me thinks 456 is a little low for 35" tires but they are popular whith 36".

not too low to drive, they would give you good low end pulling, but kill mpg and speed.

 

well, its a truck and im not worried about speed, just some torque to go trhu the mud and pull. And if i cared about MPG i really wouldn't have a truck haha, thanks for the help!

 

I think 4.56's are perfect for 35" tires. If you are not going to be using it for long commutes and just use it as a truck where you need the extra gear or as a toy I wouldn't go anything less than 4.56's. Of course if you do a lot of long trips then I would consider 4.10's. Just depends on what you use it the most for.

I have 36" tires on my 78 F 150 with 4.88's and it spins at about 2700 at 55-60mph. I was looking at 4.56 and 4,88 gears when I changed them and decided to go with the 4.88. I am glad I did, too. I love the way the truck performs. With the 4.88's it spins about the same rpm as 4.10's would with stock tires. If you go to www.ring-pinion.com they have rpm calculators you can use. There are charts on the net to give you ideas on what rpm is best for what, too. Can't think of where they are right now. If you did an OD trans swap then you could run 4.88 or 4.56 and still be able to cruise down the highway. Just something that I thought about until I realized that my wallet couldn't support the idea.

Steve

 

Well, i'll drive the truck daily to and from school. It's about 12 miles away, and i really don't travel long distances. I was told go 456 by a buddy that had 373 in an 01 F350 with 35s he said it was horrible

 

I guess it depends on what you have now, but if you already have 4.10's, if you want to save a few bucks, you'll be fine with them. You've always got low range for when they're not enough. JMO

 

velcro7279 gave you some sound advice. I don't understand why guys are so afraid of throwing gears into thier trucks. the old saying that gears kill speed, is simply not true. Depending on your commute, it may not even kill mileage. A truck that sees a bunch of stop and go driving could benifit from lower gears (numerically higher). As far as top end speed, this is based upon engine output and its rpm limits. The truck will be capable of the same speeds regardless of gear selection, the only changes will be total engine rpm and the speed in which it gets there. When the engine stops making power it will also not go any faster. This is true regardles of gear choice. A truck that only makes a couple of hunderd horsepower and very little torque is not going to go any faster with a 2.75:1 gear than it will with 5.13's. The thing just will not make enough torque or horsepower to pull the gear and sustain high speeds, and because of the lack ofm the mechanical advantage required to get the truck moving from a stop, might not actually get great mileage.
Anyway, off of my box. You are doing the right thing with the tires and gears. I would not hesitate to run 4.88's either.
I run 5.13's in my old truck with 39.5" tires.
Ran 4.88's in my SD with 36" rubber before I lifted it again and installed 5.13's.
Gonna really like it when you have to engage 4wd. The right gears will provide many off road gear selection alternatives. Guys with not enough gear have to use 4 low as a crutch and sometimes is still just not low enough. Will be the difference between a truck that gets by, and one that is very capable.

 

Thanks guys

 

I'd do it. The taller the gears, the better control you can have offroad, when you need to NOT spin the tires, and get maximum traction. I don't like the idea of going much steeper than 5.13's, the teeth on the pinion get to about as many as a jack o lantern.

Oh, and to keep things into perspective, 4.56 gears with 35" is like 3.55 gears with 31" tires, 5.13 with 38' are similar.

If your final drive is an issue, look into either an overdrive transmission, or an add on unit.

 

Ive just gone to 35" tyres on my 79 F100 and I still run the 3.5 gears and although ive only done about 20 miles with the 35s on I don't think I'll bother changing them.

 

Ya, im not to worried abut OD...just somethin to drive daily a little ways and mud with

 

well i got a 73 6 inch lift a 34 on it right now and i fell i need to go to a 4.10 ratio. i have a 4 speed manual tranny and with the 3.55 it puts to much of a strain on the motor. my truck is droven every day

 

I have 4.56 gears and 36s.
I really like my set up. I don't drive it on the road a lot, but when I do, it is just stop and go and it drives fine(plenty of power for acceleration).

I had my stock 3.50 gears with my 36s for a while, and acceleration SUCKED! In the mud it was sluggish, and I couldn't stand it. It feels the same now(with 4.56s), as it did before with 3.50 gears and low range.

I'd say either 4.30 gears or 4.56s would be a good match for 35s.

 

Go 4.56, you'll be happier