ive got a 95 f150 ext cab, 302, auto, 4x4. anyone know what gears i have in mine? this thing is getting horrible gas mileage and its kinda slow lol. would there be a better choice of gears than the ones i have in there now? it also has 31x10.5 tires if that helps?
thanks guys.

 

Ford Axle Code Chart .: Articles Look at the axle code on the door sticker and compare with this chart to find out what you have.

 

Assuming it's still factory, you have either 3.31 or 3.55 gears.

Personally, I recommend 4.10s. See this thread for my experience: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/9...t-results.html

But as I mention in that thread, changing just to try and get better gas mileage will *never* pay off in the long run.

 

im not wanting just better gas mileage but that would deffinately help. it just seems like its kind of slow on the take off like its geared too low or something. ill go check the door here in a min and get back to you all.

 

it said h9 which according to the chart is the 3.55 limited slip gears?

 

Sounds right. So, go to 4.10. But it's gonna cost you either time or money.

 

3.55s and 31" tires are not that bad of a combination for your 302. Not optimal, IMHO, but much better than a 3.08 equipped truck. Before you start forking our $$$ for gears start looking at doing a complete tuneup with good quality cap/rotor/wires and filters. No reason for the fancy spark plugs, standard copper core work very well. Look up the "sixlitre" tuneup on Fullsize Bronco website. Many here have also used it (me included).

Once that is taken care of I suggest you ditch the factory y-pipe and converters in favor of an aftermarket assembly if at all possible. Dumping those factory converters are well known to be one of the best upgrades for the money before considering a gear swap.

Many here will suggest long tube headers, but I am not a fan. The factory manifolds or shorties will work very well with an off-the-shelf aftermarket y-pipe and high flow converter on a stock engine.

A drivers' right foot has the most effect on gas mileage. Drive that vehicle like a truck, not a Mustang.

 

RLA, has anyone dyno measured the improvements you suggest in isolation, to see what the impact is on Tq/HP?

 

The end results of the sixlitre tuneup and the y-pipe/converter swap have been measured in MPGs, not HP/TQ over on Fullsize Bronco. Better efficiency will yield more power (read that as HP/TQ).

Sixlitre is one of the members there, a self-proclaimed cheap-b**tard. He was looking for what gave him better mileage for the buck. He documented each mod as he went. Of course with better efficiency, the butt-o-meter can exaggerate but the gas bill does not lie over a period of time. Many of the members over there, and a few here who have chimed in, have reported similar results in increased mileage.

There was a post or two where someone said they had access to a dyno to do such a test, but that never came to fruition for reasons unknown.

I have installed the tuneup and a much better y-pipe/converter on my own '92 F350 over the last year. I have increased the MPGs from 8-10 on the highway to a consistent 12 MPGs running 65MPH. Just recently I bumped the timing to 16 degrees from the 12 I set it at before. Time will tell if it is a real gain in MPGs or not. Before all the tuneup and exhaust work my 5.8L was a real slug. Now it is much better, but a far cry from the two '93 Lightnings I used to own or my '97 Mustang GT with a 5 speed and 3.73 gears.

I was skeptical to say the least, but with all the posts at FSB indicating other members have used the same parts with similar results I thought it was worth a try. Ask anyone here who has swapped out the factory y-pipe and converters. It's a world of different in sound and most have indicated more MPGs. I kick myself now for not making some baseline 0-30 and 0-60 times before installing my parts to prove whether it is a real gain or perceived. Long story short, my gas bill has decreased since the updates.

EDIT

Another thought: I do recall seeing a recent post at FSB indicating the OP had their truck chassis dyno'ed. It had the sixlitre tuneup and y-pipe converter installed. It dyno'd pretty good. I will try to find the post.

 

Here is the post: FullSizeBronco.com - 78 - 96 Ford Bronco offroad club, forums, tech, installs

The OP has a stock 5.8L engine with an aftermarket y-pipe and high flow converter. No mention of the sixlitre tuneup installed.

 

rla2005 ill check into the tuneup. ive been thinking about a drop in k and n to see if that helps any. ive been trying to drive it like a truck. i guess ill leave the gears the same for now.

what type of exhaust are you suggesting here? the next mod will probably be some kind of dual exhaust but i dont know what kind yet.

 

The Bronco guys have been professing a single exhaust due to the routing around the transfer case. It's not a hard and fast rule, but for me when I went the same route it was very easy to do with off the shelf parts on my '92 F350 4X4 w/5.8L engine and E4OD transmission. Conanski and others have used long tubes with a custom exhaust but if you do not have the skills or tools to build your own or reasonably priced exhaust shops nearby the Catco or Magnaflow y-pipe with converter is hard to beat.

If you want to step up some more in price the Bassani stainless y-pipe designed to fit a Bronco fits like a glove on the F-series trucks with no problems for most people. I used the Bassani pipe, Magnaflow 3" high flow converter, muffler then finished it off with a single 3" Dynomax aluminized tailpipe designed for a Chevy truck. Everything fits well and it should outlast the truck.

I have had various trucks with duals over the years, this single exhaust I installed in my garage with hand tools has worked out rather well for me. Easy on the wallet and great sound. I am not blessed with cheap exhaust shops in my area so I took the path of least resistance and still ended up with a rea$onable exhaust cost.

It's your choice, but before I would fork out $$ for gears I would make sure the engine is doing all it can to work at peak efficiency.

 

For your setup, I also recommend 4.10 gears. I wish mine had them.