More or less my question ^^^. So Ive finally gotten the carrier out of my 8.8 and found its got the same gear ratio my 7.5 has....bleh. So Im looking to really burn some rubber im thinking 4.56's on my lil 2.5 ranger more or less curious to find out if anyone has ever tried this, if so hows it ran and if Im wrong please correct me im new to gear ratio and its rather confusing. so anyways higher gear ratio = quicker??? i dunno please educate me and keep in mind im running stock tires 225/70-15 i may go with less rubber to being as im going to drop the truck about 5 inches. So please all and any info would be appreciated thank you.

 

google "gear ratio chart". with your stock tires you'll be revvin' reaaaaallly high @ 75mph, (3300 RPM) but will have some fantastic acceleration up to that point.
Check out this site:
MFactory Competition Products - Forged Transmission Components
look under "resources"

 

im canadian so i dont know mph... how fast is normal highway speeds in the states?

 

the speed limits vary...some are 55mph and others are 75mph...but i think 65 is average for most of the highways

 

the higher the number numerically the more torque to apply so it will move the truck easier but it will also run high rpms on the highway.

typically i would not recommend going up too much if you are not going larger in rubber.

redneckstone ran 4.56s in his but he had 32s?

 

you will also comprimise several things.

higher rpms means everything spins faster, bearings wear, things get hotter such as axle, ujoints, bearings, transmission, engine, etc.

 

My truck has 4.56, a 2.3L Duratec and 29'' tires (235/75/r15). Going 90 kph (55mph), it runs at 3k rpm.

 

just go with 4.10s

 

i have 4.56 yukons and if your on the highway a lot be prepared to spend money in fuel. I'm revving at 3300 at 60mph. It gets up and goes great but on the highway they suck. also with straight pipes its quite annoying

 

wow thanks guys i thought this thread just died and thanks for all the response. so i decided that 4.56 may be a little to expensive at $256 plus an additional 40 something dollars for the notched cross pin so im still looking for something higher but not quite that high. So Im not really satisfied with 3.73 i mean they're quick and i do like em but being as Ive got some serious plans for this truck i need some serious torque off the line. I really don't care about the speedo to much that can be fixed at a later time i presume nor the mileage being as this is this truck is already insanely conservative so mainly the goal is to make this guy quick with less rubber.... so is it really likely that ill be in the 3000 rpm range with such a high gear ratio? wat about like 4.33? seriously thanks guys.

 

honesty it differs everywhere i live in utah and more often than not im doing 90 and getting passed up. 1-15 is beyond crazy... but i suppose i can sacrifice some speed..ah man what am i saying....

 

Use a gear ratio calculator, you'll know before you change everything. I wish Ford made a 6 speed with a really low 1st gear for getting things moving. One can wish.

 

ive tried that gear ratio deal i was hoping to go with a higher gear ratio and smaller tires i figured so that thing just tells me i have the right gear ratio not much help and btw speaking of transmissions anyone ever put a t5 in a ranger and not a lame ranger one an actual mustang now those are geared just right..

 

it sounds like 4.10s would be your best bet. better off the line then 3.73s but still give you some top end to get up to highway speeds.

 

yup its a toss up its either 4.10(most likely) or 4.30 at least with a 4.30 gear ratio i don't have to spend another 45 dollars for a notched cross pin so that's nice anyways appreciate all the help guys ill be sure to post some pics soon ...such a gorgeous rear end...drool

 

actually 4 cylinder engines produce more torque higher up in the rpm band

4 bangers hate being bogged down in the lower rpm band , i know i had 1

that little engine came to life as soon as the tach reached around 3,000 rpm`s

so yes a 4.56 gear ratio would be your better bet

 

thank's for the info bud i decided on a 4.30 gear ratio being as its the highest gear ratio in the 4's that doesn't need a notched cross pin so yup its in the mail just waiting.

 

really, my 2.5l isn't to fond going above 3000 rpm and i feel like its run out of gas at 3500rpm. Mines happy between 1500 and 2800.

 

true mine gets a lil boggy around 4000 rpm, its a 2.5L also but man do i love it. More or less the plan is to sell my mustang with about $6000 in parts and machine work and hopefully with the money i get from that i can go buy a tbird- 2.3 turbo and slam that bad boy in ma ranger this is of course over the course of another 100,000 miles so eh i got time i just wanted to start with the rearend.

 

swapping to a 24" tall tire would get you almost 4.30 f/d with out having to open the axle.

drop your truck, measure for the tires you want, then you can figure out what you need.

Tyres1.com Tires, Wheels, Suspension - Calculators

 

appreciate all the help guys. so the carriers built now all i gotta do is get my pinion in and that's that then its on to brakes then install. Btw if anyone has a real thorough guide on doing the pinion i could use it that is the one portion of this build i am thoroughly confused on. the only good site i found is this one http://www.angelfire.com/theforce/5ohcpa/cpa5ohtech001 and it may as well be in russian. this guide has been great but if you guys know any better please help

 

your link above didnt work im getting ready to regear mine to 4.56's(lifted with bigger tires) i picked up this tool to aid in the job of setting the pinion depth

JEGS Performance Products 81655 JEGS Ring & Pinion Set Up Tool Kit

 

honestly id do 4.10's and leave it at that. running 3k rpms and only going 55mph is stupid retarded. That means on the highway you are going to be running a crazy high rpm and as beard stated, thats alot on the rest of your truck. I would hate to see how much extra wear that would equal driving on the highway everyday and with going 65, 75 or w.e the speed you know. thats just my 2 cents. If you cant handle an engine swap wanting more power than your going to have to build up your motor and id go with the 4.10 gears, anymore just wouldnt be the best decision imo.

Facts are you just have a 4 banger so theres not alot to do without spending a good chunk of change.

So if you want it faster, build up your motor some maybe nitrous if you have supporting mods, build tranny some, some 4.10 gears and enjoy.