Im getting the itch to do stuff to the truck (MINDS OUT OF THE GUTTER!)

I want some BFG ATs on my stock wheels. 31 10.5s like everyone else on here (so sue me). Mainly for looks but i found out that my stock Goodyears suck ***** in dirt so i dont mind the upgrade, BUT .... i have 3.55s in my stocker rear end. How annoying will that be? I dont want to upgrade my gears right away, but im open to it down the road. Im not gonna buy the tires right away due to lack of funds, but i tend to price shop alot and research alot before doing anything so id like to know beforehand.

So in a nutshell, anyone have 3.55s on 31s? Will it massively suck or will a gear change be in order?

BTW, i have a 4.0 and an auto trans of course.

 

itll still run fine. it'll will only be noticeable if u haul heavy stuff.

 

It will do it, but it will suck. You'll be looking for gears pretty quickly I think. My sport trac came with 4.0L auto, 30" tires and 4.10 gears from the factory, for what it's worth.

 

Yeah i figured id step to 4.10s if i was gonna switch at all. I still dont really want to regear but... well, even if it is really mainly for looks, i dislike compromise.

 

Why are you so against re-gearing?

 

Cost. Its not a 9 inch so i cant just buy a new 3rd member and be done in 30 minutes lol. Id have it done. I wont be swapping gears myself. I dont wanna do it myself on my daily driver.

Whats it cost to swap a set of gears? I only checked the Ford dealer (for waranty concerns... nots not that big a deal if another shop does it they say) and they wanted $1400! i know thats likely high... but anyone in SoCal know a good gear shop? Like i said, i only have dealt with the Ford 9 inch, and i just buy a complete third member for those and drop one in and out when i change gears normally.

 

It's 2wd right? Should be about $600 tops all said and done. $1400 should be for two axles and a handjob...? lol
The ranger gears are relatively cheap, and the labor is most of the cost.

 

$600-$700 is about what i expected to spend. Thats why when they said $1400 i was speechless lol. I guess ill start looking for a trustworthy gear shop around here that can do it. I know of a local place that did a friends 5.0, but the guy seems like a hack. The bottle of Wild Turkey on the counter was not comforting either.

 

If you can set up a Ford 9" you can set up the 8.8 its the same basic idea just you use shims packs

here's a link on how to

8.8 Axle Gear Install

 

i got 35x14.5 swampers and 3.55,... no big deal

 

and i carried 2000 lbs with it yesterday.

 

Just because you do it doesn't mean its good for the truck

 

your tellin me! my leaves were bowing the opposite way. and the tranny is getting destroyed... the only good thing about carrying a ton or weight is maybe it will soften the leafs and make em more flexy?

 

i paid about $750 for a 4:10 ring and pinion (Yukons) new from O'reileys. luckily i had a friend to swap them out. depending on what and where you get them from it can be pricey. definitely shop around. oh yeah, i had 33 x 13.5 with just 3:73 and i got around fine. just sucks when it's time to play, "got stuck a lot."

 

more likely break them, they only soften so much kind of like bending a metal wire back and forth till they snap

 

what about 31 with 3.45 lol

 

Boy am I glad that my truck came with 4:10's.

 

Find a reputable transmission shop and they should be able to do it for you.

 

wait.. you have a 2009 4.0L SOHC (207 hp) with 3.55.. and you're worried about 31's.... WHAT!! you'll be fine man... that's basically a stock tire size for rangers... i was running 33's with my 3.27 gears for almost 2 years with my 4.0L OHV (160hp, back in 1993 lol) and it was still far from a slug.. you will be fine without regearing..

 

i run 33" and 355 no problem yet

 

i've got 3.55 and 31x10.5s...no problems whatsoever. i'll get some 4.10's when/if i decide to lift and go with 33s

 

Very nice info! yeah i was worried about it just because im used to having gear in my cars. My Cougar currently has 3.89s with a 27 inch tire and no overdrive trans lol. I like gear. Its awesome.

 

I'm thinking of buying some 31's off an old jeep on craigslist. I have a 96 2wd 5sp 2.3. Do yall think it would run ok? Not sure at all what gears I have. Don't run offroad at all, just do about 120 highway miles a day, so issue of rubbing. Just don't want to loose power. I want a better stance of the truck, the fenders look empty and the stock tires look way too small for it.

 

Depends on gearing. IMHO dont but bigger tires on your 2wd to fill the fenders. Drop that thing man!