4.88's FINALLY and a detroit
 

well today i got my truck re-geared to 4.88 and a detroit in the back finally. i haven't done the front yet i got to pull the front diff this weekend an bring it down to my friends shop to do it. i am honestly not as happy as i thought i would be. it doesn't really feel any faster and still doesn't really "go" except for in 1st. i still have 33's so maybe it isn't in it right power-band or something cause that is how my dads jeep was when he put 4.88's on it and still had the 33's, but after he put 35's on it it was much faster. it basically just feels like i lost 5th and got a 0 gear lol....2nd is like how 1st was before and 5th is like how 4th was before. but im still in the same rpm range pulling hills, just in a higher gear. i thought it would be better but i guess not. i can defiantly take off way easier now, and when i do i can go, where as before when i started off, and i like pulled out in front of someone and floored it, it didn't really take off and go faster till like 3000rpm...now when im in first and i punch it it goes, but i was hoping it would be more like that in all gears, not just 1st. o well off road it should be much better. and i still can really spin them on dry, in just kinda barks for like 2 seconds and then goes... but before if i did that on dry it would stall. cant wait to test it out offroad locked front and rear. and see how it spins them when its wet....lol also i remember shane saying that his speedo is off so that he is actually going slower that he really is because it is geared lower than stock...but mine is still the same as it was before and when my spedo says im doing 65 im actually doing about 70. wierd.

your speedo reads off the rear axle, shanes reads off of the tailshaft speed of the transmission

ok that makes since....any idea on how to make it right again?

yep, using the NGS ford scan tool you will have them go into the GEM module based on your tire size and change the revolutions per mile 33" tire = 632

Just remember - your putting bigger and bigger tires on.. at some point gears wont be the fix all - it hits the point where you actually do need some more oomph in the engine.. I.E. a nice supercharger for the All-RPM range youll be looking for.

I would've thought that 4.88s with 33s would be awesome. Like super low.

I think the 4.88s really helped my automatic. Like you said it's not as big of difference as I would have liked but it definitely helps off the line and speeding up once your at speed.

How is the Detroit on the street?

ya thats exactly what i was thinking

its not too bad.....deff takes some getting used to. the worst part about it is that the locker it self has like backlash in it that cant be adjusted. i was bummed cause my stock 7.5 and the expo 8.8 i put it both had incorrect backlash so i could really feel a big clunk when i went to gas to coast and what not. so i was really looking forward to having a correct backlash and a smooth transition from gas to coast and coast to gas...but the locker has some sort of play in it for some reason...so even tho the ring and pinion backlash is perfect (i saw it all with the diff cover off) it still isnt smooth like i was looking forward to....but o well it should be awesome offroad.

Did you get the full carrier Detroit or the EZ lunchbox style?

I told you the Detroit can be a PITA with a manual trans because of the back lash. ;)
I think the manual states that up to 3/4 turn of the driveshaft can be typical with the locker. I think mine has somewhere like 1/3 turn worth of play. Even with an automatic it requires a change of driving habits.

Give yourself some time with the new gears, you will like them more as time goes on. The main improvement is always getting moving from a stop, and generally less downshifting on hills and stuff. When I first drove my F150 with 4.56 gears (had 3.73s stock) I almost thought I should have gone lower, didn't feel a whole lot different driving around the neighborhood. But as time passed I realized how much better it felt, and how it was a lot less stressed. It isn't like you're adding a ton of power, you're just getting it to the ground more effectively.

i got the whole carrier one....

i got a killer deal from 4wheelparts. i know people on here have had bad luck with them before, but i didnt. me and my dad both got hooked up when we did our orders. we did it through email with a guy named wayne. i can get his email for u guys if you want. anyway i got the gears for the 8.8 for $125, and the install kit for $65. and the gears for the 35 for $120 and the install for $65. and i got the detroit for $625.41. the total ended up being $1010 and after tax and a LIFETIME warranty on everything it ended up being $1208. i think i did pretty good.

So they installed all that for $200? If so that's awesome

no the $200 on top of the $1010 was for tax and shipping and the lifetime warranty....but my dads buddy installed everything for free, i just had to pull the front diff for him.

That's what's up!!! I need a friend like that.

Lifetime warranty sounds good too.

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Good deal man! My gear guy charges $150 per axle if you bring it to him bare or $200 if you leave it on the truck and he has to use his lift. Mine was about $1175 for gears front and rear installed, master installs on both, new carrier for the 31 spline rear and a lock right... But that's cuz I took him the axles

4.88s were the best thing I've done to my truck