3.73 to 4.10.. I didn't see much of a difference at all to be honest.

i was thinking of going straight to an expoder 8.8 so he gets the 31 spline and discs but yeah ranger swap should be easy

Howabout 4.30s? 4.56s seem to high for 35s and if 4.10s won't be enough I think 4.30s would be just right.

well the shops i visited didnt give me an option of getting a 4.30 gears, all they had in the books was 4.10 or 4.56

i was doubled lifted on 35's with stock 3.0, stock tranny, and stock 8.8 axke with 4.10's, really never had a problem with it, unless i was trying to plow deep ass mud, then i just didnt have the ass with out blowin sumthing... just upgrade to the 8.8 with 4.10's, u have a hell of alot more options then the 7.5 so if ur not happy with the 4.10's switch em out

where are out speed sensors? in the tranny or axle? they should be in transmission right? im just wondering if i will have to change them going from 7.5 to 8.8

they are in the tranny. nothing in the diff but abs

can i use an abs sensor from 7.5 in an 8.8?

So? You are the one spending the money, get what you want. Either ask the shop about 4.30s. Go to another shop that has 4.30s. Or buy the 4.30s online and have the shop install them.

And yes, if you can find an 8.8 to swap in do it.

well i pretty much made up my mind now, im going to buy an 8.8 with 4.10 from hi roller i just need to know if i can use 7.5 abs sensor in the 8.8 axel

panzer, what they are telling you is basically right. However, you can't have fast acceleration and high gas mileage at the same time. If you change to a 4.10 gear you will be close the the same overall ratio you had with the original. You will get about the same fuel mileage you got with the stock tires.

I agree with razorsEDGE and D. that you won't see a lot of difference.

Now, if you want to get good fuel mileage then stay with what you have and drive with your mind instead of your foot in the throttle all the time. Your not going to have a fast trk from the stop but you can get good fuel mileage. You have to drive easy to get fuel mileage.

If you want the acceleration then go for the 4.56 and you will get lower fuel mileage and better take off from the stop.

You can't drive hard from stop to stop and get good mileage. You can't drive hard on the highway passing cars on two lanes or running fast on interstates and get good fuel mileage. You have to drive like you want to get better fuel mileage.

The reality is Rangers don't get good fuel mileage. Look at the thread asking how much fuel mileage everyone gets. It's not good.

well my problem is not speed, i dont care about that, its a truck not a car lol
im struggling with my truck on the interstate while going uphills, it almost never stays in overdrive and drops from 65 to ~55 while climbing even small hills i want to solve that problem.

so my gas issue comes right in there.... i have to pretty much gun the engine to get up those hills....

Well, in that case I would go for the 4.56 gears. Since you are going to have to regear the rear end it would be better to go to a junk yard and find a 8.8" rear end like they have suggested. You may have to settle for a 4.10 but try to find a 4.56. If you drive sensably you can get decent fuel mileage and still have some acceleration when you need it. It's easier to swap the complete rear end than to regear the rear end if you don't know anything about setting up a rear end.

Are you a pretty fair mechanic? Do you have tools and a place to work on it?

My Ranger is an 03 3.0L 4.10L/S automatic with stock tires and it does ok. After all the talk on the site about the loses going to bigger tires for looks I'll stay with the stock tires.

Sounds like you have a good idea of what to do, think it out. Everyone has given you good ideas.

i have the tools and the place to swap the axle, just need to find out more about the swap, but i def cant regear

If you're climbing hills at highway speeds then you'll be disappointed with anything less than 4.56s

well can still use the 7.5 abs sensor in 8.8 axle?

If I were you I would go to some Ford parts depts and ask them. Nothing like getting it from the horses mouth. The sensors from your old rear end may fit the replacement rear end so ask Ford.

i will probably just do that i got a dealership 1 mile from my house