Gears - Opinions Requested

[du510]

94 B4000 - currently running 33's with the stock 3.73's. I use it as a daily driver with the bit-more-than-occasional playing around offroad. Do you think 4.56 is too much of a gear? Would 4.30's be a better choice?

Your thoughts, please!

[Wicked_Sludge]

i'd go 4.56. your only going to turn about 2400 RPM at 65MPH with 4.56's and it'll really help around town and even more on the trail.

[wahlstrom1]

They don't make a 4.30 for the front of your truck, I looked into it before I started my SAS. I'd go 4.56 just to make up for the tire size and weight. I have 4.10's in my explorer with 30" tires, and it rips.

-andrew

[du510]

Good info guys, keep it comin. Thanks.

I am almost 100% definite on my plans for the 4.56's, and I've got a stock L/S out of an 03 FX4. Its a 28spline 8.8, just like mine, so shouldn't be any issues right?

[Wicked_Sludge]

i thought the FX4's used 31 spline axles...

[du510]

i thought the FX4's used 31 spline axles...

only the level2's and the 02 fx4's

[Wicked_Sludge]

ahh...

i knew that :D

[du510]

ahh...

i knew that :D

;)

so can you foresee any problems with my gear & ls setup?

[Wicked_Sludge]

a 28 spline 8.8 is a 28 spline 8.8. it should work.

dont forget to do the front too :derisive:

[du510]

a 28 spline 8.8 is a 28 spline 8.8. it should work.

dont forget to do the front too :derisive:


:) im not locking the front :shok:

[Wicked_Sludge]

i meant gears and/or LS :icon_twisted:

[JohnnyU]

:) im not locking the front :shok:


Why not?

[du510]

i meant gears and/or LS :icon_twisted:

ill gear the front, but ill keep it open

[du510]

Why not?

i'd like it to be street-drivable too. a l/s may work, but im not going to lock it.

[Wicked_Sludge]

you could run a selectable locker.......i wouldnt run anything but such in the front anyway. lunchbox lockers are fine for the rear, but not for the front.

only problem is price....

[du510]

you could run a selectable locker.......i wouldnt run anything but such in the front anyway. lunchbox lockers are fine for the rear, but not for the front.

only problem is price....

hmmm, something to think about. thanks man

[rickcdewitt]

4.56's will give you more power and crawl ratio but if you drive on the freeway more than you offroad you might want to stay with 4.10 gears to keep the revs down.i found that with the 4.56's 55-60mph was the highest comfortable cruise speed.maybe my mitsubishi 5 speed has a lower overdrive gear but with 4.10's i cruise at 2300-2400rpm's at 65mph.i'll probably swap the 4.56 axles back in since i have the little 2.9l and i don't commute in it anymore but i thought id warn you if its your daily driver.on the other hand since your truck came with 3.73's not 3.55's like my truck you might be used to the freeway rev's.

[hitech_hick]

i'd like it to be street-drivable too. a l/s may work, but im not going to lock it.

A good L/S in the front is unusable on the street, might as well get a Detroit if you are going to go that route. 4.56's sounds like a good ratio to me, I have 4.56's and 35's, wish I had gone to 5.13's instead.


hick

[Hahnsb2]

It doesnt matter if its locked in the front on the street since the hubs are out and you dont use 4wd...
WS, theres nothing wrong with a lunchbox locker in the front, just dont use a spool in the front, a locker will unlock when you need it to and allow you to turn, sure a selectable would be nice but its kind of pricey and I personaly think it would be annoying to lock and unlock it all the time when Im out wheelin.

[MAKG]

4.56's will give you more power and crawl ratio but if you drive on the freeway more than you offroad you might want to stay with 4.10 gears to keep the revs down.i found that with the 4.56's 55-60mph was the highest comfortable cruise speed.maybe my mitsubishi 5 speed has a lower overdrive gear but with 4.10's i cruise at 2300-2400rpm's at 65mph.i'll probably swap the 4.56 axles back in since i have the little 2.9l and i don't commute in it anymore but i thought id warn you if its your daily driver.on the other hand since your truck came with 3.73's not 3.55's like my truck you might be used to the freeway rev's.

I see these comments all the time, and they are JUST WRONG.

2400 RPM is pretty close to the BEST RPM for a 2.9L. It's very slightly low.

4.56s may give you a noisy drive with 2600-2700 RPM at 65 MPH, but that's about half the redline, and at nearly perfect RPM for a 2.9L.

The torque peak is at 2500 RPM on 2.9Ls. You can wind them up to 5500 RPM before you have to start worrying about breaking things. Probably more; that's just the factory redline.

I wish I understood why people were so scared to rev engines.

[arrabil]

I wish I understood why people were so scared to rev engines.
I think its the noise. People associate noise with something going wrong.

[JohnnyU]

you could run a selectable locker.......i wouldnt run anything but such in the front anyway. lunchbox lockers are fine for the rear, but not for the front.

only problem is price....


After running just such a locker in the front of my truck for two years, I whole-heartedly disagree with your statement. :no2:

[Wicked_Sludge]

care to share with us?

[Hahnsb2]

I guess JohnnyU agrees with my statement. I personaly dont run a front locker (dont have a d35 yet and I wont lock a 28...) But after running a rear locker I have a good idea on how one would behave in the front (and from reading about other's experiances), as long as your foot isnt in it, it will allow the front wheels to turn seperatly. Sure a selectable is nice, but if given the choice to run a selectable in the only one axle, Id stuff it in the rear since I wouldnt have to deal with the lunchbox in the front on the street (not that a rear lunchbox locker is terrible for the street, mine isnt bad at all, but open is deffinatly more street friendly) JMHO...

[rickcdewitt]

I see these comments all the time, and they are JUST WRONG.

2400 RPM is pretty close to the BEST RPM for a 2.9L. It's very slightly low.

4.56s may give you a noisy drive with 2600-2700 RPM at 65 MPH, but that's about half the redline, and at nearly perfect RPM for a 2.9L.

The torque peak is at 2500 RPM on 2.9Ls. You can wind them up to 5500 RPM before you have to start worrying about breaking things. Probably more; that's just the factory redline.

I wish I understood why people were so scared to rev engines.
makg maybe you dident understand that his truck has a 4.0l and doesnt need the revs,theres about a 500rpm difference between 4.10's and 4.56's .also i said the 4.56's are going back in my truck because i dont need to commute 40 miles each way in it anymore.mostly i dident like it because overdrive was noisy before the tranny got rebuilt.try not to lay on the self rightous bull putting people down.blanket statements arent cool especially when its just your opinion.:annoyed: