89 BII

[4x4junkie]

Gearing is the key to making any tire & engine combo work. I spin 35x12.50 tires with my 2.9L just fine with 5.13:1 gears... It's not like a rocket-ship or a fire-breathing tire-burner, but I can merge in with traffic no problem as well as keep up on grades if I run the RPMs up a little. If you are looking at 33" tires, 4.88:1 would be the gear ratio you'd want.

 

[pete3323]

Gears

Not to jack the thread but....my stock '88 B2 2.9 w 5 speed is a slug. Has 30x9.5x15 tires. Anyone tell me what rear gears it has stock and what I should upgrade to for more power? Mostly street driving. Thx.

 

[4x4junkie]

^^

Both 3.45:1 and 3.73:1 were available for '88, maybe 4.10:1 too but not sure (I doubt that's what you have though)
You can check for your ratio here:
http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/axle_codes.shtml

By your description, I'd guess you have the 3.45 gears


4.10:1 and 4.56:1 both should work good with 30s (4.56:1 if you're in a hilly or high-altitude area, or if you find out you have 3.73:1). Though if you think you might ever jump to 31x10.50 tires, then forget 4.10 entirely, definitely go 4.56:1.

 

[dirtcowboy]

No, I said it "STARTED" as a mild rebuild after mashing it to pieces at Johnson valley, (KOH). I wasn't racing just doing the "fun" runs. Never again. I started just going to repair the damage I had wrought then one thing led to another and 6 years and a ton of cash later........ Formulate a plan and stick to it.

 

[McWillies]

I was just busting your chops about the cost

 

[McWillies]

So, I have decided that dry rotting tires and rusty old steelies aren't cutting it any more. I always browse 4wheelparts.com but never knew there was a store less than 30 minutes from me. Went by today, they have some Pro Comp Series 51 15x8 steelies, flat black of course , and some 235/75r15 BFG all terrains coming in for me in the next 2 days (hopefully). My main question is, will they fit? I know that most people can fit the 235/75r15s but I don't know how they will fit with the 8" wide wheels and -19mm offset. Anyone who has this combination or a similar one or has some experience, opinions would be great. All suspension is stock by the way, no lift whatsoever.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

The 235/75r15 is a 29" tall tire. That is fine. I don't know about the rims, I'm not knowledgeable about that aspect.
I'm running 235/75r15's on stock aluminum rims on my 93 ranger with 3.27 gears. They work just fine with the 4.0l engine. This is on a daily driver, paved roads only.

 

[McWillies]

The 235/75r15 is a 29" tall tire. That is fine. I don't know about the rims, I'm not knowledgeable about that aspect.
I'm running 235/75r15's on stock aluminum rims on my 93 ranger with 3.27 gears. They work just fine with the 4.0l engine. This is on a daily driver, paved roads only.

Thanks for the input. I know the tires will fit but I'm not sure if the wheels are too wide. I think it should be fine. I guess I will find out when I get 'em put on

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

The rims too wide would be my thought too. They'll probably go on but will wear funny as the beads will be spread apart more than normal.

Sent from my XT1032 using Tapatalk

 

[McWillies]

The rims too wide would be my thought too. They'll probably go on but will wear funny as the beads will be spread apart more than normal.

Sent from my XT1032 using Tapatalk

I know that they will stick out from the fenders some but I'm hoping not too much. What do you mean beads? I'm hoping they fit well and look nice...

 

[McWillies]

Talked to the people over at 4wheelparts earlier, my tires and wheels had just come in. He said that they wouldn't have the time to mount and balance them today. Right after that, they decided to tell me that I have to make an appointment to install them (they didn't tell me about making an appointment at first, they made it sound like I would just go in after they called and I could get them installed). He didn't let me set up an appointment today so I'll call again tomorrow and find out what's going on.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

The bead is the part of the tire that contacts the rim.

 

[McWillies]

The bead is the part of the tire that contacts the rim.

Ah ok, I'm still not familiar with some terminology.

 

[McWillies]

Talked to them earlier. Said they usually schedule about a week in advance. He said he could get them mounted and balanced today then tomorrow I can go in right when they open and get them put on.

 

[McWillies]

Story time with Willies:

Time for the good and the bad. Went this morning and waited in the cold for them to open for 30 minutes. Finally made it in, they were just finishing mounting and balancing the tires. I checked my vehicle in and they took it to the back and started to slap the tires on. About 2 hours later, the guy that had been helping me told me that my lug nuts were different sizes, which I knew. My brother, who was with me the whole time, loaned me 35 bucks so I could just go ahead and get some new ones (I paid him back a few minutes ago). Nice set of matte black lug nuts with the locking nuts too, so nobody can steal my precious new jewels. When they were finishing up, the guy came and asked me if I wanted to keep my old wheels and tires, I did, so he said he would see if they would all fit in the bronco, they did. When they were done, the guy parked the truck. I was standing outside so he asked if it was mine, I said yes. WARNING: BAD NEWS. Brace yourself.... If I have too much weight in the vehicle, the tires will hit the top of the fenders on bumps (horrible news, amirite?). He recommended I roll them up a bit before I try to haul somethin' heavy. I said Ok, we both walked inside. The guy that was supposed to check me out was on the phone, so another guy checked me out. I paid the man his cash and was on my way. Pulling out of the parking lot, I hit a bump. The tire hit the fender... scared the shit out of me. The whole way home (30 minutes), nearly every medium sized bump I hit (about 5 or 6), the tires bumped the fender. Keep in mind I had about 200 pounds of extra weight in the back from the old tires and wheels. Finally made it home safely and tossed the old tires and wheels on the ground, where they belong. I decided to take a closer look at everything, see if my fenders were hurt (they were fine). Right as I was walking away, I realized something. The front tires stick out farther than the back ones. The front has auto locking hubs, so naturally there is a hub cover. Well, there are back covers too, but they didn't put them on. Nor did they give me the covers back (I hadn't noticed until after I got home). It's not too bad though, half an inch different or so. All in all, I'm fairly happy. The tires make the ride much more enjoyable too, the old tires were rotted out m/t's (not the best for pavement). In total the cost for the wheels, tires, lug nuts, and installation was $956 and some change.



Short Version:
Got the tires put on. They hit the top of the fender when there is too much weight in the vehicle. Fronts stick out farther than the backs. They didn't give me my rear locking hub covers (I guess that's what you call them, they don't actually cover a locking hub).

P.S. I was worried about the 235/75r15s looking stupid on a 15x8 wheel. They don't look horrible, makes them stick out more too. Gives the 'ole bronc a hefty stance.