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- Feb 7, 2018
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- Vehicle Year
- 1997
- Make / Model
- Ford
- Transmission
- Manual
So first post but I've used the forum for a long long time as a stalker.
Anyway so I have a 97 ranger ext. cab 3.0 manual 2wd. A long time ago I lifted it and put 31s on it. I was poor so my friend and I went to the junkyard to pick out an axle to swap using the axle code. Didn't have any problems but now I'm using it as a pilot escort car and I've been looking into ways to up my mpg. Long story short I've been using calculators online and a speedo app (that seems pretty accurate in every car I've tried) to see that the gears in that truck may have actually been 4.56s. At ~2500 rpms my speedo says 60 in 5th and the app says 62-64. Using the engine rpm and speedometer calculators on Spicer's it seems like 4.10s would say I'm doing 72. And 4.56s would be doing... 64. So anyway I guess my "help" is is this likely the case of swapping the wrong ones or are these calculators outdated? I also looked up what my ranger SHOULD have for a tranny and it's final gear should be a .79 ratio. But again this is all internet. No under the truck looking.
And secondly. Is it worth swapping to 4.10s if they are the wrong ones? As in what mpg gains could I expect and also will it still maintain hill power? Or even get better? My OVERSIZE LOAD sign does catch a decent amount of drag so climbing some steep hills I can cruise at around 50 with ease yet can't really go much faster in 4th. Mashing the gas nets me barely an increase for 70% more pedal down. I barely have to push the pedal to.maintain 50-55. So would 4.10s make that easier or worse?
Edit: also currently sitting at around 15-19 mpg on these runs I guess depending on terrain.
Edit 2: the axle we swapped in has limited slip. Don't know if that means it will.be more expensive to swap.or what. My original did not.
Anyway so I have a 97 ranger ext. cab 3.0 manual 2wd. A long time ago I lifted it and put 31s on it. I was poor so my friend and I went to the junkyard to pick out an axle to swap using the axle code. Didn't have any problems but now I'm using it as a pilot escort car and I've been looking into ways to up my mpg. Long story short I've been using calculators online and a speedo app (that seems pretty accurate in every car I've tried) to see that the gears in that truck may have actually been 4.56s. At ~2500 rpms my speedo says 60 in 5th and the app says 62-64. Using the engine rpm and speedometer calculators on Spicer's it seems like 4.10s would say I'm doing 72. And 4.56s would be doing... 64. So anyway I guess my "help" is is this likely the case of swapping the wrong ones or are these calculators outdated? I also looked up what my ranger SHOULD have for a tranny and it's final gear should be a .79 ratio. But again this is all internet. No under the truck looking.
And secondly. Is it worth swapping to 4.10s if they are the wrong ones? As in what mpg gains could I expect and also will it still maintain hill power? Or even get better? My OVERSIZE LOAD sign does catch a decent amount of drag so climbing some steep hills I can cruise at around 50 with ease yet can't really go much faster in 4th. Mashing the gas nets me barely an increase for 70% more pedal down. I barely have to push the pedal to.maintain 50-55. So would 4.10s make that easier or worse?
Edit: also currently sitting at around 15-19 mpg on these runs I guess depending on terrain.
Edit 2: the axle we swapped in has limited slip. Don't know if that means it will.be more expensive to swap.or what. My original did not.
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