Do these tires make my transmission look small?

[GetItMuddy]

Hey guys, Wondering if these tires are too big for my 2.9L and manual trans (No idea what trans it has.)....She seems to do ok...as long as we are going downhill. Uphill is pretty slow going at road speeds unless I downshift....Just seems that the tires are too big or the drivetrain is whooped....
33/12.5/15

I haven't looked under her to see what trans I have. Just FYI.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Might need to regear, once you do that you should be ok if you behave.

 

[GetItMuddy]

What are y'all working with? Im pretty sure some kid just took this thing from grandpa and threw a lift on with big tires and said "Goodnuff".
Probably the original stock gears but could be wrong.
What gear should I put in for that size lift and tire?

 

[96Indyram]

Might need to regear, once you do that you should be ok if you behave.

Tire and gear chart:
http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/gearandtirechart.shtml

I agree! going to 33" tires you need to go up to at-least a 4:11 to 4:56 gear ratio to keep your engine in its powerband.

Now down side.... If your ranger still has the dana 28 front you are out of luck! nobody makes gear sets for them anymore.
You will have to upgrade to a dana 35 front to get a range of gear ratios.
Might as well upgrade the rearend to a 8.8 so you can match the gear ratios.


Edit to add:
NICE truck! I love seeing a 1st gen still on the road.

 

[GetItMuddy]

Ok....Ill have to look into the fromt end. Like I said, I think mostly, this thing is pretty much all stock.
Let me ask this...assuming that all is stock, aside from tires and lift, if I were to drop to a smaller tire, say 30 or 31, My gearing should be fine, yes?
The chart in the link above (Thanks for that, by the way. Holding on to that!!) states that with a 30" tire a 3.73-4.11 gear ratio is good for everyday drivers and with a 31" I'd need 3.91-4.27.
So if I drop my tires size, I shouldn't need to re-gear, correct?
BTW....What was stock gear ratio in the 88?

 

[96Indyram]

couple more links for ya:

http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/Gear_Tire_RatioChange.shtml

http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/axle_codes.shtml


The 2nd link has the door code if you still have the sticker in your door, and the axle gears are factory.
Usually they have a 3.08 3.45 3.55 (rare) 3.73 or 4.11

My 87 4x4 2.9 v6 5speed has 3.45 gears and I have 30" tires now.
The power is a little on the weak side now. I Cant jump out into traffic..I would get killed. And on steep hills I have to downshift to 4th.
But everyday driving on flat roads I can use 5th gear at 35- 40mph and it will hold speed. My gas mileage has improved because I lowered the RPM with larger tires.
I coulden't imagine how much of a dog it would be with 33" tires.

 

[redhurricane]

read the axle tag on the rear axle, you likely have the open 3.45 gearing in the 7.5 axle. If you are going to stay with 33x12.50, I would recommend 4.56 or greater. as previously said, the D28 is a no go for regearing now, the D35 out of a 91-94 explorer is a direct bolt in and ring/pinion sets area available 4.56, maybe up to 4.88. this will get you as close as possible to "stock" final drive ratio.

3.73 is usually stock in the 91-94 TTB D35 explorers, and you can find an 8.8 rear with the same ratio in the explorer as well. (95-up come with disc brakes, a very worthwhile upgrade)

3.73 and 31" tires is not a bad combination.

 

[gw33gp]

My 89 STX with the 2.9L engine had 3.73 gears in it from the factory. I don't remember what size tires it had from the factory. I put 31" tires on it right away. It did OK with that combination but I wore the clutch out quickly because I towed with it as well as going off-road. Before I did the clutch job I had 4.10 gears installed and they were perfect with the 31" tires.

 

[GetItMuddy]

Awesome Information! Thanks guys! Very much appreciated. Ill check the door codes and pumpkin tags this weekend and see what I have.

Its really not a major dog. 1st gear winds out pretty well and second gear is a decent low speed cruise with enough to get moving decently if I need to. In 3rd, I still have a little get up and go but 4th is mainly for cruising at a lower 40-50 mph range and of course 5th is for a higher speed cruising.
In 4th, if I encounter a hill, I need to downshift a gear to avoid slowing down rapidly and in 3rd, she will still get up the hill at a decent pace and even pick up speed if the incline is shallow enough.
Still thinking of dropping back to 31s and seeing how she performs then, but at the moment, I have more important issue to cure. IE lifter tap and oil leaks from every orifice. But I suppose that's another topic for another thread. Perhaps after all the other stuff is worked out, I will look into an axle swap and re-gear. First I need to get her to pass inspection......

 

[GetItMuddy]

!

 

[96Indyram]

Glad the information helped you. But I can't take credit for them I just knew where to find them. And that place would be in the TRS tech section.
http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/index.shtml

Anything you need answered is usually in there thanks to the members of this forum who put it together.

 

[GetItMuddy]

Riddle me this....
Transmission door code is "D"
To my understanding from what Ive read, the "D" transmission is a 5R55E and only came in 97-09 Rangers with the 4.0L....
She IS a 5 speed 4x4....
But the list I found says that my 88 should be a C3, C5 or A4LD.

Heres the link to the chart.
http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/AutoTrans.html

 

[96Indyram]

Is the Vin number on the door tag same as the dash?
Look here for manual info
http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/ManualTransmission.shtml

Looks like you have a fm146

 

[exbass94]

Riddle me this....
Transmission door code is "D"
To my understanding from what Ive read, the "D" transmission is a 5R55E and only came in 97-09 Rangers with the 4.0L....
She IS a 5 speed 4x4....
But the list I found says that my 88 should be a C3, C5 or A4LD.

Heres the link to the chart.
http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/AutoTrans.html

Why are you looking at the automatic transmission chart when you have a manual transmission?
You should be looking at this chart:
http://therangerstation.com/tech_library/ManualTransmission.shtml

 

[GetItMuddy]

Yeah, That was my fault. I went ahead and found that I do indeed have the Mitsu FM146....To my understanding, that's a pretty good manual trans. More desired over the Mazda 5 spd trans.