bigger tires

[lonepunker]

I own a 96 ranger extra cab and I have a lift kit that im planning on installing.
the truck has a 2.3L 4 cyl. when I install it i wanna put bigger tires on but I have a friend down the street with a lifted single cab and he's running 31' tires
he tells me that he no longer can use 5th gear even if he's hualin ass.
I'm planning on running similar size or same size tires.
my question is what should I use? should I swap out the 7.5 for an 8.8 out of an explorer? should i just use the 7.5 and get a taller gear ratio? what is the best thing to do for an even balance between street driving and offroad?

 

[FTSK95]

Hey man I did the same thing. I put a 4 inch Rough Country lift on with 31's. I had 4.56 gears installed in the 7.5 inch rear axle and its perfect. It's no Fireball, but I use 5th on the road going 45mph, and it pulls just fine. If I had the chance to do it over again, I would have gotten an 8.8 out of another ranger or from an explorer because there are better locker options for this axle.

 

[lonepunker]

thanx for the advice.