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direction of mods


azaizai

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Apr 9, 2008
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Hey there...

I feel like I've painted myself into a corner here. I basically stumbled upon some decent/cheap/free mods to make my ranger into a competent wheeler (welded d35, lockright and 31 spline 8.8, 33x12.50's) but I've managed to overdo it past where I wanted to be.

I wanted to have a ranger I could take to Colorado/Arkansas/*insert beautiful camping/wheeling area here* without trailering it. Put a camper shell on the back, all the camping stuff locked down but still have the ability to get through the popular jeep trails (no crawling, but stuff my friend's Subaru couldnt do).

At this point driving in 4WD is a nightmare (welded d35 FTL) and the 4.56's and 33x12.50's have slaughtered my gas mileage (from 17mpg to about 12).

Sooo...I guess I'd like to hear from you guys about making the big decision. Do I go further down the spiral of wheeling (lift, bigger tires, real lockers) or do I try to fix my cheap mistakes and go back to a more street-able wheeler (arb/manual lockers, smaller tires)? If you have a story/build that I havent searched out (its hard to search for "regular ranger") that would be amazing!

Thanks for the read!
 
Maybe get a not welded axle and a switchable locker. Also, some 10.5" wide tires would probably help your gas mileage situation.

Sounds like all you really needed was a good set of 31" all terrains. Really, its all about what you want and your budget. The way you're describing it, it sounds like you should make it more streetable. Any pics of the truck?
 
Ya, this is her at the moment (actually have a lil body damage from a run-in with a poorly placed tree)

33x12.50 on 15x8 steelies
3" Body Lift
and I think with the explorer axle and some worn out skyjacker leveling coils there might be a an inch or so front and rear...but sometimes it doesnt look like it.

P1010638.jpg


(I know I need to fix that exhaust...but the to-do list its on is really long, at the moment)
 
a trail worthy rig will never get great mileage,the 33" tires are a must.for what youve described,you are set up pretty close to ultimate recreational rig now,just get rid of the welded front.i've been down that spiral many times(the rig in my avatar started out to be a mild trail rig on 33s that i could afford to go anywhere with).the big wild rig is fun,and gets a lot of attention,but is not so good when you want to go for a road trip/camping outing.
 
That appears to be a 95-97, correct? If so, it has OBDII and you can use a programmer, such as the SCT XCal to tune the engine for more power/mileage.

+1 on the 33X10.50 tires, less rolling resistance but also less traction in offroad situations. I would also recommend switching to aluminum wheels to reduce rotating mass.

"Deweld" the front diff would be a good idea, it'd probably be easier to find a new one in a JY than replacing gears (unless you're up to the task of swapping gears and setting them up).

If you're concerned with mileage, check out this thread: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44372&highlight=quest

This guy's experience says some of the best things to do are:
All synthetic fluids
Underdrive pulleys
Electric fan
Good open air filter
Cat back exhaust
Computer programming
 
That appears to be a 95-97, correct? If so, it has OBDII and you can use a programmer, such as the SCT XCal to tune the engine for more power/mileage.

+1 on the 33X10.50 tires, less rolling resistance but also less traction in offroad situations. I would also recommend switching to aluminum wheels to reduce rotating mass.

"Deweld" the front diff would be a good idea, it'd probably be easier to find a new one in a JY than replacing gears (unless you're up to the task of swapping gears and setting them up).

If you're concerned with mileage, check out this thread: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44372&highlight=quest

This guy's experience says some of the best things to do are:
All synthetic fluids
Underdrive pulleys
Electric fan
Good open air filter
Cat back exhaust
Computer programming

Pure wisdom right here bud, Id take a close look at this and start putting checkmarks as you complete them one by one.
 
Remove the welded front although it probably isn't hurting anything as you can unlock the front hubs and still have full turning capability...

Switch to 10.50 tires... you won't loose any off road traction though... Less flotation but the same pressure is getting to the road just through a skinnier contact patch.

Do you have a 4.0L? I assume so... that doesn't help. But it is the better motor. And You have a manual or Automatic? an automatic just won't do as well with larger tires.

Also an electric fan won't really save you anything... everything else will but not the fan. The amount of power the e-fans take to run you would be running another alternator...
 
alright! Thats what I'm looking for!

Its a 97 4.0 5-speed.

As for tires/wheels...if I went to new rims/tires would I stick with the 15x8 or go up to a 15x10 which I hear wears the tires a little more evenly. I'm not sure if that would worsen the rolling resistance (bigger contact patch) or help out (more even spread).

I've got my old d35 dif...would just have to have someone slap on the gears for me (have a few guys that can do that).
From what I've gathered my options are:
1) Open dif
2) Limited slip from a jeep (sorta hard to find)
3) Lock-right or other auto-locker
4) Big pimpin' ARB air locker or an Ected or something

I guess what it comes down to is stopping where I am for lift/tires and just making it work efficiently. I was planning on adding some body armor...but with that extra weight, it makes me wonder.

Focus...focus...dont let the lure of big boulders draw you away! lol
 
Go with the 15x8 aluminum wheels, this will be lighter than the 15x10s. Also, if you switch to a 10.50 wide tire the 15x8 wheels will fit the tire better.

Also, carry a small air compressor or tank on your rig so you can air down your tires when wheeling and air them back up again when you hit the road.

A top mod that I forgot to mention: Don't be afraid to put more air in your tires when on the road, people in that thread I posted have been putting around 40psi in their tires. Just don't put more pressure in than the max on the side of the tire. You'll also want to make sure that the pressure doesn't create excessive tire wear by rounding the tread.

I'm not sure I'm sold on the efan idea either, I was just posting his top mods.

I would probably go with the open diff on the front if it were mine, less cost and driveability issues.

Don't do the body armor, that'll surely add weight and make your rig even less aerodynamic.
 
Well a big part of the rolling resistance would involve the moment of inertia. Basically, the more mass you have and the further it is from the point of rotation, the more more resistance you will have. Wider tires=more mass=more resistance. Also, wider tires extend out past the fenders. Air catches this and will greatly increase drag, especially at highway speeds. With a taller tire, you will have more mass further from the center which will increase resistance. a 10" rim i imagine might even be a bit worse because it will have more mass.

I think i got that all right.

x2 the aluminum wheels
 
Hmmmm fair enough. 15x8's are probably cheaper too lol

I guess an open dif up front would be the most user friendly. Less likely to break stuff, definitely easier to drive (in 4WD) than the welded dif. I havent been in an instance where I had a wheel in the air anyway, although the traction on some of the hills where we wheel was pretty damned impressive. I wonder how different 3WD would be as compared to 4wd fully locked...
 
Where do you do most of your driving?

A switch to 4.11 gears will net you more miles on the highway, but it will do it at the cost of some bottom end power. 33" and 4.11 is a closer final drive to what you would likely have had stock.
 
well thats the thing...part of the great parts swap was for 4.56 gears. So far though, I just drive a lil slower to keep the RPM's to where I was before. Mileage has been within 2-3mpg of the previous gear set (an abysmal 3.27 and 31" tires) but acceleration and off-road power is just amazing.

I'd probably do 4.10's if I had the opportunity...but no way am I gonna regear at this point. Although...guess I'm going to have to set up gears to get the a new carrier in the front but I'd have to buy new rings and pinions.

I've still got my original d35 pumpkin...would just have to get the 4.56's slapped on and set the welded pumpkin aside. Although I think the bearing on the old set was loose...

I live in central Missouri. So mild winters. Off-road around here is mainly muddy hills and creek crawls...at least the stuff I'm comfortable on. I'd like to do some jeep mountain trails (Telluride, Ouray).
 
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I'd stick with what you have, work on the front diff with whatever you can afford (open/actual locker) and deal with maintenance and tuning. Here's a few questions and statements that might help ya out....

Q - have you done regular maintenance, plugs, wires, proper MAF cleaning?
- do you keep your tires aired up (25psi+)
- Do you shift below 3k rpm?

S - My truck weighs roughly 5500lbs on any given day...
- It has 4.56's......and 37's! and the same 4.0L/5 spd as you
- It has approx. 8" of lift, and a crap load of extra aero drag.
- I can pull 18-19mpg hwy and 14-16mpg city

Work with what you have, as your teetering on the edge of a very long slippery slope..... it doesn't take long to go from DD to this:

IMG_0518.jpg

IMG_0521.jpg
 
When you suggest he should shift below 3k you must also remind him to shift above 2k. The way fuel injection works even with a factory tune, the mixture inherently leans out the higher in hte rpm range you go. To keep maximum air/fuel ratio (14.1 I believe) is between 2 and 3k.

And OP you cant just try to keep the rpms where they were before. Variables have changed the same rpms will yield different results. You have to find the engines sweet spot for your combination.

My own personal opinion the 4.56's are too much for 33's on the highway. A 34 or 35 inch 10.50 tire would definitely be a good change. But thats just me.
 

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