Recommended gear ratio

[jakerson]

so i have a 93 ranger w/ 7.5" and 3.73 ratio and i wanna push 31's for a prerunner project. I've decided to flip my shackles and put an explorer 8.8 in there so i can have discs. First off what ratio should i look for? 4.10? the calculator said 4.86 or something ridiculous. and also what year explorer should i look for in the salvage yard? thanks!


edit- also its a 2.3l 5 speed

 

[Hahnsb2]

4.56 would be good, 4.88 if it's off-road only, but you wont find either in a junkyard.

 

[jakerson]

ya its gonna be a DD.
so do the explorer 8.8and get 4.56 r&p?

 

[crawlin91]

I run a 2.9 w 33s and 456 it moves pretty well. Its also my DD. I would say if you EVER plan on going any larger that 31" tires go with 488 for the 2.3l

 

[jakerson]

my chart says at 65 mph w/ 4.10 and 31's i'll be at 2900rpm...

 

[Hahnsb2]

my chart says at 65 mph w/ 4.10 and 31's i'll be at 2900rpm...

Charts are useless, they only factor in direct drive, not overdrive.
It'll be 2350ish RPMS with 4.10s at 65, too low! 4.56 will be nearly 2600, MUCH better for a 2.3.

 

[wahlstrom1]

THIS is the calculator I use all the time. It's also the first link you'll get when you google 'RPM Calculator'. It'll show you RPM's for different tranny's, as well as allowing you to input your own specific final drive ratio so your calculations can be perfect.

-andrew

 

[LittleHorse]

I will tell you, from my experience with my BII - the 2.9 is GUTLESS with 3.73's even on close-to-stock tires. IMO it should have come stock with 4.10. I had been thinking of getting 4.10 when I switch to 31 or 32's, but now I'm thinking I'll go for 4.56.

 

[FTSK95]

from experience, go with 4.56. I have the 2.3, and with 4.56 it's a little better than stock, like others have said, if you plan to go bigger than 31's def go 4.88s. On the highway in 5th gear at 70mph, i'm just around 3,000rpms which is fine for the 2.3

 

[jakerson]

will it roll around town with the 4.10 for a month or two okay or is the switch something i'll have to do right away?