Found some gears...

Rice_slayer · Jul 5, 2008

Aside from my brakes(buying them shortly), Im buying some new gears. At the auto wrecker none of the trucks/cars have 3.73s but I found a 1994 ranger with a set of 3.55s and a 2004 ranger with 4.10s. My question is, Which one would one you guys suggest? I have stocker 2.73s and want more acceleration, but dont want bad mileage. 95% of my driving is in the city(odd 5% is on the freeway/highway) and I get 19mpg [ure city driving with 2.73s. If i choose the 4.10s, what will my mileage dip too and same for 3.55s. And for someone with 4.10s how is everyday driveablility with them ie, this is my everyday car for commuting to work/school/friends houses.

95 svt cobra · Jul 5, 2008

i am running 3.55's and my mileage (before the s/c) was roughly 20 on the highway and i dont even know in the city TBH. But either way you are going to get "more acceleration" with 3.55's or 4.10's chances are the 4.10's will be less abused though since its out of a 4 year old car vs 14 year old car. Its all up to you. Maybe some 4.10 guys will chime in?

Rice_slayer · Jul 5, 2008

If it helps, the 1994 ranger has 180000kms, the 04 has about 31000km mainly highway, both crashed(obviously if at a wrecker).

EDIT: Also looking into 3.73s,but we can't find any and the parts guy here wants $250 for a set of 3.73s, should come with free vasoline! We phoned my cousin who has a 1996 mustang gt with a 4.6 out of a 2002 mustang gt, he is buzzing 3000rpm at 110kph in 5th... What would the difference be between that a 3.73?

AHayes88 · Jul 6, 2008

I'd go with 3.55s. You'd have to be nuts to put 4.10s in a daily driver with gas as high as it is.

Rice_slayer · Jul 6, 2008

I dont highway drive that often, but anyways I did some caculations on a gear-rpm caculator, for each 3.73s and 4.10s. Here are the ones I am most concerned about:

(all times are for stock tranny ratios and 275/35r18 tires):

3.73-70mph(legal speed limit in canada) 2350rpm
75mph(I usually travel this or inbetween 70-75mph) 2500rpm
80mph(130kph, only do this when in a BIG rush) 2650rpm

and now for the 4.10s:
70mph-2550rpm
75mph-2750rpm
80mph-2950rpm

Given those numbers, and I ALWAYS drive the speed limit in the city, and use neutral alot(coasting FTW!) How much of an overall MPG drop would I see with 4.10s from 3.73s?

NVH · Jul 6, 2008

AHayes88 said:
I'd go with 3.55s. You'd have to be nuts to put 4.10s in a daily driver with gas as high as it is.

Yeah, I'm getting horrible mileage with 3.73s, but it's fun!

Go with the 3.55s. I can't imagine what 4.10 mileage would be like.

Rice_slayer · Jul 6, 2008

I want someone with 4.10s to chime in. Its between 4.10s(for sure) and 3.55/3.73. I like to keep rpms below 2 grand in the city, and checking a caculator and going with the speed limit which is 50 km(30mph) 4.10s will do 1600rpm at that speed, give or take i do up to 60pm(37mph) it would do 2 grand... So it would be starting off in first, INSTANTLY into second, third then finally fourth...

EDIT: asking my dad, he said 1st gear would be useless for racing at the strip as the car would just burn through it. Now the problem, there ARE 3.55s at the wrecker right now, but do you guys think I should wait and buy a set of 3.73s?

NVH · Jul 7, 2008

Two of us have told you to go with 3.55s. I already have 3.73s. 4.10s would be unbearable, and as you said, first gear would be useless.

AHayes88 · Jul 7, 2008

I like my 3.73s, they're great. If you have to choose between 3.55s and 4.10s go with the 3.55s. If you can get 3.73s that are in better shape I'd go with those. I really don't know that there would be a huge difference between 3.55s and 3.73s, so maybe someone that has had both will reply.

Rice_slayer · Jul 7, 2008

Well we went out to another auto wrecker, found 4 explorers all with limited slip AND 3.73s. Needless to say, we are going to rip them out thursday on the one with the least amount of miles :banana:

AHayes88 · Jul 7, 2008

Excellent :thumb:

CC'S95GT · Jul 7, 2008

i agree go with the 373's.. i have 410's and don't care for them . car came with them when i bought i wish it had 373's. yes 1st is totally useless except for racing. with the price of fuel, i'm looking to change them out

Rice_slayer · Jul 7, 2008

^^ That is what I wanted to know, experiance from someone with 4.10s in a daily driver. Sadly, I have to work a crap load for my money(all shifts start at like 3 or 12) so I have to get them thursday. Just amazing how this privatly owned auto wrecker has more cars than the actual in the city wrecker has... Good thing my dad's friend went out there last week too. We went out because he saw a 98 ranger 5.0L and it might have had gt40p heads, but they were stripped out already so we found my gearing on the explorers. Now I have stock gears, how big of a leap in performance will i see(i know HP or torque isn't affected, but the acceleration is what I want to know).

Addermk2 · Jul 7, 2008

you know the explorers use 31 spline axles... right?

Rice_slayer · Jul 7, 2008

... does that change the gears? The differential is an 8.8 limited slip, with axle code D4(means its a 3.73 ratio with L/S) does that mean I can't put these gears in my car?

sk8inrj1 · Jul 8, 2008

You can take the gears out of the explorer rear end as long as its a FORD 8.8 rear end. However, in order to use the a limited slip out of another car, the limited slip needs to be 28 spline or you need to buy 31 spline axles for a 31 spline limited slip.

EXAMPLE: Truck limited slip will not go into a mustang rear end unless you but 31 spline axles made for mustangs.
Plain and simple; 28 or 31 splines, your axles and differential need the same spline count.

****Exceptions: 03/04 cobras and 2001 cobras have 31 splines stock.

Rice_slayer · Jul 8, 2008

We are just stripping the gears out of the explorer which I know for sure has a limited slip ford 8.8, I checked into that to get the door codes so I didn't have to crawl under the cars in the wet grass. The rear end in my car is fine, Im just doing a gearing swap for better acceleration...

Addermk2 · Jul 8, 2008

have you ever done a gear swap before?

Rice_slayer · Jul 8, 2008

Actually we are just taking the ones out of this explorer, we are getting some other guy to install it for us as my dad and I don't want to screw up the mesh and either grind the gears up or have a whine. Gears and actual inside tranny work will always be done at a shop, until I work as a mechanic that is

.

Venom351R · Jul 8, 2008

Ive had 3.55's and now I have 3.73s. I like them a lot, they are fun on the street and I still get 17MPG but I dont drive the car enough to matter. I dont consider that to be to bad since Its modded and not tuned.