Gears and Tires

[mhanksii]

OK so I have been trying to pick between saving my money for a supercharger or putting in some 4:10 and running N/A again this year. I have been worried about traction in 1ST when it hit me, my tires suck. So I ask, everyone with gears (no matter the ratio) what brand tires and size are you running and where are you buying them? My second question is are any of you with gears also running forced induction and if so how is traction in the first three forward gears?

Thanks for the input and advice

 

[steedman07]

Traction is an issue in 1st gear w/ A Vortech,4:10's in an automatic..But playing with the thottle in first its not too bad..2nd and up is balls to the walls

 

[Khyron]

I had 4.10s in my car and loved everything about them - until I added the supercharger. The combo of the SC and 4.10s made the first 3 gears pretty useless for me. So I actually ended up going back to the stock 3.55 gears.

If you remain N/A - go for the 4.10s! You will love them. There are plenty of guys on here who have 4.10s with superchargers as well.

 

[mhanksii]

What about tire brand and size

 

[belzebub2u]

im running the stock gears and went up to a general UHP 275/40/18 and they grip pretty good for a cheap tire (130 bucks each) but 1st and half of 2nd are still useless for me. i dont think that will change unless i spend boatloads on expensive rubber.

 

[kooldawg6]

It's just not tire choice, suspension setup and rear tire height also plays a big role in traction. Tire height and gears go hand in hand. The taller the rear tire, the less gear you have while gaining sidewall flex. The shorter the tire, the more gear you have while losing sidewall flex.

Me having 4.10s and going from the 27.2" OEM rear tire to the 28.3" rear tire dropped my RPMs effectively giving me less than 4.10 final ratio. If I were to go to a 26" rear tire with the 4.10s, my RPMs would increase and effectively giving me more than 4.10 final ratio.

 

[nycstang37]

sorta OT, but gotta ask, when you add 4,10's to stock tire height, yoru final drive ratio is 4.10 correct? the only time the effective gear ratio changes is when you change tire height from stock? sorry if it sounds like a dumb question

 

[kooldawg6]

sorta OT, but gotta ask, when you add 4,10's to stock tire height, yoru final drive ratio is 4.10 correct? the only time the effective gear ratio changes is when you change tire height from stock? sorry if it sounds like a dumb question

I believe that is correct.

 

[nycstang37]

thanks bro, wasnt sure, gearing was probably the only thing i coudl never understand, funny to i was an engineering major, big word there, WAS. lol

 

[DOHC Holliday]

I can walk it out pretty good with my 4.10s on a stock 235. It takes practice.

You'll then be more concerned with traction when you hit second.

 

[ranger04]

I went with 4:30's and love them, it sure backs up better as the reverse gear seemed real high for some reason. At times I wished that I had gone with 4:56's, but at these gas prices, 4:30's are steep enough. These motors love to rev, so don't be affraid to throw some gear at it. I would like to stay all motor and might if ford delievers on us some big bore create motors at a decent price. I've heard rummors of a 351 and a 7 liter, we can only hope.