Who's gone for smaller gears???

[Hawker]

I'm currently running 4.88's in a D80 rear in my 450. the plan is to bump them down to a 3.73 to gain some signifigant mileage and rpm range. i'm running the stock 19.5" rims, and my overall tire diameter is 32". at highway speeds, 65mph, the truck screams at 2500 rpms, +/-. I'm not hauling a whole lot, but my engine driven welder, tanks and tools are going to be on it, probably between 1500-1800 pounds.

anyone ever done a swap like this?

[UnlimitedLove]

I just went with larger tires . . .

I couldn't afford the change. I'm sure you can get a set of 3:73s from a yard pretty cheap and have them installed for around $300 both axles.

[Hawker]

i thought about the wheel thing... that would mean i would have to go up to semi rims and tires. a buddy of mine has a set from his trail king trailer i can have, but i'd have to get adapters. theres $700 bucks. i just got new treads on the rear axle, so there would be $600 that was wasted, not to mention any new tires i'd have to get for the semi wheels. i'd love to do it, but it would be a big chunk of $$.

i only have a 2wd, so it'd be one set, and a bran new kit is about $220.

[Dirk]

D80? Not too many sets of 3.73's out there.

Call JTs Parts & Accessories, Justdifferentials.com and see what they can do.

[Hawker]

most companies make a "thin" gear for the 4.10 carriers, yukon is one in particular. with the D80 from the factory you had the choice of a 4.88 or 4.10. apparently ford thought this truck would never see the highway.

[Dirk]

4.10 is the smallest I've seen.

[Brickhouse]

I wanted to keep my max towing ability, so I went with a gear venders over/under drive. Yes, a bit pricy, but in the long run, it's been well worth it. When viewing on my scanguage, I've been up to 123mph at 3K rpms (not towing). Takes a bit to get use to the unit, but I find turning it on at 35mph is perfit and smooth. It's about an added 20% overdrive (to keep it simple). Some times I run with the GV and no ford OD, or whatever driveing or towing conditions there is. Bad part is your looking at approx 4K for the unit and pro install. requires driveshaft mods. If you need a photo of it installed, I can get one.

Gear Vendors Under/Overdrive Ford 2-Wheel Drive Manual Transmissions.

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Last edited by Brickhouse : 11-05-2008 at 06:57 AM.

[jbawilliams]

Brickhouse - I just bought an early 99 that had a Gear Vendors over/under drive on it - I was hoping someone had one and could offer some guidance on how to use it.

[Brickhouse]

Not sure about your question that is not mentioned in my post. I will send u a PM.

[01excursion7.3]

I was actually wondering the same thing. Do the 450's all have d80's, or were there other options? I'm buying a 450, and due to the gearing, she sure don't drive like my ex. I probably wont ever do any serious hauling, maybe some trailers here and there, so changing the gears wont be too big a deal to me.

Basically just buying the 450 because the deal is just too damn good to pass on it.