Recently had a 6 inch Pro comp lift and new 35 12 20 tires put on my 08 f150 4x4.. Looks good and drives decent in the city. My problem is when im on the highway going up steeper hills i can def tell my engine is working harder and it sometimes takes a few to shift ...i also tow a boat on the weekends and it makes my RPMs Scream... i need major advice because im worried in time its going to put a serious strain on my transmission and engine. ive read and heard a lot about swapping to 4.56 gears ...but also hear a lot about purchasing a superchips programmer... My question is... since most of my worry is on the highway up hills either pulling or not pulling....whats my best option ?? i want better gas..easier towing with less strain... and a little more hop.. ANy suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

-wrong section to post in- but here's 2cent
honestly, in order to fix the rpm issue, the correct way to approach it would be the gearing. even though a tuner can compensate electronically for rpm shift points and speedo calibration, it still cant physically change the amount of rpm in the driveline. now... a set of gears AND a tuner would be the perfect thing... gears to correct driveline/engine rpm, and the tuner to get the full use out of the gears by fine tuning the shift points and speedo.... not much but hope some of this helps

 

You would definitely want to regear, thats what going to extend the life of your tranny with the lift and tires

 

I would get the gears. I did a swap to 4:56's when I got my old F150 lifted and it made a difference. Especially when towing my 9K toy hauler.

 

Re-gear it. I have only re-geared one other rig, but it was the best thing I ever did aside from the lockers front and rear.

 

Regearing will def save you a lot of money in the long run. It will relieve all the stress put on your driveline and tranny from the 35's and towing your boat. Do that first, then when you get some more money saved up buy a tuner, and your truck will be running at optimum performance. I would recommend some custom tunes from VMP, including a tow tune. It will work wonders.

 

Gears

 

Much appreciated.... Any idea the RPM's id be running at with 4.56's on the highway about 70 to 75 mph? Ive heard it wouldnt be good...and would my GAS mileage be any better at all? Thanks again..

 

At 70 my RPM's read about 2050 but I also run a custom tune