8" and 35's do I really need gears?
 

I got a 05 2wd with 8" of lift and 35's and I cant even get a chirp out of my tires nether less burn out, and I can feel a lack of power. Is it about time to re-gear?
I hardly ever go hardcore off roading and most likely will go upgrade to 37's and a BL sooner rather than later.
If it is the case I would like to go Yukon. What ratio would best fit my set-up and where is a good place to get them?
Thanks guys and Merry Xmas:santa:

I have a few questions:

1). What motor is in your truck?

2). What gear ratio do you currently have?

3). What do you plan to do with your truck?

I personally have an '06 4x4 with a 6" lift, 35" tires and 3.55 gears. After I lifted the truck and stepped up to the 35's I felt a loss of power compared to the stock, and I know that my torque converter is working overtime trying to get me up to speed, but otherwise it hasn't been too bad. I don't do a great deal of towing, but when I do tow I make sure to keep the transmission out of OD and keep the torque converter locked up. If you are only occasionally towing, then you may be able to put off a re-gear for a little while, though frequent towing and stepping up to 37's might justify a gear swap sooner.

I will be re-gearing with 4.88s in my truck, but only because I rarely drive on the freeway, spend a lot of time in the hills and plan on going with 37s in the future. Most people are happy with 4.10s or 4.56s and 35" tires. Since you have a 2wd truck, you could get by with 4.30s in the axle (they do not make 4.30 gears for a 8.8" IFS axle, not that your 2wd truck has to worry about that). If you are certainly going to move up to 37's, then I would select the 4.56 or 4.88 gears depending on your driving style and planned usage for the truck. If it is a 4.6L, then I would almost certainly install 4.88s to give the truck all the help it can get. Hopefully that helps out a little bit.

One last thing: I've been lifted on 35's and 3.55's for the last 30k miles, and in that time I have towed up to 7,500 pounds in 102 degree California heat with no ill effects.

if your gonna go to 37s and dont do alot of off roading but still wanna chirp em here and there i deff go with the 4.56s ........

My engines a 5.4L
Its my everyday driver, I live in Miami and work about 15 miles away so its pretty much all highway. And for what I want to do, the most extreme would be the BL and 37's.
I also don't want to completely kill my gas mileage.
Man, I cannot find the label on my diff that would tell me the gearing. Is there another way?

check the driver door jam

My engines a 5.4L
Its my everyday driver, I live in Miami and work about 15 miles away so its pretty much all highway. And for what I want to do, the most extreme would be the BL and 37's.
I also don't want to completely kill my gas mileage.
Man, I cannot find the label on my diff that would tell me the gearing. Is there another way?

Whats Gas Mileage?

I sold my gas mileage (Acura) to put a down payment on the F150. :D

In that case, I would probably install 4.56 gears and call it a day!

Inside of your door is a sticker with a bunch of information on it, look for where it says Axle on that decal, and then find the 2 digit code associated with it. After you know your axle code, post it here and I will tell you what it means.

As an example:
My truck is axle 19, that is a 3.55 open differentials
My friend's truck is axle H9, that is a 3.55 with a limited slip

thanks tornadom,
so my code is H9.. so the 4.56's will cover all my bases? except the mileage of course

if you have 3.73 u will be fine

when i was running 35s and stock 3.73 i was getting around 13-14 city

its not necessary to regear with 35's

but if you have the extra $$$ to spend , its definetly worth it.

I just installed 4.88's with my 38's and its night and day difference on how it accelerates and it doesnt hunt for a gear on hills anymore.

yeah with 38s but running 35s and 4.88s rpms will run a little high wont they?

take a look at the gear chart , its really not that big of a difference , only a few hundred rpms, between 4.56 vs 4.88 w/35's

http://www.4wheelonline.com/images/gear-chart.gif