love4f150

hey guys i just lifted my 2006 FORD F150 i believe its 8.8 in the back and it is equipped with 35x12.5x20s and a 6 in rough country lift. now i will be ordering the bilstein 5100s, the adjustable shocks. you can raise the rear 1" and front 2".I HAVE NO IDEA ABOUT GEARS DRIVING ME NUTS.
I really want to go to 37 or 38 inch tires, but i want my truck to be done right. its tuned by justin at vmp and i have an xcal 2.and i get the feeling that gears are a must even with the tune right?
i went to go look for gears today online and i dont know what to look for..
i know everyone has the 4.56's well most of everybody enyway, but what do i search ring and pinion gears? whats a good website and what are the price ranges, i dont need the best of the best but i dont want the cheap ones.. are they a pain to install? whats the most common brand used? what size do you guys reccomend with the 6" lift and tires i plan on? DO I NEED TO REPLACE FRONT AND BACK GEARS? OR DO I JUST SELECT RING AND PINNION GEARS AND THATS ALL I NEED, i really just need to know what to search and order.ive researched and found gears for 200$ they say 4.56 for 8.8 f150.. is that okay for my 06 f150 extended cab? im sorry i drive myself nuts when i cant figure stuff out that i should know! i really just need to know where to order and exactly what to order and the price
I am just asking bascially a rookies guide to gears, i am mechanical savy when it comes to engines, but trannys and gears are just spanish to me.
i am in no rush but i do wana do this step by step. what happens if i dont regear it rite away and just have it tuned to it? and is it an absolute neccesity? ill research gears for a little bit and order them, just dont know how much they run, and what to get... thank you guys!

rollingthunder

Yes to run 37's or bigger you need atleast 4.56's or you will tear your truck up, either differentials, transfer case or tranny won't be able to handle the mass of those tires. Not to mention you will be revving the out of you motor.

Yes you need to be searching for Ring and Pinion, gears won't work as a search.

You do need to do both the front and the back. Only way around that is by making a pavement pounder and disconnecting the front drive shaft.... I'm hoping and guessing you don't want to go that route.

I'd call up fordracing... You can visit the website but it's somewhat hard to navigate unless you really know what you are looking for. High quality, still only in the 250 price range per set.

The most expensive part is having them installed. Pinion depth and backlash are critical and need presicse measuring. Don't get me wrong, any shadetree mechanic CAN set up an axle but it's not something you want to tackle without having someone who has done it before around, or watch sometype of video on it. If the ring and pinion is not set PERFECTLY chances are you will be replacing the gears a lot sooner than you want.

I put in a set of 4.10s because I didn't realize that I could go bigger, I had them installed at my local shop alltogether it cost 725 to get done. I'm a mechanic by trade and still had them do it.... Why? 90 day warranty on parts and labor, vs nothing.....

djbruce26

I may be wrong but I thought we had a 9" in the rear on the 06s???? I don't have time to find out for you right now since i'm about to leave the house but hey, will someone else chime in on this? I just don't want him ordering the wrong gears...

And yes, you need to install gears for that size/weight of tire. 4.10 or 4.56 are really common.

If you have a 4x4 then you need 2 sets of gears, one for front and one for the rear. The reason they should be installed professionally is that the clearance on your backlash in the gear install is usually somewhere around .1 inches or less. If it's too high or too low it will eat the gears up really fast (and by really fast I mean in a matter of a few hundred to few thousand miles depending on how off it is). Then you'd be buying new gears and doing it all over again... pay to have it done right by a good quality local shop.

As a side note: a lot of the shops that specialize in doing mustangs can work on a 8.8 or 9" rear without too much difficulty. In my area there are a few mustang shops and I know that one of them does quite a few gear installs.

05 super

10 bolt rear is 8.8"
12 bolt rear is 9.75"
The 9" has not been used from factory for over 20 years.

the 9" is easily recognized by it's lack of a removable rear cover.

love4f150

thanks guys, so i woiuld just buy 2 sets of 4.56 ? or is their a diffrence for the back and front? i wana go with 4.56 seems like the best for gas mpg. i have a guy whos a certified 5 star mechanic, he uses my truck for a bunch of demonstrations on his website trying to get his shop off the ground. im sure he will give me a grewat price charge me 300 for my lift. can you guys just tell me what to order for the front and the back and ill order it? ive read my truck is an 8.8. i believe not sure but dont know how to find that out should i crawl under and count my bolts in the back drive shaft, thanks so much guys
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05 super

I'm willing to bet it's the 9.75". you count the bolts on the diff cover, not the driveshaft. 10 bolts in the cover will be the 8.8" 12 will be the 9.75"

wxmcpo

If you're thinking about going with 37's or 38's you may want to think about going with 4.88's.

love4f150

are the 4.88s better for gas or performance

LovetheTide

Agreed! I would go with 4.88s if I were you. The smaller gears might not be enough off the line, but will get beter high way mileage.
City driving they are, but highway the other gears will be better.

love4f150

i do alot of both actually, i live in philly and new jersey, but alot of stop and go either way, is their a significant diffrence? im gonna get the gears even with the 35's lost alot of power from the lift, and eventually will move up to 37s
thanks guyys