Hey guys. I got a 85 f150 has the three speed manual and a mild 302 and 3.35 gears which leave a lot to be desired for towing and playing on the street i finally talked the wife into a re gear it mainly sees city driving with highway every once and a while and will be getting a 5 speed at some point so I'm wondering what would be the best gear for the truck I'm not to worried about mileage

 

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It pretty well comes down to the tire size your running. I suspect its only 2 wheel drive. So i assuming no big mud tires. Personally i would prefer a 3.73. A 3.55 is a good ratio for freeways and moderate driving. A 4.11 is excellent for towing and a drag car thats cracking 8000 rpm. But not so much for driving down a free way at 70 or draging a heavy trailer. 3.73 is a good all around ratio. Plenty for low end torque and still will cruse down the highway with out over cranking the engine.

 

That's neither a factory ratio, nor an aftermarket one. Available ratios include 3.55 & 3.25, but not 3.35.The factory ratio, of course. That's why Ford chose that ratio - because it was the best for that truck.

 

Before you gear the axle, you need to figure out which 5 speed you will use, because the final drive ratio of the transmission is what will effect your gearing also. You may just find a 5 speed with a final drive that will get you exactly what you want with the gears you have, hard to say.