Mista_Breeze

I have a 96 F150 4.9 5 speed with an 8.8 rear end 2.73:1 gears. I understand what the gear ratios mean and all of that but I'm looking for a lower geared rear end and I know what limited slip does but I'm slightly unsure of what it actually means. So if someone could spare some time to educate me I have several things I would like to learn about. Such as what spools are and what they do, what gearing would be suitable for a 4.9 with 31s (I'm leaning towards 3.55), and Ford 8.8 vs. Ford 9 inch and DANA axles. Anything is appreciated and thanks in advance.

Andrew95

limited slip - perfect for street rigs. says it all in the name. mainly slips going around corners.
spool - equal power to both tires 24/7. not suitable for a street rig.

8.8" and 9" are completely different designs. dana 60's are considered king of factory axles(rockwell are true king). dana 44's are alright.

3.55 gears would be fine for that setup. I'd find a JY f150 axle with 3.55 LS and swap in the whole thing.

Mista_Breeze

what is JY??

Mista_Breeze

And I planned on looking for a complete axle to swap rather than just gears. And I meant preference-wise. Are there any major differences between the axles that make one superior to the others.

TheCollector

Jy is Junk yard i beleve, and if you find a f150 4x4 with that code take both axles front and rear and swap them both out. Gear swaps are not all to difficult to do just needs to be done properly.

Mista_Breeze

Wow I feel stupid. And I only have a 2wd. The only time I would buy a front axle I don't need at the moment is if I stumbled across a DANA kingpin axle. And thanks for the help does anybody happen to know what the axle codes would be for a 3.55LS or 3.73LS??

TheCollector

ah i see, yeah just get the axle then. . 3.55ls is H9 on the door sticker. 3.73ls is B6

Mista_Breeze

I know one user on here has a 3.73 rear end, I don't remember if it was LS or not. I believe f150cam it was?? I'm not sure off hand. And is there anything between 2.73 and 3.55?? I'm afraid that might be overkill. I don't want to throw out all of my highway mpg.

KevFord1993

LSD makes it so your one high centred tire doesn't spin like a ****.

The simple version.

Mista_Breeze

Did you just edit this because I swear it was different 30 seconds ago..??