Tuning instead of regear

[konoplya]

I've been calling around my area shops to see who can regear my 2022 3.5eb 4x4 and so far not super impressed. First, prices are insane. Ranging from 2700 to 5300. Second, not very confident in shops (which are supposedly highly rated) knowing what they're talking about based on my conversations. Some say no problem of putting 4.10 OEM (i assume raptor) gears, others say nope only aftermarket 4.11 will do (i want to go to 4.10, current is 3.31, do not want to go above 4.10 if possible).

Then there's an issue of reprogramming the truck to calibrate the correct ratio. From what I've read, in forscan you can only choose certain option and 4.10 is the highest one, so if i went with 4.11 let's say, not sure if I could program it right? Please definitely correct me if I'm wrong.

Now, the truck isn't sluggish, but it pretty much in boost all the time, which makes my fuel economy absolutely terrible. I went from 20 to about 15 all around. I put 35s Toyos open country on it with 18" wheels and 6" BDS coilover lift.

I know absolutely nothing about tuning, but am reading that's a less expensive option. There's also a ton of different companies with a ton of different tuners. Which one would i pick or how would i even begin to narrow one down?

As for regear, I'm quite confident i could swap out the rear, but not so sure about the front (nothing's impossible obviously, but you know what i mean).

So mainly looking for a discussion/advice?

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[HammaMan]

Gearing isn't hard to do, the front is a little more difficult to get to whereas the rear is easy. Need a plan to grab the diff for tightening the the pinion nut. Need to check the backlash as well which may need shims. Might look at dropping in a torsen up front if you're getting in there.

 

[Jmet8]

Tuning will not fix what you are wanting. Regearing will help with the sit of your pants fill way more pep. But there is a trade off that you will be turning more rpm at high way speeds. Regear may bump gas mileage up a mph or 2 but all that extra rolling mass and high in the sky tanked the little arrow, dynamics that these trucks had. Check around at some of the best off road shops and jeep builders as regearing is one the first things they do after big tires. Hope you find what you need.

 

[SALEEN961]

Finding a shop that will do a good job on a ring and pinion install is very hard. Most people don't really understand how important the turning torque is, and too many people get lazy and call a bad pattern good enough because they don't want to pull everything back apart to swap out a pinion shim.

OEM Ford gears are always the preferred option in my opinion. They typically require minimal adjustment to get a good pattern, and they are typically going to be way cheaper than aftermarket gears. If you wanted to install new gears in your housings, $4,000-5,000 sounds about right, but if you can find a used 4.10 front differential assembly, installing a used assembly will typically save you about $500.

 

[Snakebitten]

A 10-speed transmission is quite the equalizer on a modern vehicle. At least for the typical use case.

As for fuel economy, that's a monetary value equation, right?
So it might take 100,000 miles to get a return on the $investment in regearing?

 

[notabot]

As for fuel economy, that's a monetary value equation, right? So it might take 100,000 miles to get a return on the $investment in regearing?

Exactly why I did not attempt to mess with the axles my 2020 F250. Juice wasn't worth the squeeze...

 

[zx6roclet]

For 35” tires you want 4.56 gears typically and they make night and day difference over a tune or 4.10s. Not sure if the 10 speed changes the need but last few lifted truck have all ran 4.56 on 4 and 6 speeds. 4.56 for 35” tires has been the sweet spot for last 20 years for me and tons of others. Changing from 3.55 to 4.56 gave me back tons of mpg

 

[HammaMan]

I've got 3.73s stock w/ the powerboost running 34.1" tires and the mileage hit was very minimal. Finding a good priced quality fuel upped my mileage beyond what the factory 33" were giving me. Lazy techs are the reason for poor gear installs. I wouldn't trust a shop to do it unless you can personally verify the backlash. I put 4.10s in my cobra and didn't need to change shims making for an easy install. It was a ford ring and pinion.

 

[amschind]

If you do this, I VERY STRONGLY RECOMMEND YOU UPGRADE YOUR DIFFERENTIALS AND DIFF COVERS AT THE SAME TIME. The parts cost will be under 30% of the total, but you'll gain the ability to change your front and rear gear oil in 20 minutes and have awesome traction. The Raptor front torsen is a factory part and you don't know it's there until you need it. Purple Cranium sells a front diff cover that will fit and has a drain plug (diff housing has a full plug on the side).

 

[HammaMan]

Choose your diff cover WISELY. Watch this vid before selecting a random cover regardless of reviews

 

[amschind]

Choose your diff cover WISELY. Watch this vid before selecting a random cover regardless of reviews

I think that's another argument in favor of just using the Ford/Spicer rear cover and a copy of the stamped cover up front with some extra holes in it.

 

[konoplya]

Gearing isn't hard to do, the front is a little more difficult to get to whereas the rear is easy. Need a plan to grab the diff for tightening the the pinion nut. Need to check the backlash as well which may need shims. Might look at dropping in a torsen up front if you're getting in there.

What do you mean by grabbing the differential for tightening? Not familiar with what backlash is either, nor torsen

 

[konoplya]

A 10-speed transmission is quite the equalizer on a modern vehicle. At least for the typical use case.

As for fuel economy, that's a monetary value equation, right?
So it might take 100,000 miles to get a return on the $investment in regearing?

but doesn't boosting 90% of the time hurt the engine? i'll be doing plenty of off roading in this truck as well. dropping mpg by 25% is quite a bit i think

 

[konoplya]

If you do this, I VERY STRONGLY RECOMMEND YOU UPGRADE YOUR DIFFERENTIALS AND DIFF COVERS AT THE SAME TIME. The parts cost will be under 30% of the total, but you'll gain the ability to change your front and rear gear oil in 20 minutes and have awesome traction. The Raptor front torsen is a factory part and you don't know it's there until you need it. Purple Cranium sells a front diff cover that will fit and has a drain plug (diff housing has a full plug on the side).

so the raptor front and rear gears will fit the standard F150 then?

 

[amschind]

so the raptor front and rear gears will fit the standard F150 then?

The Raptor has the exact same front diff carrier, gears and housing as any other 4WD F150. The CV shafts are different on the Raptor, but the Tremor shafts are interchangeable with the bog standard F150. I believe that the upper and lower control arms are different on the Raptor, and I have no idea about the rear axle housing but I assume that it's completely different given the wildly different rear Raptor suspension. Thus I don't know if the rear differentials are interchangeable, but they SHOULD be the same as any other Ford 9.75". People on this forum have even swapped the Raptor Hi-Lock transfer case in, but I don't have direct experience with that.

I'm currently running a Raptor Torsen in front with a 3.73 and Tremor CV shafts; I have the factory rear E-Locker. My only complaint is that I work too much and don't get the chance to use it anywhere near as much as I would like.

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