37s on a 2.3L?

[BroncGal]

I started joining Bronco groups for meet ups and have been seeing so many rigs running on 37s. They look great but wondering if they would be too big of a load on my 2.3L engine as a daily driver? I don’t do a lot of off roading. Mostly beach days.

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[kodiakisland]

Gears are more important than the engine.

 

[BroncGal]

Gears are more important than the engine.

Can you explain it to me like I’m 5?

 

[Ninjak]

Gearing is what is needed to turn the axles. If you have gearing, let's say a 3.75 gear in the rear, it will be more sluggish than a 4.11 gear. So I run 37's. I have a 4.46 gear. SaS Broncos have a 4.76 gear. This makes spinning bigger tires easier on the transmission and does not feel quite so sluggish when driving.

So in the end, the higher the gear number, the easier it is to spin larger tires. the downside is the higher the number, the higher the RPM is at speed. So high gear with regular driving, the MPG will suffer. Its a trade-off.

 

[Tricky Mike]

I run 37s with a 2.3 and it's fine but I wish I had more gearing even with 4.70

 

[BroncGal]

Do you have the Sasquatch? When do you notice the biggest difference?

 

[Aonarch]

I'd want to regear to 5.13

 

[userdude]

Can you explain it to me like I’m 5?

Hey kiddo! You wanna know how tires spin on cars? There's this thing called an engine that turns at a high speed. This is used to turn the tires. However, the effort it takes to spin those tires is a lot, so the people who make cars put a transmission in with these things called gears.

Gears work together with the engine and wheels by changing the effort it takes to spin the tires. Putting a bigger gear in the transmission makes it easier to spin the tire. This is what's called a gear ratio, or size of one gear to another. A larger ratio means the tires spin easier from the engine's effort.

For that reason, some Broncos come with smaller gear ratios to work with smaller tires and save gas. Some models come with larger gear ratios because they have bigger tires and may want to use the vehicle in higher-stress situations where lower gearing is more useful.

 

[BroncGal]

Hey kiddo! You wanna know how tires spin on cars? There's this thing called an engine that turns at a high speed. This is used to turn the tires. However, the effort it takes to spin those tires is a lot, so the people who make cars put a transmission in with these things called gears.

Gears work together with the engine and wheels by changing the effort it takes to spin the tires. Putting a bigger gear in the transmission makes it easier to spin the tire. This is what's called a gear ratio, or size of one gear to another. A larger ratio means the tires spin easier from the engine's effort.

For that reason, some Broncos come with smaller gear ratios to work with smaller tires and save gas. Some models come with larger gear ratios because they have bigger tires and may want to use the vehicle in higher-stress situations where lower gearing is more useful.

This is exactly what I needed to know. Thank you for the lesson!

 

[userdude]

This is exactly what I needed to know. Thank you for the lesson!

Pretty much what people are saying is, if you want 37's, you want something other than the lower-ratio gearings. This means the 3.73 won't spin those big heavy tires as well as a 4.7 like the Sasquatch has. I'll let others who know more about the gearings in between talk about those.

Note that no Bronco comes with the 5.13 that was mentioned, what Aonarch is saying is that it's normal for some builders to go up a (standard) gearing ratio when adding bigger tires. The 4.7 works well with 35's, hence 5.13 works well with 37's (in the sense the performance equals out).

You'll have to let us know what you have. If it's Sasquatch, you got 4.7 gearing. Other than that it's how you optioned it (or it was equipped), so you'd have to let us know what it is (should be on the sticker).

I will say the 2.3L has WAAAY more horsepower and torque than my 2010 4.3L six cylinder non-turbo pickup. It's not the engine you'll have any issues with, if you do. It'll be the gearing and (if you off road) the steering system components.

 

[PWillette]

Can you explain it to me like I’m 5?

The various gearing numbers are a ratio...I.E. 4.70:1 means your drive shaft spins 4.7 times for every single tire rotation....3.73:1 means your drive shaft(s) spins 3.73 times for every single tire rotation, etc..

 

[ChrisB351]

@Johnny Rebel has 37s with a 2.3 and ford performance tune... its a nice combo

 

[BroncGal]

Pretty much what people are saying is, if you want 37's, you want something other than the lower-ratio gears. This means the 3.73 won't spin those big heavy tires as well as a 4.7 like the Sasquatch has. I'll let others who know more about the gearings in between talk about those.

Note that no Bronco comes with the 5.13 that was mentioned, what Aonarch is saying is that it's normal for some builders to go up a (standard) gearing ratio when adding bigger tires. The 4.7 works well with 35's, hence 5.13 works well with 37's (in the sense the performance equals out).

I have the Sasquatch so currently on 35s. Thank you for all the info! This helps me make a better educated decision rather than “it looks pretty!”

 

[userdude]

I have the Sasquatch so currently on 35s. Thank you for all the info! This helps me make a better educated decision rather than “it looks pretty!”

You'll be fine. It'll be only a trick to get them to fit where they won't rub, and if you plan to off road, upgrade the steering rack if it's not a 2024.

 

[BroncGal]

You'll be fine. It'll be only a trick to get them to fit where they won't rub, and if you plan to off road, upgrade the steering rack if it's not a 2024.

Googling what a steering rack is now!

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