4.88s in a Dana44, or equivalent sized differential has been proven for decades to be extremely reliable.This gets mentioned a lot and I would disagree. 4.88's are only 3 ish percent lower than 4.70's, negligible effect on performance. I also doubt they'll do anything 5.++, as you make gears lower (higher number) you get more teeth on the ring and it becomes weaker. There is a point of diminishing returns. That Ford even offers 4.70 from the factory is pretty amazing.
Jumping up to 5.13s is where the teeth size gets to the point of being a little too small and the ratio of failures in a D44 size diff increases.
Personally I have run 4.88s in 4 dana44 diffs with 35s and 37s and have never had any breaks and I competed in the one vehicle.
4.56s are a great match for 35s on the street. Good power and decent top end since the rpms are matched well to the tire size.4.88s with 35s rev the engine out a little bit, so you get more tq = moar power, but your rpms are higher at highway speeds. I cruise around with 100less HP than the Bronco's 2.3, understand it's not a race car, but never have any issues keeping a safe distance from 90% of the cars on the road when I leave from a traffic light. Worse case scenario on the highway is I have to downshift to 4th gear to do an agressive pass, but normally I am still good while in 5th gear.
I think the 4.70s will be a good in between ratio for those with 35s.
People also have to remember, this is not supposed to be a quick 0-60mph vehicle and stop expecting it to be.
HAHAHAHAHAHADid Goldilocks write this post? Glad the porridge was just right on the 3rd one…
This is one of my all time favorite replies on this forum.
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