Re-gear to 4:70’s completed - First Impressions

[Yama_Ranger]

I’ve got a ‘21 Ranger that has had the full APG Pro-Runner treatment. For those not familiar, that includes carbon fiber fenders and bedsides to make room for long travel suspension and 35” tires. The plan was to re-gear to 4:56 back in ‘21 but APG discovered that the would not fit in the M190. Fast forward 2 years and they (APG) are now able to fit an m210 out of a Bronco Sasquatch up front. It’s not a direct bolt-in, custom CV bars, drive-shaft, and more are required. The result is 4:70 gears front and rear and a front locker.

Summary of my performance related mods
- APG long travel suspension
- 35 x 12.50 Ridge Grapplers
- Ford Performance Tune
- Mountune Intercoller
- GFB DV+
- Nishimoto intake
- AWE Exhaust

Initial observations
- At highway speeds, all 10 gears are now usable again.
- The 35” tire and 4:70 gears put me at about 2,000 RPM in 10th gear at 70 MPH
- At lower speeds, in drive, the tranny will still allow RPMs to drop as low as 1100 - 1200 RPM, creating the “lugging” scenario
- With the lower final drive ratio, the truck pulls from low RPMs better but it’s still not a great driving experience
- Driving in Sport (S) as I normally do, eliminates the lugging scenario and with the 4:70’s, the truck pulls a bit stronger everywhere
- Fuel economy appear to be slightly better but I need more miles to be certain

This a fairly expensive modification but for me it was totally worth it as I’ll be keeping this truck a good long while. Picking up the front locker was a really nice bonus. I’ve owned a few trucks with front lockers and while they’re rarely used, I’ve had them save the day in some sticky situations before. I know there are several others in the site interested in this mod, hopefully this helps you in your decision precess.

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[RCMUSTANG]

How so that the gears wouldn't fit the M190?

 

[Dr. Zaius]

How so that the gears wouldn't fit the M190?

Ring gear too thick?

When you go to a higher gear gear, the ring gear gets thicker and the pinion gets smaller.

There may not have been room in the case for a thicker gear.

This is just me arm-chair quarterbacking so I'll wait for OP to confirm.

 

[JasonTremor]

I suspect ring gear outer diameter since one axle is a M190 and the larger is M210. Basically a 7.48" ring versus a 8.26" ring.

 

[RCMUSTANG]

I suspect ring gear outer diameter since one axle is a M190 and the larger is M210. Basically a 7.48" ring versus a 8.26" ring.

Obviously I know M210 gears will not fit in M190. I want to see what he meant by it won't fit if it was M190 gears in the M190 housing.

 

[Frenchy]

Since many are confused still, the Ranger Does not Lug since it has an Automatic Transmission. What is felt are normal harmonics on a pickup truck with a turbo 4 cylinder that has no torque in the low end since it won't build torque until it hits boost.

With that out of the way I am not surprised how it drives a bit better with the lower gearing. Those 35's are a massive load regardless of the tire, just imagine if it was a Mud-Terrain!! Will you get better MPG with this gearing compared to the last set? Well if setup like this then most likely yes since the Ranger has an easier time moving the tires. If you have a stock Ranger then expect to drop MPG with that gear set.

One other thing to note is the Crawl Ratio is improved once again and possibly a little better since the RPM is a little higher compared to Factory setup(attempt not included). This will help a bit when trying to do the slow technical stuff even though that is tricky with a wide vehicle.

 

[NotBudule]

Looks amazing from the ONE AND ONLY ONE picture that you posted ... Excuse me while i go eat ONE lays potato chip , and then maybe ill try just ONE hit of crack ...

 

[Colo_Ranger]

I have also heard that the OE gears are welded to the carrier, which means you have to replace the carrier to replace the gears, and no one is offering a carrier...


To the OP: This is the second Ranger I have seen with the M210 installed. I'm jealous, as its on my list of modifications. Good looking truck.


Did you use a Ford direct part or the Dana FDU? What axles did you go with?

 

[Yama_Ranger]

I won’t pretend to be the guy who was attempting the install in the 190 but it was described to me that the ting gear made contact with the housing. This was not apparent when we reviewed the parts diagrams. To be clear, this was specifically 4:56’s. I have no idea if other ratos may work.

Summary of parts used.
OEM Bronco Sasquatch FDU with 4:70’s
Ford Performance switch to actuate e-locker
Custom driveshaft
Custom axles
Custom mounting hardware
OEM polished 4:70 gears in rear

 

[Yama_Ranger]

How so that the gears wouldn't fit the M190?
[/QUOTE
Meant to reply directly, see below.

 

[RCMUSTANG]

I won’t pretend to be the guy who was attempting the install in the 190 but it was described to me that the ting gear made contact with the housing. This was not apparent when we reviewed the parts diagrams. To be clear, this was specifically 4:56’s. I have no idea if other ratos may work.

Summary of parts used.
OEM Bronco Sasquatch FDU with 4:70’s
Ford Performance switch to actuate e-locker
Custom driveshaft
Custom axles
Custom mounting hardware
OEM polished 4:70 gears in rear

Did they say how badly the clearance was? I'm waiting on 4.46's.

 

[Colo_Ranger]

Did they say how badly the clearance was? I'm waiting on 4.46's.

TXBroncBuster has a video on YouTube about this. Apparently, they clearance is so tight that it starves the gears for oil. Honestly, you'd be better off looking at getting the M210 for the swap. If you use the Dana FDU, the one bracket that needs to be flipped for it to fit the Ranger is...flippable. On the OE version, it would have to be custom made to fit. The guy local to me used the Dana version and has been incredibly happy with the modifications.

 

[RANGER_MARC]

I’ve got a ‘21 Ranger that has had the full APG Pro-Runner treatment. For those not familiar, that includes carbon fiber fenders and bedsides to make room for long travel suspension and 35” tires. The plan was to re-gear to 4:56 back in ‘21 but APG discovered that the would not fit in the M190. Fast forward 2 years and they (APG) are now able to fit an m210 out of a Bronco Sasquatch up front. It’s not a direct bolt-in, custom CV bars, drive-shaft, and more are required. The result is 4:70 gears front and rear and a front locker.

Summary of my performance related mods
- APG long travel suspension
- 35 x 12.50 Ridge Grapplers
- Ford Performance Tune
- Mountune Intercoller
- GFB DV+
- Nishimoto intake
- AWE Exhaust

Initial observations
- At highway speeds, all 10 gears are now usable again.
- The 35” tire and 4:70 gears put me at about 2,000 RPM in 10th gear at 70 MPH
- At lower speeds, in drive, the tranny will still allow RPMs to drop as low as 1100 - 1200 RPM, creating the “lugging” scenario
- With the lower final drive ratio, the truck pulls from low RPMs better but it’s still not a great driving experience
- Driving in Sport (S) as I normally do, eliminates the lugging scenario and with the 4:70’s, the truck pulls a bit stronger everywhere
- Fuel economy appear to be slightly better but I need more miles to be certain

This a fairly expensive modification but for me it was totally worth it as I’ll be keeping this truck a good long while. Picking up the front locker was a really nice bonus. I’ve owned a few trucks with front lockers and while they’re rarely used, I’ve had them save the day in some sticky situations before. I know there are several others in the site interested in this mod, hopefully this helps you in your decision precess.

Monster truck, man!

 

[RCMUSTANG]

TXBroncBuster has a video on YouTube about this. Apparently, they clearance is so tight that it starves the gears for oil. Honestly, you'd be better off looking at getting the M210 for the swap. If you use the Dana FDU, the one bracket that needs to be flipped for it to fit the Ranger is...flippable. On the OE version, it would have to be custom made to fit. The guy local to me used the Dana version and has been incredibly happy with the modifications.

I'm just needing regear. I don't need a 210. Not even close to being worth it for me.

 

[Yama_Ranger]

Did they say how badly the clearance was? I'm waiting on 4.46's.

They told me there was housing contact and that it was within the realm of possibility to clearance. Maybe a little grinding would have done it but judgment call was to hold for M210. I wish I had more for you but that’s all I know.

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