Finally going to pull the trigger and put the 4.30 gears in my 2005 E350 2wd with V10

It currently has 3.73's and the calculator I found says the 4.30's with my 285 tires will be like it was with stock tires. Just want the van to pull my trailers like it did stock, I'm hoping this will do the trick.

My next question is for the traction control. 4wd is not an option for me $$, however I would like to have some type of traction control for the occasional off-road conditions (sand or mud) and the occasional snow/icy roads when going skiing. I'm also OK with chaining up should I have to when it snows.

The van will mostly be my tow vehicle for summer (boat) and camping (toy hauler) so the snow, ice mud or sand will not be an everyday thing.

So I guess I'm asking should I go with an air type locker or a LSD?

A few posts like this if you use "limited slip", "True Trac", "Eaton" or "Detroit" in the search.
viewtopic.php?f=39&t=11395

I've got a LSD in the rear diff. So far I'm happy. When you say traction control, a locker can add some strange effects. There are other choices that might be better than an air locker.

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2006 Ford 6.0PSD EB-50/E-PH SMB 4X4 Rock Crawler Trailer

Sportsmobile 4X4 Adventures..........On and off road adventures

I've got LSD front AND rear and am very happy.

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Current: 2014 15 Passenger V8
Former: 2009 SMB 4x4 6.0

How tall are your 285 tires? Width has nothing to do with gearing.

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2006 Express Duramax 2500

I realize that, they are 285/75 x 16.

I pulled the trigger yesterday and ordered all the parts, yikes $$! Last Monday I also towed my new to me toy hauler home from Salt Lake, UT (25'er vs. my old 19'er) and can't wait to see how she does with the new gearing.

I'd check these numbers with another source. A quick check indicates the gear change will be nearly twice as much as the tire diameter change. To match the tire diameter it would take a hypothetical 4.02 gear, if it existed. Overall your gearing with 4.30 will be lower.

Thanks for checking on that for me. I posted this up a while back in another thread and was thinking about 4.10's vs. 4.30's. The consensus at that time was that I would hardly notice the difference with 4.10's. Typically guys that are running 35" tires are using 4.56's so I figured I'd just split the difference and go with 4.30's and my 285/75's. 75 percent of the time I'd say I'll be towing and the lower gear will be appreciated

4.10's work great with my 4x4 running same size tires as you. I have a stock limited slip which was rebuilt when I did the gear change and it works fine for most situations I will ever be in. A little trick with an LSD, if it starts to slip, tap your brake or set the park brake one or two clicks. That will help to engage the LSD and get you moving in many cases.

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"Not all Those Who Wander are Lost"
2003 Ford SMB EB-50, 7.3L 4x4, "La Mulita Blanca"
2006 Land Rover LR3 SE/HD
2010 BMW GSA 30th

Thanks for the tip

I also have BFG 285, on a 06 DSL with the towing PKG that as far as I can tell had a Detroit LSD.

Question, if I wanted change to 4.1; who in SoCal could re-gear the diff I have ?or would I have to buy a completely new diff?