@TexasBear Well, let's see... Lots of questions, lots of answers. Lots of comments in the answers.
Firstly,
@Fix4Dirt is correct, I'm running the SOHC. It has a lot more power and particularly of note delivers maximum torque at about 3250 RPM, whereas the OHV delivers its significantly smaller peak torque at 2750 RPM. Basically this means you're going to spend a lot more time on the throttle to get her moving, in all situations.
- - -
>Q1. Mine is a ‘96, so I believe we have the same truck basically. I know you mentioned wanting to re-gear at some point. Which is a big question I have, how does it drive with the 33’s?
>A1. The platform is the same. The drivetrain is significantly different. Check your door sticker and if you have axle code D2, you have 4.10:1 axle ratio, which is more ideal than the others, but not necessarily ideal for you, your drivetrain, or your personal driving habits. With the OHV you still probably want to run shorter gears (higher ratio) if you're going extreme off-road, but the daily driveability suffers badly if you go too short.
There is no short answer. Any 2nd-gen Ex requires significant modifications to fit 33" tires in the first place. All in, I can say with confidence that the tires themselves had a less significant effect than did all of the prerequisite modifications to accommodate them, which included a 2" lift front and rear, another 4" front and another 2" rear, new front and rear springs, and EXTREME fender trimming. The rear always scrubbed on flex, even with the spacers removed, until a few weeks ago when I installed OME's AAL into the spring packs.
In other words, it wasn't just the tires that made the difference. I built the truck around the tires, and the tires were chosen for the express purpose of off-road use. Such an aggressive M/T tread pattern as the Nitto Trail Grappler is far from ideal for road use, and well nigh unsafe for daily driving. If you're going to use a tamer A/T tread pattern, you'll likely be more concerned for weight than for traction on road.
I felt that the SOHC-5R55E-4.10 combo was plenty fine for daily driving on 33's, but didn't have the torque control I desired from a dedicated offroader, hence the extreme 5.13 ratio. Generally speaking, most folks prefer 4.56's or 4.88's, and I did a lot of mathematics before making my purchase.
In conclusion, with your lower-powered, lower-revving OHV, different transmission, and unknown-to-me axle gearing, my experience and opinions are not applicable to your rig.
- - -
>Q2. Obviously I would need to address other things to make room for them, but I’ve wondered if that’s worth it without changing gears. I’ve considered just putting some 31’s on it to improve footprint, without the need to lift. Of course this would be temporary as I really want to end up running 33’s.
>A2. Yes. Besides going three rounds with suspension lift kits and companies, piecing together two lifts stacked on top of each other (or get an unsafe body lift, please don't), then lastly plan on regearing both differentials. Plan on not doing it yourself unless you're already experienced, plan on paying somewhere between $1500 and $3000 inclusive for parts and labor, and plan on having new, unknown problems once it's done. You will also need to reprogram your PCM to account for the new gear ratio, as well as have your speedometer recalibrated to account for gear ratio and tire size changes. I did all of the above, except calibrate the speedometer.
- - -
>Q3. I’m old school and my head always thinks power first. There too I seem to go in circles in my head, should I just upgrade the exhaust system to include headers and higher flow system. (Although I’ve never seen anything but stock CATS) Or would that just be my initial step, followed by intake changes (cold air only or go all-in adding a turbo) do I delve inside and change cams etc.
I just keep thinking, as you pointed out, these were engineered to run a very LONG time. Plus, mine is still under 70k miles, if I don’t over modify it, it’ll last the rest of my life and still be a solid truck beyond.
Ok I’m rambling on…just let me know how much impact the 33’s have had on drivability.
>A3. The 33's and associated accommodations basically rendered it useless as a daily driver. The regear sealed its fate as a dedicated toy, as it reaches top gear in overdrive at 35 MPH and RPM's hover around 2500 at 50 MPH. Your numbers will be different from mine, as discussed before, but in any case daily duty will absolutely, unarguably suffer. If you intend to accommodate anybody under the height of 5' 8", getting in and out can be difficult, particularly for rear seat passengers.
As far as more power goes, it would likely be cheaper and more practical to just get an additional Explorer with a SOHC or V8 (V8 only if you're OK with a 4-door and no 4-low).
- - -
>Q4. Although, I would appreciate all input on the direction I could/should go. I’ve had this for a year and a half and hardly drive it, never of-road, not even in the beach. I would like to get it undercoated first since it’s rust-free.
>A4. Definitely get it undercoated. Great mod, no regrets. Would recommend to anybody who regularly visits coastal areas.
If I could do it all over again, I wouldn't have bothered with all of this. I'd have kept it at 2" of lift, factory 4-door rear springs, and 31" tires. Do I regret what I did? Absolutely not. I love it every time I get in, but the sacrifice of daily driveability is what led me to buy a second to keep simple.
- - -
>Q5. Oh that brings up another thought I’m kicking around: I’ve been thinking of removing the carpet and having the entire floor done with headliner. There’s nothing like having to try removing sand from a carpet floor!
>A5. Do as you like. My Limited came with Motor Trend rubber floor mats that do a great job of catching all the sand, gravel, grass clippings, etc. Just take 'em out and shake 'em out. I too dislike beach sand in carpet!
- - -
My best advice? Keep your favorite Explorer as you like it. Explorers are cheap and easy to get. RTZ makes a nice torsion bar key and shackle kit which I've been using for years, they're great quality and cheap. That will be plenty enough to fit 31's without any other mods, you'll get a fat bit of clearance with minimal drawbacks, and you'll be able to enjoy factory-like performance and reliability.
Find another 4x4 Sport with whichever engine you like better (should be less than $3k) and go crazy with that one. Plan on the Rough Country or Superlift if you want 33's, and understand that at least some early 2nd-gens were not compatible with differential drop kits such as those.
33" tires are easy to want, but hard to accommodate. It requires sacrificing a great deal of what you already know and love about your Explorer. After every thing I did to make my Explorer "better", I bought another one because it was no longer suitable for daily use.
