speedo is off

[Ryan_V]

Is there a way to calibrate the speedo?? My '96 ranger has 235 tires on it. Seemed slow when I got, and according to the GPS, when the speedo says 60, I'm doing 55-56 or so. Not a big deal, but is there something I can do, or a mechanic can do? The manuf sticker says 265's. I can't imagine that truck with 265's!!

thanks guys

[Macgyver55]

Though I've never calibrated a Ranger, I've done it on several GM vehicles. Different tire sizes can be entered into the computer to calibrate the speedometer.

If the door sticker says 265, that is the size it is more than likely calibrated for. Putting on a smaller tire will cause the speedo to read fast, but it shoud be able to be changed in the computer to accommodate the smaller tire.

265s, 245s and 235s were all available option for tires on Rangers I believe.

[Scott K]

Is this a 4x4? If so, I believe the vss has a gear on it that you can replace to to accomadate tire size.

[Ryan_V]

4wanteringeyes.... yeah, it's 4x4. where would i look for that??? is it in the tranny??? if so, where on the tranny is it. i called ford and the gear is like $5, but i need to get the other one out first!!!

[Scott K]

It goes into the transfercase.

[Ryan_V]

Once again, THANK YOU!!! I found it!! It's yellow with 18 teeth. I'm reading 4-5 mph faster than it's actually going, what gear do I need now??? I'm assuming ford has them color coded....

[bobbymalone]

My guess is the nuts inside the speedo are too small to hold it on.

[DTro]

oops, saw the title and was looking for something else

as you were

[Jeremy airjer W]

[jwhjr]

oops, saw the title and was looking for something else

as you were

LOL

[Scott K]

Once again, THANK YOU!!! I found it!! It's yellow with 18 teeth. I'm reading 4-5 mph faster than it's actually going, what gear do I need now??? I'm assuming ford has them color coded....

The Ford dealer will have a color chart, tell them the speed you are off, the color, number of teeth.

[Ryan_V]

oops, saw the title and was looking for something else

as you were

that's funny!!!! guess I didn't think that one through before I posted!!!! thanks for the laugh!!

[Ryan_V]

Well, I got the new gear in, and it reads accurate at highway speeds, but is still off at low, city driving speeds. any ideas?? not a big deal, the vast majority of my miles are highway anyway!!!

DTRO...I'm still lmao at your post!!

[Scott K]

How much is it off? Typically when they are off, they run a % from being off, so if it is off 5 mph at 50 mph, it will also be off 10 % at 30 mph (3mph), so they tend to be off more at higher speeds, then lower speeds. If it is really off at lower speeds, then I would think a bad speedo head. Are you checking it with another vehicle, or a GPS?

[Ryan_V]

checking it with a GPS

[delcecchi]

I've still got my speedo from when I swam competitively in HS. If you want it off, it is going to cost you. :-)

[shizzy]

how fast is the refresh rate on your GPS? I noticed when driving my 03 Ranger (went from 235's to 31x10.5's) that my speedo reads almost dead on, but the GPS refreshes kind of slow. I find I have to really try hard to maintain a steady speed to get an accurate read compared to the speedo.

[LOTWSvirgin]

Use mile markers to check you speed