Hi everyone,
Longtime lurker, first time registering and posting.
I'm the proud owner of a '02 Wrangler, and have had her since 2004(!). I've put nearly 100k miles on for a grand total of 113k. Started near Chicago, and the Jeep has taken me to Indiana, Wisconsin, Colorado, Texas, and now Montana. So, several cross-country treks and a whole lot of various usage: city, desert, mudding, rock crawling, snow, etc. The Jeep has been a faithful companion to me, and, honestly, I hope to keep her for the long haul. It's been a source of transportation, fun, escape, housing, and educaton. I do my own oil changes, basic repairs, minor modifications, and whatever else that needs to be done that I can accomplish with some basic tools, a six pack, and a swear jar.
Along the way I've added a throttle body spacer, K&N CAI, 31" tires, trailer hitch, replacement windows, replacement soft top, and that's about it. Replaced a few suspension parts along the way. For the most part, I keep up with the recommended maintenance schedule. Rear gearbox leaks a little bit, but I'll swing back to that. Power steering leaks a little. Engine leaks a little, but hardly much at all. I've gotten to all of the engine codes as they've come up, but P0122 (throttle body position sensor), P0442, P0455, P0456 still plague me. A growing tick sound has increased over the years, but really only at idle when the engine is warm. When it does tick, it sounds and feels like it is coming from deep inside the engine block. I was deeply when it first started happening many years ago, but CD2 with oil changes seemed to help the situation. Not sure what you all think about those things.
Which brings me to my main line of questioning. I always told myself that when my shocks were toast, I’d upgrade and get a modest lift installed. That time is now, so I had my sights on a 2.5” suspension lift. I think I’d be happy with a little below or above that number, but I’d like to run 32” tires with ample room for articulation when off-roading. I’ve seen a number of different options on Quadratec, but having read the really good thread on lifting I understand what I’m looking for/what to watch out for. I noted that the guide recommended potentially adjusting your gear ratios… which lead me down the rabbit hole.
My Jeep has a 5 speed manual, with the stock 3.07 gear ratio. According to this chart, I’m already way off anything ideal when it comes to gear ratios. I know (and now feel particularly guilty) that I should have changed the gear tooth for the speedometer years ago (Jeep originally shipped with P225s). So, now I’m fretting about the gear ratio and lack of power. It’s not as nimble as it once was with smaller tires, and now it all makes sense. Should I not even bother at looking at bigger tires? Should I look at re-gearing before anything else?
Apologies if this was information overload, but thanks in advance for your help/input!
Longtime lurker, first time registering and posting.
I'm the proud owner of a '02 Wrangler, and have had her since 2004(!). I've put nearly 100k miles on for a grand total of 113k. Started near Chicago, and the Jeep has taken me to Indiana, Wisconsin, Colorado, Texas, and now Montana. So, several cross-country treks and a whole lot of various usage: city, desert, mudding, rock crawling, snow, etc. The Jeep has been a faithful companion to me, and, honestly, I hope to keep her for the long haul. It's been a source of transportation, fun, escape, housing, and educaton. I do my own oil changes, basic repairs, minor modifications, and whatever else that needs to be done that I can accomplish with some basic tools, a six pack, and a swear jar.
Along the way I've added a throttle body spacer, K&N CAI, 31" tires, trailer hitch, replacement windows, replacement soft top, and that's about it. Replaced a few suspension parts along the way. For the most part, I keep up with the recommended maintenance schedule. Rear gearbox leaks a little bit, but I'll swing back to that. Power steering leaks a little. Engine leaks a little, but hardly much at all. I've gotten to all of the engine codes as they've come up, but P0122 (throttle body position sensor), P0442, P0455, P0456 still plague me. A growing tick sound has increased over the years, but really only at idle when the engine is warm. When it does tick, it sounds and feels like it is coming from deep inside the engine block. I was deeply when it first started happening many years ago, but CD2 with oil changes seemed to help the situation. Not sure what you all think about those things.
Which brings me to my main line of questioning. I always told myself that when my shocks were toast, I’d upgrade and get a modest lift installed. That time is now, so I had my sights on a 2.5” suspension lift. I think I’d be happy with a little below or above that number, but I’d like to run 32” tires with ample room for articulation when off-roading. I’ve seen a number of different options on Quadratec, but having read the really good thread on lifting I understand what I’m looking for/what to watch out for. I noted that the guide recommended potentially adjusting your gear ratios… which lead me down the rabbit hole.
My Jeep has a 5 speed manual, with the stock 3.07 gear ratio. According to this chart, I’m already way off anything ideal when it comes to gear ratios. I know (and now feel particularly guilty) that I should have changed the gear tooth for the speedometer years ago (Jeep originally shipped with P225s). So, now I’m fretting about the gear ratio and lack of power. It’s not as nimble as it once was with smaller tires, and now it all makes sense. Should I not even bother at looking at bigger tires? Should I look at re-gearing before anything else?
Apologies if this was information overload, but thanks in advance for your help/input!
That's a good looking Jeep!
