Are 33's bad for 3.07 gears?

PWest08

PWest08

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Long Island, New York
So I just got my Tj back from the shop. Replaced my front axle with one in a whole lot better shape, had some frame work (not patch work) done. My rear is good to get me through this upcoming winter and gives me time to save some pennies but I want to get a set of 33” KO2’s as my next big purchase. I already have 2.5 inches of lift on 32’s with stock wrangler rims but I’ve read different things about running 33’s with 3.07 gears. I don’t want to do any damage to the new axle I just got. And wouldn’t be swapping for a higher gear ratio for another year maybe longer. Just want some opinions on running 33’s and maybe some feedback on what gear ratio and axle to move up too when I decide to pull the trigger.
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You won't damage anything inside your axles with 3.07 gears with your new 33" tires but you won't like the loss of performance the larger diameter tires will cause.

Regearing both axles to 4.56 is the answer/fix to that loss of performance. 4.56 is the ideal axle ratio for your TJ with its 4.0L engine, 5-speed, and the new 33" tires.
 
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Tray Burge said:
Jerry, what is the best combo with 33" in a 4cyl TJ?
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Jerry Bransford said:
4.88.
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I've got to respectfully disagree Jerry, and say 5.13's. Even with the hassle of finding an installer that uses Revolution gears, and the fact that there's not a ton of difference between 4.88 and 5.13 gears, I feel it's worth it on tight, steep, winding trails with the four bangers.
 
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I ran 3.07 gears on 33" wheels for a good number of years. (4.0, 3 speed auto)
It's drivable. I only did city/highway driving, and nothing that I would consider serious "offroad".
It was slow to accelerate, and I believe I had worse gas mileage than I do now after I re-geared.
But if you're not in a rush... :)

I will say I could not afford a re-gear at the time. However, after experiencing the re-gear, I really wish I could have re-geared earlier.
 
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PWest08 said:
I already have 32’s with stock wrangler rims but I’ve read different things about running 33’s with 3.07 gears.
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32s to 33s... no difference.

But I ran 33s thru 3.07s for 10 years. I only used overdrive, 5th gear in 4LO. 5th was useless even downhill in High. But if you are running 32s, you know what to expect.

Depending on what you do, 4LO with 3.07s you'll hit 60mph easy. It'll run like a Mustang in 4LO. Fabulous on forestry roads.

That is one clean red TJ.

On an SE .... go deep.
The bigger the tire or smaller the engine the less range there is for acceptable gearing.
The 4.0L is a great engine, plenty of power. And 33s are not big tires so the acceptable range of gearing is much broader.

The only plus of 3.07s and 33s.... is fast driving in 4LO. It is a blast.
 
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On 33's and 3.07s right now. It's definitely drive-able and I did the build shortly after getting it so I haven't noticed a loss of much low speed power. The highway is also doable but you will notice something lacking.... I have a set of 3.73s that I'm cleaning up and getting ready to install. Should make things a little better for sure
 
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33" tires with 3.07 blows in my opinion. I lasted about a month before I went to 4.56 and wish I would have went 4.88. I stopped using 4th and 5th when mine had 3.07's but I only hit about 65mph for the most part. Might have used 4th at about 70 but no freeways around me.
 
Is that really only a 2.5" suspension lift with 32s? Seem like much higher in the picture or the tires are smaller??
 
billiebob said:
To get the same result in 2/4H, 2.69x3.07, you'd need an 8.25:1 rear end ratio.
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Just shift down a gear then...

3rd gear 4 low with 3.07's:
2.72 x 1.44 x 3.07 = 12.02

2nd gear 2wd/4hi with 5.13's:
2.33 x 5.13 = 11.95

But the best part about this is that you can actually crawl when you need to and also rip around forest service roads at speed. Who woulda thunk it?
 
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liquidfluidity said:
On 33's and 3.07s right now. It's definitely drive-able and I did the build shortly after getting it so I haven't noticed a loss of much low speed power. The highway is also doable but you will notice something lacking.... I have a set of 3.73s that I'm cleaning up and getting ready to install. Should make things a little better for sure
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You're about to install used 3.73 gears? First, used gears are much (!) harder to set up. Most shops will charge more to install used gears. Next, going only to 3.73 for 33's isn't worth the significant effort required.
 
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Thanks for all the replies! I’ll probably end up holding off a few months on the tires and put it into completely new axles. Probably 4.56 or 5.13 I’ll have to do some more research on that. There aren’t many dirt trails by me it’s mostly all beach here on Long Island, there is some climbing but nothing too heavy. Pretty much just trying to get to the good fishing spots
 
Yea. Can't believe you are happy with 3.07's. But you will be in amazement when you regear. Let us know when you first try the new gears. I have 4.10's on the 6 speed with 32's and that seems about the minimum even with the low 1st gear.
 
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