I’d recommend 4.10 gears if you’re not going to larger tires. It’ll perform well in all categories with that setup.
Gear ratios and bad advice
- Thread starter Brantley
- Start date
I agree that 4.10 is probably the better choice, though 4.56 isn't unreasonable. 4.10 will be a bit quieter and more economical on the highway than 4.56, though 4.56 will have more torque on and off-road. If it were my jeep I would absolutely go 4.10.
I would strongly consider a Super 35 kit with either a Eaton Elocker (my recommendation) or ARB air locker.
The Dana 35 has smaller axle shafts than the Dana 44, and they are notorious for snapping in the worst possible moment, most of the time off road, but sometimes even on-road. Look up enough Dana 35 stories and you'll find plenty of people who snapped a shaft pulling out of a gas station.
What the Super 35 kit does is it gives you larger diameter axle shafts (same size as a Dana 44) of a slightly better alloy, so they have significantly more strength than stock. Unless you are being extremely abusive, a Super 35 will hold up to just about anything you might dare it to.
The only two lockers I'm aware of that exist for the Super 35 kit are the Eaton Elocker and the ARB air locker. Even if the Ox Locker was an option I would still recommend the Elocker. It is dead simple, even more so than the ox locker. Feed it 12 volts, it's locked. No power? Unlocked. Can't be any simpler than that. Heck you could hotwire to lock with just a short piece of wire if you had to in an emergency.
If you add a locker in the front too, consider a Super 30 kit as well. It is nowhere near as necessary as a Super 35, but if you're replacing the carrier and are considering new shafts, this would be a great time to do it.
Here is an example of a Super 35 kit:
https://www.4lowparts.com/shop/super-35-rear-axle-kit-eaton-e-locker-Dana 35-30spl/
I have a yj with the 3 speed auto and 33” tires. 4.10’s are about perfect. Tim
Thanks for the advice everyone, 4.10 it is, super 35 likely, had my eye on the elocker but a guy at 4wheel auto parts talked me out of it......ill do some more research
What did he say to talk you out of it? Generally speaking, Eaton E-Locker are an excellent locker in pretty much all axles except they do have a less than stellar rep in the 8.8 which comes from a subpar design in comparison to the design used in most all other axles. Otherwise I wouldn’t hesitate to run one at all.Thanks for the advice everyone, 4.10 it is, super 35 likely, had my eye on the elocker but a guy at 4wheel auto parts talked me out of it......ill do some more research
If I were going selectable, I’d do the Eaton before the ARB.
Please stop listening to anything from 4 wheel partsThanks for the advice everyone, 4.10 it is, super 35 likely, had my eye on the elocker but a guy at 4wheel auto parts talked me out of it......ill do some more research
He said you could not run the E Locker above 15 miles an hour. I do get that if we're going 15 you don't need a locker because you're moving
he said the ARB air locker could be engaged at 50 miles an hour what is the advantage of that? His point was it could be engaged at any time and the E Locker was more limited, fact?
I don't like the fact that ARB lockers relie on o rings, bladder and gaskets to keep the air sealed inside of a closed hard to get to location.
he said the ARB air locker could be engaged at 50 miles an hour what is the advantage of that? His point was it could be engaged at any time and the E Locker was more limited, fact?
I don't like the fact that ARB lockers relie on o rings, bladder and gaskets to keep the air sealed inside of a closed hard to get to location.
Stop listening to him yesterday. You can’t engage either of those at 50 and you would never want to drive 50 locked anyways. Don’t know about the 15mph limit on the Eaton but based on the 50mph comment I would throw every word he said out the window. He is essentially an hourly parts counter employee, and is not paid for his vast mechanical knowledge.He said you could not run the E Locker above 15 miles an hour. I do get that if we're going 15 you don't need a locker because you're moving
he said the ARB air locker could be engaged at 50 miles an hour what is the advantage of that? His point was it could be engaged at any time and the E Locker was more limited, fact?
I don't like the fact that ARB lockers relie on o rings, bladder and gaskets to keep the air sealed inside of a closed hard to get to location.
You can actually engage any of those lockers at any speed. Whether you'd want to is another question.
If you really wanted something to give you traction while going fast, a Detroit Truetrac might be a better option than a locker. However it doesn't have quite the traction abilities of a locker, though it is leagues better than an open differential.
If you really wanted something to give you traction while going fast, a Detroit Truetrac might be a better option than a locker. However it doesn't have quite the traction abilities of a locker, though it is leagues better than an open differential.
From ARB’s site
AT WHAT SPEED CAN I ENGAGE MY ARB AIR LOCKERS?
An ARB Air Locker can be engaged at any speed as long as both wheels are spinning at the same rate. If one wheel is spinning faster than the other, what is called “crash locking” will occur and can cause damage to the internal gears. We recommend that the vehicle stops and engages the Air Locker before attempting an obstacle.