hey guys, i just purchased some 33'' tires for my tj (2001, 4.0L, manual) , it has a small 2 inch lift, and stock axles(Dana 30/Dana 35) what gear ratio should i be running? will i also be ok with the stock axles? mostly for road use but will be off roading every once in a while. thanks!
Gear ratios for 33'' tires
- Thread starter greenjeepguy
- Start date
For your transmission and tires, 4.88 is the recommended ratio.
See this thread for additional details:
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads...angler-tj-lj-and-other-re-gearing-faqs.17063/
(If you think you might go to 35s or you're willing to sacrifice a bit of fuel economy for a little more torque and control, 5.13 is also a decent option.)
Consider installing locking differentials and a Super 30 and a Super 35 kit at the same time.
Locking differentials give you a major advantage off-road, as big as going from 2WD to 4WD again. When engaged, lockers force both wheels on that axle to spin at the same speed, something an open differential cannot do. This means when you get stuck, you can spin all four tires and not just two. It also means that you still have full traction even when one or two tires have little or no contact with the ground.
The most popular and versatile lockers are selectable lockers. Eaton Elockers and ARB Air lockers are the most popular. Elockers are simply wired to a switch, and easy to install. ARB lockers require a compressed air source to operate. Selectable lockers do not affect handling on the road.
The Super 30 and Super 35 kits increase the size of the axle shafts on their respective axles, providing significant additional strength. This goes a long ways to reducing the odds of an axle shaft snapping and leaving you stranded.
It is best to install all of these items at the same time if you think you'll want them.
Doing gears and carriers separately will cost you on the order of $1000 extra in labor. Every time the carrier is changed, the gears have to be reset. Likewise, every time the gears are changed, the carriers must be removed and reinstalled. Every time the spline count of the axle shaft changes, the carrier must change, and the gears must be reset.
The Super 30/35 should be more than strong enough for 33s or even 35s, unless you are doing very extreme things. Even a standard Dana 30/Dana 35 would be fine with mild use.
See this thread for additional details:
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads...angler-tj-lj-and-other-re-gearing-faqs.17063/
(If you think you might go to 35s or you're willing to sacrifice a bit of fuel economy for a little more torque and control, 5.13 is also a decent option.)
Consider installing locking differentials and a Super 30 and a Super 35 kit at the same time.
Locking differentials give you a major advantage off-road, as big as going from 2WD to 4WD again. When engaged, lockers force both wheels on that axle to spin at the same speed, something an open differential cannot do. This means when you get stuck, you can spin all four tires and not just two. It also means that you still have full traction even when one or two tires have little or no contact with the ground.
The most popular and versatile lockers are selectable lockers. Eaton Elockers and ARB Air lockers are the most popular. Elockers are simply wired to a switch, and easy to install. ARB lockers require a compressed air source to operate. Selectable lockers do not affect handling on the road.
The Super 30 and Super 35 kits increase the size of the axle shafts on their respective axles, providing significant additional strength. This goes a long ways to reducing the odds of an axle shaft snapping and leaving you stranded.
It is best to install all of these items at the same time if you think you'll want them.
Doing gears and carriers separately will cost you on the order of $1000 extra in labor. Every time the carrier is changed, the gears have to be reset. Likewise, every time the gears are changed, the carriers must be removed and reinstalled. Every time the spline count of the axle shaft changes, the carrier must change, and the gears must be reset.
The Super 30/35 should be more than strong enough for 33s or even 35s, unless you are doing very extreme things. Even a standard Dana 30/Dana 35 would be fine with mild use.
For your 33's and 5-speed transmission definitely (!) go with 4.56. I personally would only go 4.88 for 33's if it was for the 42RLE automatic transmission.
Is 33" the biggest you ever want to go with? Do you want to install a locker into your rear axle?
Ideally you would do them all at the same time. It would cost a lot more to do them all separately.
You may not even need those items, depending on what you do. If all you ever do is drive gravel and dirt roads and never get stuck, lockers aren't going to provide much benefit. But if you're looking to significantly improve off-road capabilities, they're one of the best modifications to do so.
If you have to pick and choose, do whichever ones will give you the best return for your money. If you think the gearing is going to provide the most benefit, do that. If you're frequently in need of more traction, focus on lockers. The Super 30/35 isn't really a big benefit until you have locked axles, so that can wait until lockers are installed.
My point is, is that if you're doing one, it's strongly worth considering doing all of those at the same time.
For example, the cost to install a new carrier (such as a locking differential) includes the cost of setting up the gears that were on the previous carrier. So if you choose to install different gears at the same time, the difference in cost is only that of the parts. Same if you plan to regear. The cost of replacing the carrier with the gears is only parts plus a small amount of labor to wire or plumb a locker.
If you choose to add a Super 30 or 35 kit, it requires a different type of carrier that can accept the larger shafts. So the time to do that would be the same time as replacing the carriers. Otherwise you're pretty much wasting the money for previous carrier you bought plus the money to install it.
Now with 33s and mild or even moderate usage, you may not ever need a Super 30/35. For me personally, the cost of getting stuck somewhere remote because a shaft broke far exceeds the cost of installing such a thing in the first place. So it makes financial sense to install it.
33'' is probably the biggest i will go just because i will be doing mostly road and the off road i will be doing won't be very serious
how urgent is it too re gear? can i get away with out re gearing for a short amount time? and i not green to working on cars i have done clutch changes and other engine work before, i also don't really want to pay someone to do this for me and most shops are closed right now anyways, personally i think that i would be able to do this, haha and i have done plenty of re search on re gearing as well. is it really as complicated as people may make it sound?
If you only ever do mild trails, lockers may be nice to have, but not necessary.
Another option is a limited slip differential which uses either clutches or gears to allow torque to be transferred unevenly between the wheels. Limited slip differentials are great in loose materials, like gravel, snow, ice, and shallow mud. They are always engaged and do not significantly change the driving characteristics.
A limited slip is nowhere near as powerful as a locker. If you're stuck in deep mud or have a wheel spinning in the air, it won't do much. But it will help prevent wheelspin in milder situations. Generally LS differentials are only installed in the rear. Super 30/35 kits are generally not needed for limited slip differentials.
Eaton TrueTrac is a popular brand of aftermarket LS. Some Jeeps came with a factory rear limited slip called Tracloc. These factory carriers eventually wear put and act as an open differential.
(The only TJ to ever receive a factory selectable locking differential was the Rubicon model, which came with lockers front and rear.)
There is also something called an automatic locker, which allows one side to spring faster than the carrier, but the other side must travel the same speed as the carrier. These have most of the benefits of a locker in that they can transmit 100% of the torque to one wheel, but have the drawback in that they are a bit more finicky. They are not generally recommended for frequent use in snow and ice due to their characteristics.
In 2WD on dry pavement, an auto locker in the front axle will have very little impact on driveability. In the rear it will have a moderate impact, with some quirks like clunking during turning while accelerating. In snow or ice, they can engage unpredictably, leading to unwanted wheelspin and a loss of traction.
The Eaton Detroit Locker is an example of a common automatic locker. A lot of so called "lunchbox lockers" (such as the Aussie Locker) which simply replace the spider gears are also a form of automatic locker.
Another option is a limited slip differential which uses either clutches or gears to allow torque to be transferred unevenly between the wheels. Limited slip differentials are great in loose materials, like gravel, snow, ice, and shallow mud. They are always engaged and do not significantly change the driving characteristics.
A limited slip is nowhere near as powerful as a locker. If you're stuck in deep mud or have a wheel spinning in the air, it won't do much. But it will help prevent wheelspin in milder situations. Generally LS differentials are only installed in the rear. Super 30/35 kits are generally not needed for limited slip differentials.
Eaton TrueTrac is a popular brand of aftermarket LS. Some Jeeps came with a factory rear limited slip called Tracloc. These factory carriers eventually wear put and act as an open differential.
(The only TJ to ever receive a factory selectable locking differential was the Rubicon model, which came with lockers front and rear.)
There is also something called an automatic locker, which allows one side to spring faster than the carrier, but the other side must travel the same speed as the carrier. These have most of the benefits of a locker in that they can transmit 100% of the torque to one wheel, but have the drawback in that they are a bit more finicky. They are not generally recommended for frequent use in snow and ice due to their characteristics.
In 2WD on dry pavement, an auto locker in the front axle will have very little impact on driveability. In the rear it will have a moderate impact, with some quirks like clunking during turning while accelerating. In snow or ice, they can engage unpredictably, leading to unwanted wheelspin and a loss of traction.
The Eaton Detroit Locker is an example of a common automatic locker. A lot of so called "lunchbox lockers" (such as the Aussie Locker) which simply replace the spider gears are also a form of automatic locker.
Do you know what ratio you have now? Something like 3.73 would be far more livable than say, 3.07. I'm running factory gears and 35s, but my factory gears are 4.10.
Realistically, you can run on stock gears for a while, especially with a manual transmission. You may find yourself wishing for lower gears or not using 5th gear very much, but it is workable. With my 6 speed and 4.10 gears, I rarely touch 6th gear.
It's not ideal, but it won't break anything to wait a while.
it depends on your level of acceptance
most certainly
it's not impossible but it is something that even experienced wrenches prefer to leave to the professionals who have done hundreds of gear set ups
I'm in the same boat. I intend on getting some 5.13s installed. It's just not at the top of my list.
I had stock 3.07 gears on 35” tires. While it worked, as in the Jeep would move forward, it was no fun to drive. I basically parked it for 3 weeks because it ran out of top end at roughly 60 mph and only used the three forward gears. It stunk.
So I bit the bullet and installed front and rear truetracs and 4.56 gears. I still have 35” tires and will keep them until it’s time to replace and then downgrade to 33s. I’m very happy with my purchase. I’ve only driven a few times since the install since the weather has been chilly..I only drive when it’s 75* and up.
So I bit the bullet and installed front and rear truetracs and 4.56 gears. I still have 35” tires and will keep them until it’s time to replace and then downgrade to 33s. I’m very happy with my purchase. I’ve only driven a few times since the install since the weather has been chilly..I only drive when it’s 75* and up.
ok so highway driving is the best? and how much do you think my speedometer will be off?
Don't even consider regearing to 4.10 for your 33's. If a Jeep comes with 4.10 that's one thing but when you're regearing, go with 4.56 for 33's. You'd be undergeared with 4.10 and 33's.
I had 33s + 3.07 gearing + manual trans.
It really SUCKS having to rev to 2500rpm+ to leave a redlight. Always feeling like it's going to stall out from a stop. Soon to install 4.56gears. I wanted to get 4.88 but the site I ordered from didn't have them. But Jerry had suggested to me before that I should go 4.56 and not 4.88, so I'm pretty satisfied with getting 4.56's
It really SUCKS having to rev to 2500rpm+ to leave a redlight. Always feeling like it's going to stall out from a stop. Soon to install 4.56gears. I wanted to get 4.88 but the site I ordered from didn't have them. But Jerry had suggested to me before that I should go 4.56 and not 4.88, so I'm pretty satisfied with getting 4.56's