Jeep College Plans

[Ben Butler]

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[Ben Butler]

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[xxdabroxx]

That sounds like it has already been geared. And you aren't going to get much better mileage than that, it's a Jeep not a Prius. Smaller tires are going to increase your rpm's at highway speed.

If you have an AX-15 with 3.73 gears you would be at 1980 rpms at 70mph. It sounds more like you have 4.56-4.88 gears.

I'd also get rid of that chain. Using a chain for recovery is asking for trouble.

 

[xxdabroxx]

http://www.grimmjeeper.com/gears.html

 

[Brantley]

Yeah...4.56 would have 35's sitting right about 2500 at 70.

If it's indeed 4.56, 33's would be perfect with that setup.

 

[xxdabroxx]

Yeah...4.56 would have 35's sitting right about 2500 at 70.

If it's indeed 4.56, 33's would be perfect with that setup.

I actually wish I would have went 4.88 with my 33" tires. I don't do a lot of highway miles though.

 

[Ben Butler]

That sounds like it has already been geared. And you aren't going to get much better mileage than that, it's a Jeep not a Prius. Smaller tires are going to increase your rpm's at highway speed.

If you have an AX-15 with 3.73 gears you would be at 1980 rpms at 70mph. It sounds more like you have 4.56-4.88 gears.

I'd also get rid of that chain. Using a chain for recovery is asking for trouble.

I've never used the chain. I just found it that day and put it on.


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[Ben Butler]

I know the speedo is off, but I'll get a speedo app and take some data today. The PO told me it was 3.73


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[bobthetj03]

Well, if you are already re-geared for 35's, my option won't work so well. Let's find out what gear ratio you have.

 

[xxdabroxx]

Good deal, you just see a lot of people wrapping them around there for looks any more. Ive seen the aftermath of them snapping, not a good deal.

If you do have 3.73 gears at 2500rpm in 5th gear you're doing closer to 88mph. (with a true 35" tire height, so it's likely a little less than that)

 

[Ben Butler]

According to my speedometer app, at about 2.1k I'm going 70mph. It shows up as ~60 on my spedometer


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[Ben Butler]

I guess i should've cleared it up, when my speedometer says 70 I'm at about 2.4-2.5k
And I'm assuming that I'm around 80mph actually


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[Ben Butler]

This is to show you guys the angle i was talking about.


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[Chris]

Ahhh, you're in a dilemma a lot of us (myself included) have been in.

I made the mistake of going all out on my Jeep. 33" tires, 5" of lift (though the Currie lift does rock), etc.

All I ever use it for is daily driving and mostly just overland type of off-roading. I realize now that the perfect setup for me would have been the 2.5" OME lift (which I used to have) and 31" A/T tires.

There's absolutely no need for the setup I'm running. Sure, it looks cool, but it's complete overkill. So if I was in your situation, I'd reduce it to be a bit more mild, as you definitely don't need your current setup. 35" tires with 3.73" gears would be the worst thing ever to daily drive with.

 

[Ben Butler]

I'm kind of edging towards dropping to 31" and making the Jeep more for overland stuff. That's more up my alley than rock crawling. I'm mostly gonna use the Jeep to go camping or to ski resorts; so i for sure don't need the setup i have.


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[xxdabroxx]

It really boils down to how much money do you have to spend. If it were me, I'd swap gears to 4.56 now (money permitting). Then when those tires are bald go to a 33" tire and leave the lift alone. If it aint broke don't fix it.

 

[Ben Butler]

This weekend I'm going to work on a price list of how much each option will cost. I was hoping not to spend too much on it (~3k)


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[Ben Butler]

Also
https://instagram.com/p/BTCOyUAge61/
This account is by far the coolest TJ I've ever seen


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[xxdabroxx]

Hello! I currently own a 99 TJ with a few upgrades. I'm running a 4.25" lift (3" suspension and 1.25" body) with 35s. I have a tummy tuck, metalcloak rear control arms and stock front. I'm running the stock 3.73 gears with stock diffs. I am most likely taking the jeeo with me up to CO for college, and I'm deciding between lowering the jeep and getting 33s instead, as well as switching from BFG KM2 to BFG KO2 or other all terrains. I was wondering if any of you have done a switch to a smaller tires and lift, and what the pros and cons were. I don't plan on doing rock crawling, just regular offroading such as going places like Black Bear Pass and roads to get to camping areas, etc. (Not going on the Rubicon and other extreme trails). The majority of the time it will be sitting on campus except for maybe the weekends. So basically more of an overland Jeep than a rock crawler. That's my logic for why i think i should go to a lower lift and smaller tires. Let me know your thoughts!


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The mileage is probably the biggest reason. It really sucks. I understand that using all terrains instead of mud terrains will boost it a bit, but it's also the cost difference between a new set of 33s vs 35s that makes a difference. I also should be at a higher gear ratio since im on 35s but that would make mpg even worse. The brakes suck (With 33s i wouldn't need to replace them). The jeep is really high up. Really high. The control arms are probably at 25 degrees due to the tummy tuck (the previous owner installed the lift and tummy tuck). I also don't have the money to buy new axles, regear and get new brakes. I guess it all falls down to money in both the short and long run. I think it makes more sense to go lower. My friends told me would drive much better and put less strain on the engine as well. I guess it's more of a drivability issue than anything.


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This weekend I'm going to work on a price list of how much each option will cost. I was hoping not to spend too much on it (~3k)


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If you want the jeep lower because you feel like its too tall go for it. You really have a perfect amount of lift for 33" tires right now. IMO you're a bit low for 35" tires.

If you want to dump 3 grand into your jeep to make it more reliable while you are in college there are plenty of things we could discuss to achieve that goal.

If you think lowering the jeep will save you 3k in gas it just won't happen (that's like a thousand gallons of gas it would have to save you). You won't likely see a noticeable difference between the same size tires, one being a MT and the other being an AT.

You would save a little cost on the replacement difference between 31"-33"-35" tires, but if you figure in the cost to swap the first set that also gets skewed.

How are you currently calculating your mileage? Are you adjusting for the amount your speedometer is off? Are you driving a full tank to empty, taking that mileage and dividing by gas added to get back to full or guesstimating?

 

[Kyle_W]

Here's an idea you'll hate.

Store the TJ. Spend the money you would have spent on mods on a beater AWD hatchback or station wagon. Diligently apply yourself to thoroughly understanding the material presented at college. Graduate with high honors. Get a good job. Mod the crap out of your TJ.

Told you you wouldn't like my idea. Done correctly, you're not going to have a lot of time, money or energy to spare for Jeep'n over the next four or five years.

Very good advice.

@Ben Butler, weigh the pro's and con's of owning a cheaper car (added insurance bills, added car payment, etc.), it may actually be cheaper to keep your Jeep, but take it down a couple of notches to achieve your desired outcome. Or, if it really is cheaper to buy a beater car, then go with that option. Save your money! I'm 20 and i'm in the same boat as you. Money is hard to come by!

I have 3.73 gears, 33" tires (loud and heavy), aftermarket d-ring wheels (heavy), almost 4" of lift, big bumper and winch on the front (heavy), accelerates poorly, doesn't ride well, bad MPG, etc., so I feel very similar to how you do. So, instead of re-gearing to 4.56's to accommodate the 33's, soon i'm dropping down to more-street-mannered 31" tires on stock TJ wheels, taking off my big steel bumper, dropping my 1.25" body lift, keeping my 2" springs, and eventually getting synthetic line for my winch to reduce weight.

Just throwing my plan out there in case it'd be a viable plan B for you! EDIT: I just read more of your posts, and you already are thinking about this. Disregard!