Would re-gearing provide better acceleration?

TJRick said:
Compared to what, exactly? In it's time, the 4.0 was considered quite powerful and fast compared to the competition.
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I agree, the comments about the 4.0 are largely overexaggerated. It is not "fast" and never will be but it definitely gets the job done. A V8 would be a blast and I may do one eventually but some act like a 4.0 can barely move a Jeep down the road.

It is a very heavy, poor power to weight ratio engine with nice average long term reliability and a simple design. It isn't fast, doesn't sound good, and never was meant to do either but it is certainly "good enough" to move an old Jeep with not too many complaints. Acting like it can barely drive a Jeep at highway speeds is a bit silly. All that said, I am not against more power at all, just tired of the goofy exaggerations.

In this particular poster's case, I'm going to assume that the transmission throttle valve cable is not adjusted properly if flooring it doesn't provide enough power uphill. I do agree that 4.10 is the way to go for 32-33's but the difference between 3.73 and 4.10 is not so large that one will fall on its face while the other does it without breaking a sweat.
 
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I’ve had my LJ for 16 years, and have always ridden it hard. Started with a stock 4.0, 195 hp, supercharged it, 300 hp (and 400 torque), and now a stroker 392 Hemi running about 550. And you know what? When I wheel it 9 times out of 10 I wish I still had the 4.0. The extra horses mainly make a difference on the street. I don’t do mud or sand - where it would make a difference.

The 4.0 is a great engine - it just depends on the context.
 
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Jerry Bransford said:
Having owned vehicles that were turds, I would not categorize a properly geared Wrangler with the 4.0 as a turd. Not by any stretch of the imagination.
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To each his own. I don't need to stretch my imagination to know the 4.0l is a turd. I just have to drive my properly geared and relatively light weight Wrangler. It's a turd.

NashvilleTJ said:
The 4.0 is a great engine - it just depends on the context.
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IMO, the 4.0l isn't great in any context. Low power, terrible fuel economy and only reasonable reliability.
 
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L J said:
To each his own. I don't need to stretch my imagination to know the 4.0l is a turd. I just have to drive my properly geared and relatively light weight Wrangler. It's a turd.
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My whole purpose of commenting in this thread was to make the statement that regardless of people and their various levels of satisfaction with the 4.0, this guy with 3.73 and 32's still should be able to make it up a hill especially while flooring it. The 4.0 may be a turd in some situations and more so to some folks than others, but it is simply not THAT bad to the point where we should just attribute the issues in the original post to the fact that he has a 4.0. That is all I meant.

Our personal levels of satisfaction with its general performance as an engine are pretty irrelevant here.
 
L J said:
To each his own. I don't need to stretch my imagination to know the 4.0l is a turd. I just have to drive my properly geared and relatively light weight Wrangler. It's a turd.



IMO, the 4.0l isn't great in any context. Low power, terrible fuel economy and only reasonable reliability.
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Think about what the Jeep was designed to do and to do well. Go offroad and that's right, it does that well. If you need a fast street vehicle to make you happy, you bought the wrong vehicle. Offroad, torque is king, not HP. For even the tough trails I do I have more than enough power available to break most everything on my drivetrain. I use very little HP when offroading but there's more than enough HP under my hood should I be crazy enough to want to hit 90 mph. It will reach 90 mph easily, I did that several times while checking tire balance after new tires were installed.

Sounds like you need to trade your Jeep in for a Mustang or a Subaru WRX.
 
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I think it would be fair to say that anyone who has ONLY driven a 4.0Wrangler would change their minds if given the chance to drive an LS or Hemi swapped Wrangler.

Ignorance is bliss. Isn't this the common argument when talking about gearing? “One has no idea what they’re missing out on until they re-gear, those who have re-geared become instant advocated for re-gearing.

The 4.0L is great, until you drive a V8 Wrangler. It can actually get out of it’s on way.
 
Fouledplugs said:
I think it would be fair to say that anyone who has ONLY driven a 4.0Wrangler would change their minds if given the chance to drive an LS or Hemi swapped Wrangler.

Ignorance is bliss. Isn't this the common argument when talking about gearing? “One has no idea what they’re missing out on until they re-gear, those who have re-geared become instant advocated for re-gearing.

The 4.0L is great, until you drive a V8 Wrangler. It can actually get out of it’s on way.
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My daily driver has 348 HP, my TJ has 190 hp. Both have more than enough HP for what they're made to do.
 
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machoheadgames said:
My whole purpose of commenting in this thread was to make the statement that regardless of people and their various levels of satisfaction with the 4.0, this guy with 3.73 and 32's still should be able to make it up a hill especially while flooring it. The 4.0 may be a turd in some situations and more so to some folks than others, but it is simply not THAT bad to the point where we should just attribute the issues in the original post to the fact that he has a 4.0. That is all I meant.

Our personal levels of satisfaction with its general performance as an engine are pretty irrelevant here.
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I didn’t mean to imply my Jeep can’t make it up the hill, of course it can. The issue is more of trying to reasonably match the speed of oncoming traffic when turning into an immediately steep incline. It’s a long gradual steep climb, not just an up-and-over situation. I’ve already been flipped off a handful of times by people who were well down the road before I turned.

I’m already about as light as I can possibly get, so running a bit low on options. The regear is scheduled for next week so I’ll report back on the difference.
 
I live in the sierras with lots of hilly paved roads... put 33's on 6 mos ago and knew immediately that the original 3.73 gears had to go. today, I just got my jeep back from the axel builders (two things I wont touch in a vehicle... diffs, and auto trannys!) with brand new 4.56 gears and I love them! finally I can use all 5 gears again!
 
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Sierra Cam said:
I live in the sierras with lots of hilly paved roads... put 33's on 6 mos ago and knew immediately that the original 3.73 gears had to go. today, I just got my jeep back from the axel builders (two things I wont touch in a vehicle... diffs, and auto trannys!) with brand new 4.56 gears and I love them! finally I can use all 5 gears again!
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I’m getting my 4.56 gears, True Tracks & chromoly axles installed on the 29th of this month. ‘Can’t wait to ditch those terrible 3.07s!
 
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Mudflat said:
I’m getting my 4.56 gears, True Tracks & chromoly axles installed on the 29th of this month. ‘Can’t wait to ditch those terrible 3.07s!
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3.07’s. Wow, you are gonna think you won the lottery...
 
Just some additional $0.02 ... changed the Dana 30/35 to 5.13 couple months ago. Still have 33s (31s actual size), and MAN does it have acceleration! Going to get some 35s soon that will be as close to 35 as possible. I imagine the 4-inch difference will reduce the acceleration a bit, but I'm sure it'll still have some pep.
 
Popping back in to share my experience - went with the 4.10 regear in front and back along with Truetracs. The hill I mentioned is not a problem now. Highway rpms are about as high as I would ever want them, so I’m happy I went with those gears for the 3 speed.

That said, I was recently involved in an accident that I could have avoided with better acceleration still. With the gas pedal mashed all the way down, I couldn’t avoid an ongoing car and got clipped in the back.

If the stars ever align, I may just throw a supercharged from Boosted Tech on it.
 
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