• Welcome to the new NAXJA Forum! If your password does not work, please use "Forgot your password?" link on the log-in page. Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if we can provide any assistance.

Who runs 32's, 3.55's and an AW4?

Big Woody is a '90 Wagoneer XJ, 4.0, AW4, 242, D30/35 with 3.55's and BFG MT 32's with ~4" of lift.

I've got 224k miles on it and still get 19.5 to 20 mpg on my daily 110 mile commute.

The only drivetrain mods are a K&N filter on a custom airtube and a cherry bomb glasspack muffler, otherwise basically stock.

On the trail, I don't seem to have too many issues. It has a Trac-Lok in the rear, LockRight in the front and the non-disco D30. It goes pretty much where ever I point it. I did do the AW4 lockout switch to lock it into 2nd gear. This helps when going down hills. 1st seems too low sometimes, 3rd is too high.

Otherwise, I'm happy with the setup considering the compromises. I couldn't justify the gearing change for the average 45 mph commute speed and it seems to do OK otherwise. I got about 20 mpg going to the Rubicon earlier this month, a roundtrip of about 1700 miles.

Hope this helps and feel free to ask any other questions.

John
 
I run 32x9.5 TSL Bias plys on 6" of lift with my '99 AW4...bored TB, snorkel and rusty's exhaust...Mileage? not good with teh heavy swampers, but with my BFG AT's (285/75/16's....abou 33x11.5) I do MUCH BETTER.

Offroad isn't bad at all but I'd like 4.10's or 4.56's...I know the highway would suffer though....
 
I have 32 bfg's, AW4, and 3.55s. I've been driving it this way for about a year now (i'm impatient, so that's a long time for me), and I haven't ever had a real problem with it. My 99 still gets off the line just fine, cruises well on the hwy, and offroads well enough. I live in the santa monica mountains in So Cal, so 4th is a little low on some of the hills, but third doesn't rev to much and will get me up anything. I still get about 20 on the hwy too, and about 17-18 mixed. I'm regearing now, but the fact I waited a year tells you that is wasn't that bad. For power I have exhaust, bored TB, and tube intake with cone filter.

Marcus
 
dear jesus...20MPG....haven't seen that since stock and I'm in good tune (heavy foot I guess...)
 
There are other ways to get better gearing.

For example: I may have an 87' D35, 4.10 and a LockRite for sale soon about $250.

This way you can get an easy swap in axle, geared and locked.

D30's might be a little harder to find, but can be had already geared to 4.10. Also you can easily find a Junkyard D30, and do the gearing yourself, to save dough. I know you just had to rebuild your top end, but later you can get to 4.10 for around $500.
 
XJCHUCK72 said:
D30's might be a little harder to find, but can be had already geared to 4.10. Also you can easily find a Junkyard D30, and do the gearing yourself, to save dough. I know you just had to rebuild your top end, but later you can get to 4.10 for around $500.
Click to expand...

Look for a 4 cylinder XJ. I believe they were 4.10 gears from the factory.
 
Are you going to run the stock wheels? With my 32-11.50/15's on stock 15x7 wheels I get some rubbing.

Plan on some front skid plate and lower control arm rubbing, along with a bit right above the front coils. You may want to cut the front fender away underneath the corner marker and trim back the fender flare. Mine made contact at that point in the front at full stuff.

In the rear they will rub on the upper inner fender. You should clear the rear flares with no trouble since the wheels sit in so tight. But watch for the space between the tire sidewall and the leaf springs, they are awfully close to each other. If you run 8" factory wheels, you could be really close to the springs, perhaps even touching them.
 
Last edited:
I had the 32x11.50 tires with auto and stock 3.55 gears for a long time. I hated the highway performance as it constantly downshifted for even the slightest of hills. Gas mileage averaged around 13-14 MPG. I just regeared to 4.56 and wish I had done it sooner.

Tom
 
Trimming is fun :D I can show up (after I do my remodel) or you can use my driveway and I can help you out with that: I feel like an expert after a session with Ed on mine LOL. Yours would require though some planning as the front under the lights has a bit extra that would have to be cut and folded....

Kejtar
 
Sequoia,
Casper here. I have an 87 with over 200,000 mile on it, running 32 x 11.50 BFG AT KO's, with the AW4, 4.0, auto transmission, 3:55 gears D35 rear welded spool, D30 front with lockrite, 2nd gear lock out, etc., etc. Moab 2000 I was running MT's, but other than that everything else pretty close to the same. I drove my XJ to Moab 2000 and it was a little slow up the hills, but other than that it ran GREAT! I now tow my XJ for long trips. Off road, I don't think that changing to lower gears would be that much of a difference for me considering the cost. I have absolutely no problems off road with the 3:55's. At home with local around town driving, it doesn't hinder me enough to change the 3:55's to 4:10's or 4:56's compared to the cost of having it done. I think you will like the setup. You may find that you want to regear if you drive allot on the pavement. Is this your daily driver? I have the same setup that I have now when we did the FF'99 Colorado event, and then the Moab event and I did everything everyone did without any problems. I wont change mine now that I have had the opportunity to prove its worth with 32's. Good luck Sequoia. See you in Moab.....

Casper
 
I ran that set up for about four months. I actually drove out to MOAB, from Illinois, with it. Without repeating everything others have said, "It's not bad". Leave it in 3rd or you'll eventually smoke the tranny or you'll get sick of it bouncing back and forth between gears.


Flowers
 
GSequoia said:
I'm probably gonna get 15x8x4.5 Black Rockcrawlers...Might have to trim...Oh well :)
Click to expand...
I run my TSL's on that wheel with only rubbing on the ARB (but I'm at about 6" of lift and they're 9.5 wide....my street wheels at about 4" of BS IIRC (16x7) and the tires rub the LCA's (285/65/16) around town, connected.
 
For the next couple days, I've got 32x10.50 TSL radials and 3.55s...

Gas milage? YECK... stock was 15mpg.. now it's 11 on a good day...

Like everyone else says... road manners ain't bad... definately better than all the 4 cylinder cars I've drove in the past...

I'm getting regeared now... despite popular opinion, I went 4.11's... I guess I'll get to hear all the "I told you so's" later....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

K
How does backspacing affect handling? 3.75 vs 4.5 backspacing for 31 x 10's?
Replies
11
Views
4K
XJEEPER
XJEEPER
R
1992 XJ AW4 doesn't want to shift
2
Replies
20
Views
3K
Rob Mayercik
R
R
Another overland/crawler build
2 3 4
Replies
74
Views
13K
ruthlessone3k
R
K
XJ Overland build plan, need a sanity check.
Replies
16
Views
6K
jeep ride
J
ZomBrady
Things are looking up or how a couple of XJs gave me back my life
Replies
6
Views
171
ZomBrady
ZomBrady
Back
Top