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Is STAK 4x4's 5.44:1 Ratio too low for an AW-4?

1toughxj

1toughxj

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Gilbert, AZ
I am looking at ordering a Stak transfercase but I think the 5.44:1 may be too low for an AW4 Auto with 4.88 gears on 35's. What do you guys think?
 
1toughxj said:
The other option is 4.33:1. Maybe that's the way to go.
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Several people I know (including Captain Ron) just traded their 4.3 Atlases for 3.8's.
 
That's pretty low. I have 61:1 low range with my 5.43 gears, 4:1 in the 241 Rock Trac and 2.8 AW4 gearing and like it. You are in Arizona so you do rocks so I think you will be fine. I'd suggest adding Brett's AW4 shift kit to it's easy to shift out of gear with the turn of a rotary switch, flip of a switch/paddle etc. Make sure you have good brakes and that low of a 1st gear will test them, you might want to use mostly 2nd gear and only 1st in extreme situations where you need to go that slow. With the torque converter you will be around 150:1 which is what the big boys like with manuals and their Klune V dual t-cases.

The 5:44 should resell well so what the heck, go with it. You can always resell it if you want, many people would love that low gearing. A 4:1 t-case gearing might be more what you need/want. What's the price difference between the 2?
 
I have an AW4, 4.88s, 35s and stock 2.72 ratio np231. It's perfect for trails like Rubicon and Fordyce, and a tiny bit lacking in JV. If you're only getting a 2 ratio box I would definitely not go over 4:1 (thus eliminatin STaK as an option), if you're getting a 3 ratio box either the 1, 2.3, 4.3 or the 1, 3, 5.4 boxes would be good.
 
I am going with the STaK 3 speed box. It's a tough decision between the two. I would hate to get the 5.44 box and find out the the low gear is too low. Working the numbers, the 4.33:1 puts me at a 59:1 crawl ratio and the 5.44:1 puts me @ 74:1.
 
If you do any snow, mud or sand wheeling I think the 1, 2.3, 4.3 box would be best so you can use that 2.3 for sand/snow/mud and mild trails and the 4.3 for big rocks. If you do only medium to hard rock trails I would go with the 1, 3, 5.4 case so that you can use the 3:1 most of the time and the 5.4 for the very technical climbs.
 
BrettM said:
I have an AW4, 4.88s, 35s and stock 2.72 ratio np231. It's perfect for trails like Rubicon and Fordyce, and a tiny bit lacking in JV. If you're only getting a 2 ratio box I would definitely not go over 4:1 (thus eliminatin STaK as an option), if you're getting a 3 ratio box either the 1, 2.3, 4.3 or the 1, 3, 5.4 boxes would be good.
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If he's planning to run the florence and Table mesa Arizona trails the stock gearing wont cut it for very long. Id do the 5.4 if you like controlled slow crawling. or do a 3.8-4:1 if you like some wheel speed.

I dont have a 4.0, aw4, or 35s but I do run an auto with a 60:1 crawl ratio on those trails, I have the power needed to do them with my 4:1, you should have less horse power the my 5.7L.
 
BrettM said:
If you do any snow, mud or sand wheeling I think the 1, 2.3, 4.3 box would be best so you can use that 2.3 for sand/snow/mud and mild trails and the 4.3 for big rocks. If you do only medium to hard rock trails I would go with the 1, 3, 5.4 case so that you can use the 3:1 most of the time and the 5.4 for the very technical climbs.
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The 1, 3, 5.4 would be perfect. You have the 1 for street and invisible in high range, the 3 for near stock t-case gearing of 2.72 (snow, mud, easy stuff), and the 5.4 for the fun challenging rocks. I have a 4:1 and like it for rocks, but wish I had more wheel spin for snow, so the Stak is awesome because you can have the best of the 3 worlds from mild to wild. The other option would be a Klune V, but then you are crazy low and you will probably break stuff because you could either triple or quadruple your axle gear/tranny gear/t-case. What's the price of the 1, 2.3, 4.3 compared to the 1, 3, 5.4? All other t-cases are a compromise choosing good wheel spin to turtle slow.
 
I currently also have 60:1 (5.38's and 4:1 tera low). It's a good number for most obsticles, not the best for verticle climbs though. I'm waiting on an Atlas 4 speed (Due in, in the next 2 weeks). went with the 3.8 atlas, this will give me @41:1, 57:1 or 151:1. 41 will work well in second for the fire roads or just to be able to keep up, 57 is near where I'm at now and will be used most of the time, and the really low will come in handy for the large obsticles. Looking forward to it.
It seems the prevailing theme is a 3 or 4 speed unit.
 
I'm running 4.88's, an AW-4, 37's, and the 5.44:1 STaK is due here next week. This is the first I've heard of being too low. For me, it will allow for a bit more finesse since I've had a tendency to bump the Jeep around too much with the current gearing. :cheers:
 
Capt. Nemo said:
I'm running 4.88's, an AW-4, 37's, and the 5.44:1 STaK is due here next week. This is the first I've heard of being too low. For me, it will allow for a bit more finesse since I've had a tendency to bump the Jeep around too much with the current gearing. :cheers:
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finesse, yes, but wheelspeed may be lacking and it may be difficult to stop in 1st. of course shifting to a higher transmission gear will solve both those problems.
 
The price for either gear setup is the same, that's what makes the decision tough. Florence is typically my stomping ground.
 
1toughxj said:
The price for either gear setup is the same, that's what makes the decision tough. Florence is typically my stomping ground.
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You'll be more than happy with 1, 3, 5.4 for all your driving needs (street & trail). :laugh3:
 
I run 5.13's with a 4:1 case and ax-15 = 79:1. This is too low for most of the stuff around here so I am doing a doubler so I will have the option of 54:1 or 141:1.
 
BRIANHO13 said:
I run 5.13's with a 4:1 case and ax-15 = 79:1. This is too low for most of the stuff around here so I am doing a doubler so I will have the option of 54:1 or 141:1.
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your setup with a manual transmission has no real relavance to this discussion, an auto behaves very differently
 
BrettM said:
of course shifting to a higher transmission gear will solve both those problems.
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;)

We'll see how it goes. If the tranny won't hold the gear I want, I may have to invest in one of those BrettM super-dee-duper manualmatic shifter doo-hickies. :D
 
When I put the 4.88's in a while back I found that the AW-4 would no longer jump into second. (That was around 55:1). That's when I put in the switch. Up for 1st, back for 2nd.

1&2switch.jpg


Now with 5.38's and 38's and the 4 speed atlas soon to be in, having more choices for a better gear selection to meet the obsticle at hand seems the way to go.
Also not sure how having an AX-15 is not relevant to the topic if we can have an AW-4 that has selectable gearing?
 
BrettM said:
your setup with a manual transmission has no real relavance to this discussion, an auto behaves very differently
Click to expand...

is it not he same as having your shifter kit?
 
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