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3.5" Lift - Tires Question
- Thread starter arfinsd
- Start date
silverslk
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Garbage Grove, CA
SBrad001 said:Wow, so many people saying that stock gears are okay, except for those of us that HAVE regeared.
How exactly can you offer an opinion on something that you haven't done?
Cal is exactly right on ALL of the reasons he gave for regearing.
Just regear and be done with it. You'll be really pleased that you did. And remember, 'Deeper Is Better'.
WOW, how many people are giving their opinion about what is NOT the question. The quetion wasn't "Is it better for me to regear?" That answer is "YES, of course" The problem was his question was......
"The question I have is, if I go with 32's, will I have to re-gear? Should I go with 31's?"
Try answering THAT and not attacking people who have not regeared (yet) and saying they don't know. I have not regeared my XJ but do I know about gearing........riding motorcycles since I was 11 (23 years now) says "YES"
- Location
- Hammertown, USA
silverslk said:
Ok then.
Yes you have to regear, IF you want to have any decent gas mileage and or reliabilty, for all of the reasons mentioned above.
An answer of "YES YOU HAVE TO REGEAR" is useless without a WHY.
And your motorcycle experiance doesnt exactly apply here? Small displacement 2 and 4 stroke motors pushing 350 pounds is a huge difference from a 4.0 pushing 4,000 pounds.
- Location
- Albuquerque
silverslk said:
Did you miss the 'smiley face' in my post?! :rattle:
It immediately implies sarcasm or smart-ass. . . .
:illegalflipoffsmiley:
Geez sarcasm is just lost on some people. :moon:
blackhawk411
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- OC, SoCal
Hmm...i was going to lift and go 31s without re-gearing but now you guys are changing my mind.
98xj 4.0 aw4 automatic in socal freeway-no regearing, is this a good idea? I mean I don't see too many hills in socal freeways anyhow.
98xj 4.0 aw4 automatic in socal freeway-no regearing, is this a good idea? I mean I don't see too many hills in socal freeways anyhow.
- Location
- Hammertown, USA
SBrad001 and I are both in SoCal. I can't speak for him but I sure feel its necessary on Southern California freeways.
CJ's98XJ
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Where the heck is Moyock, NC?
Exactly what do you do with yur XJ? Is it yur DD? Do you commute with it? Is most of your driving cruise control on the interstate or bumper to bumper stop and go on side streets? Hills or flat? Do you wheel it in the mud, in the desert or do you crawl it hard?
I run 31x10.50's with 3 1/2" on stock gears and it works out great for me. I commute with it. Almost all of my commute is relatively flat on the interstate with the cruise control set. The 31" tires just make for a larger overdrive. Yes. I have lost a little power off the line, but not that awful much. Lets face it. It's a Jeep not a dragster.
4 low is still low enough for any wheelin I intend to do with it, and that slightly higher gearing is nice in the mud. That little bit extra speed makes big differences in clearing mud outa your tires.
You don't need to regear w/31's, depending on what you plan to do with it. But i think 32's would be pushing it.
I would see your $ being better spent on basics to start. Armor it good and lock it. Even with the 31's and stock gears it will suprise you where it will go.
I run 31x10.50's with 3 1/2" on stock gears and it works out great for me. I commute with it. Almost all of my commute is relatively flat on the interstate with the cruise control set. The 31" tires just make for a larger overdrive. Yes. I have lost a little power off the line, but not that awful much. Lets face it. It's a Jeep not a dragster.
4 low is still low enough for any wheelin I intend to do with it, and that slightly higher gearing is nice in the mud. That little bit extra speed makes big differences in clearing mud outa your tires.
You don't need to regear w/31's, depending on what you plan to do with it. But i think 32's would be pushing it.
I would see your $ being better spent on basics to start. Armor it good and lock it. Even with the 31's and stock gears it will suprise you where it will go.
silverslk
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Garbage Grove, CA
cal said:
Ok Cal. I like you but that is just retarded. Gearing is what MAKES or breaks a motorcycle. I have friends with supermotards that changing the gearing makes the difference between topping out at 100mph or 105mph and changes accelleration HUGE. Go get a motorcycle and change the front sprocket 1 or 2 teeth and tell me it doesnt apply. :banghead: :kissyou:
I just don't like some guy o the net telling other people that because someone hasn't regeared that their experience isnt valuable. This is the same guy that probably bashes RE for ground clearance and praises TnT but has NEITHER.
I had my '98 Warngler with the D35 and stock 3.07 gears running on 35's for almost a year before I regeared! Did my mileage suck? Yes, I was getting 12mpg on good days, and I had less torque and power, but it worked both on and offroad until I could afford to finish up my 9" rear build with 4.88's and an Eaton. Go ahead and get the new rubber in the bigger of the two sizes and re gear accordingly when you have the extra cash. My new Cherokee build will be running around on 33's from this weekend until March or maybe even April when I get the D44 rear built and under it, but I'm not going to let that stop me from enjoying my new lift and tires. Good Luck!!!
- Location
- Albuquerque
silverslk said:
You're right, it is like the guy that bashes RE and praises TnT but has neither.
If you haven't regeared, you obviously don't have the knowledge to comment on whether or not one should regear. :moon:
silverslk
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Garbage Grove, CA
SBrad001 said:
Except I have driven my XJ with 33's and 3.55's and driven TCM GLX's with 33's and 4.56's and neither one liked Cajon Pass so I DO know the difference. I just don't feel the need to force people into thinking they MUST HAVE better gearing to upsize their tires. Everyone knows it "should" be done as soon as possible but not everyone has the cash to do it. So again I say, answer his question if he HAS to regear for 32's not if he "should". :banghead:
CJ's98XJ
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Where the heck is Moyock, NC?
To get back to the original question of 31 vs. 32's.......
If you have already lifted 3", You will still have to trim a little to run 31's without any rubbing. It will suprise you how much you really need to do and what it costs to move to 32's if you are going to do it right.
You kinda gotta ask yurself if the extra 1/2" of ground clearance is worth it. I'd stick with the 31's and spend my $ on other stuff to start. Then later think about larger tires. If I gotta regear, I'm gonna run at least 33's.
If you have already lifted 3", You will still have to trim a little to run 31's without any rubbing. It will suprise you how much you really need to do and what it costs to move to 32's if you are going to do it right.
You kinda gotta ask yurself if the extra 1/2" of ground clearance is worth it. I'd stick with the 31's and spend my $ on other stuff to start. Then later think about larger tires. If I gotta regear, I'm gonna run at least 33's.
Daedalus454
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Simi Valley, CA
I'm running 31" tires with 3" of lift on stock gears. I really like the "look" of 31s with 3" and I have been pretty happy with it as a whole. It was almost enough ground clearance to do Gold Mountain (31s that run closer to size would work pretty well, mine measure just a little over 29" dia). 3.55s with 31s is bearable, but I am actively looking for a good deal on 4.10 or 4.56. Going uphill, even lightly loaded, I cannot maintain 65 without the AW4 downshifting. I usually shift into "3" on hills. My mileage went down to ~13 MPG from ~18. Remember that you will need a new D30 diff carrier to go lower than 3.55.
I bought my '98 with a 3" lift and 32's with stock gears. Mileage is usually around 16mpg, but since its a daily driver and I'm on the highway a lot, I'd really like to regear. Is there a 4.30 kit for the C-8.25 and whatever axle is in the front, or do I have to go 4.10 or 4.56? Which would be better overall for the best mileage?
Edit: actually the mileage is probably worse because my speedo gear hasn't gotten here yet. Damn.
Edit: actually the mileage is probably worse because my speedo gear hasn't gotten here yet. Damn.
- Location
- Hammertown, USA
silverslk said:
I said it doesnt apply *HERE*. I know all about how it applies to bikes - I had 13 freaking 2 stroke bikes between the age of 12 and 18 (before nearly losing my dad to a bike accident and walking away from them).
That does not change the fact that driving on the highway with large tires and not regearing is really hard on a rig, and while you can do it, it is not a good idea nor cost effective. Regearing for 32's will pay for itself inside of a year, just in gas mileage.
- Location
- Hammertown, USA
sunburned said:
Most people who have run both on the deep and shallow side for a given tire size think that deep will give you better mileage, as you don't put your foot down as hard.
I got 19-21 with 32's and 4.56 gears on my '87.
sunburned said:
i would go 4.56. i would rather be geared a little too low(4.56) than a little too high(4.10), even for highway driving. this may not get you the "best" gas mileage, but it will provide you will enough power to pass and go up hills without the transmission downshifting.
SBrad001 said:Wow, so many people saying that stock gears are okay, except for those of us that HAVE regeared.
How exactly can you offer an opinion on something that you haven't done?
Cal is exactly right on ALL of the reasons he gave for regearing.
I've done both, on somewhere around 10 different Jeeps now, with the largest ones running 35-37" tires and deep gears. Some geared so deep that my TOP speed on the highway was 60 MPH pulling 3200 RPM.
Stock gears with 31's is more than tolerable for the 4.0/aw4. No big deal at all on an auto. On a 5spd with 3.07's, it's a little more of a pain in the rear.
Edit: One more thing....the TYPE of tires and wheels matters too. A mildly treaded AT tire on an aluminum wheel is going to be tons easier to turn than a bias swamper on a steel wheel. That kind of stuff factors in too, as well as how much extra weight you have added to your rig, etc
There is no dividing line where you al of a sudden MUST regear (like the OP was asking here in his 31's/32's choice). It really is a matter of personal preference and cost effectiveness. Yes, Cal is right on the reasons why...but sometimes the amount of change is so small that the cost is not justified.
Last edited:
SBrad001 said:
Well you SHOULD always regear for any decent size change in tire size. But there is a point where the change you made is so small it just isn't worth the money.
You do realize of course, that a change from 29" tires to 31" tires is only a 6-7% change in diameter, right? Hardly worth spending a grand to reagear for.
I'm running 31's now on my snow beater with 3.55's. Gas mileage hasn't changed more than a couple of MPG, power is PLENTY, and driveability is fine.....still much better than any rig I have owned on 33's-37's even when they DO have the correct gears. :moon:
