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Gears, gears, gears

MountainRhino

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Harrisonburg, Va
Does any one know of a simple way to explain gearing. and why "4.10" gears are better than stock. whats better than 4.10?
Or maybe a very informative, easy to understand website?

I want to put this 8.8 rear end in my jeep, and i need to be able to do it myself.
 
The gear number you're referring to is the ratio. 4.10 means that for every 4.1 turns of the pinion gear (the input from the transfer case), the ring gear (the output to the wheels) turns only once. The more times the pinion gear turns relative to the ring gear, the slower the speed of the vehicle.

This slower speed has a variety of advantages. First, it allows compensation for larger tires - larger tires make the vehicle go faster for a given RPM, and lower gears fix that problem. With a higher gear ratio, less torque is available at the wheels, which also makes it hard for the engine to overcome the weight and diameter of aftermarket wheels. Increased torque is great for offroading, and even just for driving around town.

There's many gear ratios out there from 2.73 (really, really high), all the way down to the gear ratio in a Rockwell axle (7.something), and even lower. Lower gears mean less speed at the axle and more torque, higher gears mean more speed at the axle but less torque.

Have a read up in the FAQ at the top of the main page for "What Gear Ratio Do I Want?" - lots of good reading in there.
 
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