Gearing for a 4cyl

Looking at regearing my latest project which is sporting a fresh 2.5 4cyl and 5 spd.

OK, it's a TJ (I haven't gone to the dark side - it's for my wife. . .). Running 31" tires and stock gears (4.11) it's not too bad on the street, I threw a hard top on it last night and while I thought the weight would be an issue, it actually performed better at highway speeds than with the soft top! I' ran the calculator, and it calls for a little deeper than 4.56 so I'm planning for 4.88's.

I have a few people who said "running 4.88's on 31 tires is crazy!" But, I've got a few basic beliefs: don't spend a dime on a Dana 35 and don't regear for 1 ratio lower. That said, I just picked up a sweet deal on a Dana 44 (with a 3.73 gearset), and sold the Dana 35 out from under hers so, I gotta order my parts in the next few days. . .

The only 4-cyl XJ I've driven was the Rubicon Express XJ. D44 up front, D60 in the rear, and four screaming squirrels under the hood moving 33" tires with 5.38 gearing. Sounds kinda deep until you remember that the 4-cyl XJs typically had 4.10 with stock tires and a 5-speed where the 6-cyl would have had 3.07s.

Jim www.yuccaman.com