32's and 3.55's

[mikeny59]

31's and 3.55's, yes it's very doable here on flat li,ny, and i'm looking forward to driving home to fl. where i hope the higher speed limits on i95 will let me keep it in od, instead of 3rd, where it lives anything under 55mph.

I think the k&n monster cone, 8.5 msd wires did help out a bit in accelaeration, hoping my on-the-drawing board homemade cold air intake will help more.

btw, bought gears, 4.10's and tads three or four years ago, plus most tools to install, it's ridiculous they're still sitting in my garage covered in light oil, waiting for my girlfriend to get lost for a couple weeks so i can use her pos '94camry and do the gears, i hate rushing :yelclap:

 

[XJSpencer]

Just for the other side of the story...I hated my '94 with 32's and 3.55's for the 8 weeks I ran it that way. 32's and 4.56's rocked. My '97 has 4.56 with 35's and I want 5.13's or even 5.38's. Power off the line and crawl speed are where it's at.

For all of you who "love" your stock gears....save up and re-gear. Try it you'll really like it.

I'm tempted to go down to 33's until I can swap my frontend for deeper gears.



Oh..sorry..In answer to your question. The power loss is extremely irritating! It is the size and weight that robs power.

 

[djblade311]

I ran 32s on 3.55s for nearly a year. The gas mileage sucked but I still had decent take-off acceleration and I could fly down the highway with the lower RPMs. but yea mileage sucked. You will be absolutely fine.

When you need to climb Cajon pass or any climb on the highway, you may need to switch down to 3rd occassionally because your transmission will want to downshift and upshift at the wrong times.

I was in the same boat as you. Ran 32s on 3.55 until I could afford the re-gear.

 

[badron]

Most people don't regear. Never! Most are very happy with what they got and that's what counts. Sure there's a lot of talk around the bar about getting this gear set or that. But 95% is BS.
Run what works for YOU.

 

[BRADFORDXJ]

Well I was to worried about the power loss and the fact that it could be more than a year before I regear so I will stick with the 31's for now and start collecting parts for the 4wd conversion. From what I heard I can do it for a little more than it would cost to do the gears. I feel it would be money better spent, I would be able to go more places with 4wd and no gears than I would with gears and 2wd. Thanks for all the responses but I figured I will play it safe for now. I can always regear and get bigger tires when I win the lotery : P

 

[Red97XJ]

I seem to be the odd ball here, but I have a 97 with 3.5, ran some mtrs 31's for a few months, sold em, got mtrs 32's, I felt it was a big difference...

I can't wait to go 4.56 and lock it up.

The best mileage I have EVER gotten driving like an old lady, never going over 55 is 15.8, normally I am 13 or even 12's.

good luck.

 

[Ted Young]

Depends on if you have an auto or 5 speed. Remember that the 5 speed has both a lower (numerically higher) first gear and overdrive ratio than the auto. My buddy ran 31s in an auto 4.0 XJ and 3.55s w/ no problems. I am running a 5 speed 4.0 XJ with 3.55s and 33 x 10.50s with no problems.

 

[stupidweirdo]

Another posible downfall to running "tires to big for your gears" in an auto would be excess heat buildup in the trans. Most situations shouldn't be bad enough to cause any problems, but upgrading the tranny cooler at the same time as tires wouldn't be a bad idea. Cheap insurance and should really be done anyway.

....My real interest is turbododges (12.8 spirit R/T)....

:thumbup: I'm in the dsm side of things, but i've got a couple buddies with TD's.

 

[xjnickk]

I can't believe how you guys. My stock 94 with 28 inch tires 3.07s and 5 speed drives me crazy. I can hit 30mph in first gear. I am putting on 32s as soon as i have enough money for 4.56s and a lockrite for the rear. All if you need to regear as soon as possible and buy a locker or 2 while your at it.Any body who knows anything will agree with me.

 

[WheelinJR]

Mine doesn't do too bad with the High Output 4.0.

I am running 32x11.50x15's

at worse it bogs a bit going up hills until it kicks down into 2nd gear, but other than that its got good response. I am still planning on stepping to 4.10's

 

[twisted_ed]

I just finished the regearing with my ford 8.8 swap, and I can tell you on 4.56s with 32s I have tons of power, far better than stock and I can go uphills in overdrive now without loosing speed.

 

[M4Madness]

Well, since I'm a newbie here, I did a search before posting. Good thing.

I own a 1996 Cherokee Sport with 4.0L engine, auto transmission, and 3.55 gears. I'm wanting to add a 4" lift and 31" tires. I am concerned about being too high geared, but it appears from the previous replies that I will be okay. The only time this Jeep sees 4-wheel drive is during snow, or the occasional trip "offroad" while deer hunting. It is my daily driver, at mostly highway speeds.

Questions:

1. Any problems with not using overdrive (I always use it) in order to compensate for the larger tires?
2. If I regear eventually, can I use 4.11's in the stock differentials? I'm pretty sure that the rear is a Dana 35 (rubber inspection plug). By my calculations, 4.11 will bring me back to 3.55 with the 31" tires (or do I want to go even lower?)
3. What do I need to purchase for a gear swap (rings, pinions, etc.)? I'll definitely be hiring a professional (as I don't want to set lash myself), but was wondering what was needed.

Thanks!

 

[WheelinJR]

I always drive out of overdrive on my 32's and 3.55's. I get a little better mileage that way. I researched somewhere a while back that 2500rpm-2800rpm is where to be when driving for best efficiency.

As for ring and pinion installs you need the ring and pinion itself, along with an install kit (bearings and shims, and gaskets/seals)

examples of the ring and pinion and install kits, though I've heard mixed reviews on genuine gears rings so do your research...

http://www.rjroffroad.com/Genuine-Gear-Master-Install-Kit-for-Dana-Differential-c-366-p-1-pr-16601.html

http://www.rjroffroad.com/Genuine-Gear-Ring-Pinion-Set-for-Dana-35-Rear-Differential-c-366-p-1-pr-16610.html

 

[ready to mud]

i run 32s on a 5sp with 3.07 gears and its not too bad. i can still spin them ok on wet pavement and i dont think my milage suffers to bad. on the highway it is a bit worse as i can only really use 5th if i am speeding. but still in forth at the speed limit i am only at like 2000 rpm so its not a problem. i plan on switching out to 3.55s when i swap in a 8.25 rearend out of an auto(still unable to find a dana 44) and i will just swap in a new front axle out of an auto as well. also then i can just get them out of low mile xjs and have less used axles

 

[jeepercreeperXJ]

Well, since I'm a newbie here, I did a search before posting. Good thing.

3. What do I need to purchase for a gear swap (rings, pinions, etc.)? I'll definitely be hiring a professional (as I don't want to set lash myself), but was wondering what was needed.

Thanks!

Don't forget you need to get a new carrier as well if you're getting lower gears. I'd like to welcome you to the black hole of gearing. There's tons of different options you have in terms of good gear ratios, full-lockers instead of carriers, lunchbox lockers, while you have your gears out. I'm in the same boat. Just got a bigger lift, so the next step is gears/lockers before I step up my tire size. After ENDLESS research I'm getting pretty close to knowing what I wanna do for my setup. Search around and have fun in the abyss.:eeks1:

 

[imis_idora]

Questions:
2. If I regear eventually, can I use 4.11's in the stock differentials? I'm pretty sure that the rear is a Dana 35 (rubber inspection plug). By my calculations, 4.11 will bring me back to 3.55 with the 31" tires (or do I want to go even lower?)
3. What do I need to purchase for a gear swap (rings, pinions, etc.)? I'll definitely be hiring a professional (as I don't want to set lash myself), but was wondering what was needed.
Thanks!

2: If you have a rubber plug it's a Chrysler 8.25. You can get up to a 4.56 and the carrier does not need to be changed. 4.10 and 4.56 will require a new cross shaft pin.
3: Ring and pinion and an install kit would be good. Ratech makes some nice full install kits that come with all the bolts, shims, crush sleeve, and bearings that you would need. If someone else is doing the work, they will probably have these things.

 

[Ramsey]

http://yuccaman.com/jeep/gear1.html

 

[M4Madness]

2: If you have a rubber plug it's a Chrysler 8.25. You can get up to a 4.56 and the carrier does not need to be changed. 4.10 and 4.56 will require a new cross shaft pin.

You are correct. I checked out photos online of the 3 rear differentials offered, and mine's definitely the 8.25.

 

[Russ Pottenger]

Ditto

X3 I wish I would have done this easy and cost effective upgrade to my manual trans stock gear dd xj. I get the "Gomer" award for going to the cost and trouble of putting in a limited slip and not at the very least throw it in a stock 3.55 gear axle. :doh:

 

[lawsoncl]

im running 32x11.50x15 with 4.11 now and i find a perfect combo, i had 3.55 originally and they just werent cutting it. the 4.11's work great for on road and off road use, its a great balance

I'm running 32's and junkyard 4.11 axles as well and find it works pretty well for my daily driver on 65 mph roads and occasional back country off-roading. I've got an AW4 with a 0.75 OD ratio.

Everyone is quite happy to spout off an ideal gear ration, but no one ever mentions the type of driving or wheeling they do. Just as important is what tranny and year you're talking about as they have different gear ratios. A 10% difference in top gear ratio is the same as the difference between 4.11 and 4.56 diff ratios.

Post 1991 AW4s have 0.753 4th gear
Pre 1991 AW4s have 0.705 4th gear
AX15 fifth gear is 0.79
AX5 fifth gear is 0.85
BA 5/10 is 0.79