Advice on getting a better crawl ratio

In our region and some of the slick goopy stuff we encounter I often find myself needing wheel spin. My 4banger TJ with 33s and 4:88s was perfect for low technical stuff and still had the wheel speed needed in 2nd-3rd. Often cruised the trails between 2nd-3rd. I went to 36s and it was still acceptable however I really wanted 5:13s to make up for it.
I think it all depends on wheeling style, but I wouldn't want to be too low without the option of having plenty of wheel speed when needed. However I am a fan of skinny pedal and wheeling hard at times.
I really think you would like the axle gears just fine, then decide if you want to go lower later. Being super low will not help when you encounter a muddy rock face or have muddy tires on rocks. Need to be able to sling it out/heat the tires a little.
 
Another big plus of the D300 is it being significantly shorter than NP231w/SYE. TJ rear driveshaft length is already too short.

Regarding gearing, here's what I've had through the years:
Stock 4.0, NV3550, NP231w/2.72, 4.56's, 32" MT's - Too low, but only had it for a couple weeks
Stock 4.0, NV3550, NP231w/2.72, 4.56's, 33" MT's - Still too low, but very tolerable, just revved too high
Stock 4.0, NV3550, NP231w/2.72, 4.56's, 35" MT's - Good all around, occasionally have to shift out of 5th on the highway because of insufficient power
Stroker 4.6, NV3550, NP231w/2.72, 4.56's, 35" MT's/AT's - Awesome everywhere! Plenty of power on the street, reasonable revs, still low enough offroad
Stroker 4.6, NV3550, NP231w/2.72, 4.56's, 36" Iroks - Still good on the street,but 5th was occasionally lacking (36" Iroks were 37" tall, but light)
Stroker 4.6, NV4500, D300w/2.62, 4.56's, 38" SX's on H1's - Needs more gearing everywhere. The 38" SX's were 37", but tire/wheel combo weighed 170lbs EACH
Stroker 4.6, NV4500, D300w/4:1, 4.56's, 38" SX's on H1's - Great offroad, weak on road. Accel is fine in 1st-3rd gear, and can carry highway speed (barely).
Stroker 4.6, NV4500, D300w/4:1, 4.56's, 38.5" Creepys on Alloys - Great offroad, Pretty good on the road too. Still lacking in 5th gear, but reasonable.
Cardinal sin: 1 tons gone, swapped in D30/D35 for a couple months, then 9" rear, now HPD30 and Ford 8.8
Stroker 4.6, NV4500, NP231w/2.72, 4.88's, 35" MT's - Plenty of power but uncomfortable on highway, fine around town, good offroad.

Now I never drive it because I don't like it because it looks stupid to me without the 1 tons and it rides/handles terrible. I wanted to go back down and save weight (jeep was over 5200lbs for quite a while) but it just doesn't look right since I saw it with full widths for about 10 years.
 
I always found that my stock TJ on 31's and 3.73s never really crawled slow enough for general trail usage without riding the clutch more than I personally liked. My XJ on 33's and 4.56s I thought was a pretty sweet spot to be for general trail usage and not heavy crawling.
 
I appreciate all the opinions, and I think I will take your advice, and go ahead with my planned 4.88 gears and see how I like the crawling with that. Also with that, @shawn, I get to keep my "fancy belly skid crap" haha :D
 
BigClay said:
I appreciate all the opinions, and I think I will take your advice, and go ahead with my planned 4.88 gears and see how I like the crawling with that. Also with that, @shawn, I get to keep my "fancy belly skid crap" haha :D
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You are doing it all wrong see. Now is when you start cussing at people and tell us we're all wrong and for your style a double 231 is best.
 
A double 231 would be sweet. You wouldn't even need a rear driveshaft. You could hook the t-case output right to the rear diff with a little spud shaft.
 
shawn said:
A double 231 would be sweet. You wouldn't even need a rear driveshaft. You could hook the t-case output right to the rear diff with a little spud shaft.
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Yep. I would loosen the cross member bolts and use a big washer and old valve springs. Sounds legit.
 
shawn said:
A double 231 would be sweet. You wouldn't even need a rear driveshaft. You could hook the t-case output right to the rear diff with a little spud shaft.
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Just make sure you use poly motor mounts. The rubber ones won't hold up as long (but the rubber do flex out better).
 
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