Differential Advice

cprdummy

New Member
Joined
Jul 16, 2010
Location
pineville nc
Okay...I bought a 2K XJ, 3" of lift with 32" tires. I would like a little more lift and 33s. I think the gearing is basically stock.

This XJ is a 2nd vehicle that will be a driver for my son and will be offroad some (Uwharrie, etc)

My question is what should we do about traction. I read a lot about different lockers etc, but to tell you the truth, I'm a little confused.

I don't want anything too noisy, or too expensive. I don't think I want an air locker.

What would you folks recommend? What gear ratio should I have to turn 32s or 33s?

Thanks, Bubba
 
Honestly, you've got conflicting requirements. If it is cheap, it will be somewhat noisy. If you really plan to do some off-roading, then get a lunch box locker (lockrite or spartan). You will hear them sometimes around turns when they engage/disengage, but on the straights you won't notice. Sounds like you don't want to spend the $$$ for a selectable locker or LSD.

A few google searches should give you more info than you will ever need. :driver:
 
Honestly, I'd stay away from lockers in that unless you plan on upgrading the axles and then you want to lock the new axles not the old ones. (Especially with a teenager driving it. And I'm assuming your son is a teenager).
 
so if you dont want to spend a lot, you will not be getting selectable lockers, so the other option is a "lunchbox" locker that auto-locks.

what axles does it currently have?

If it has the stock low pinion Dana 30 in the front, you could lock it, but you might want to consider swapping it to a high pinion D30. In either case, locking the front would be way less noticeable in daily driving, but you have it available when you take it off road. I think that is a common configuration for daily drivers with lockers.

Does the rear have the Dana 35 or the Chrysler 8.25? If it has the D35, I would recommend against locking it, and instead look to swap it for something stronger. The 8.25 is plenty strong enough for a locker with 32s, but....

Others may have different opinions, but I wouldn't put a rear locker in a daily driver, especially not one driven by a young person. Even if he's good enough behind the wheel to adapt to it, you still increase the likelihood of breaking parts, and general wear & tear.

Gearing is rather subjective. Most people say "go lower" but what you gain in off-road power you lose in mileage and highway RPMs. For a daily driver that will only be used for moderate occasional offroading, you will probably be happiest with something around 4.56, but if you have friends with setups, you might want to test drive them before committing. It is a big expensive job to have to do twice.

Going from 3" to 4.5" or more, you will probably need a SYE, so figure that in. What kind of lift is on it now? Does it have a t-case drop?
 
Locker wise id say look into the powertrax from richmond, its pretty much a lockrite but not as noisy! fairly cheap to!
 
If you haven't wheeled it yet you may not need/want a locker. Many of us find it more fun to have the added challenge of being open-open.
So as not to add to your confusion, "Lunch-box" lockers simply replace the spider gears in the carrier. Full carrier lockers replace the entire carrier. The carrier is the part that the ring gear is bolted to and houses the differential. The "lunch-box" lockers are relatively easy to install yourself even after a gear change, so you can upgrade the gears and add the locker later if desired. If your going with a full carrier locker, ie Detroit, ARB, OX, Grizzly, Zip etc, then you will want to do that during the gear swap.
I'd go with a Spartan in the front. A little easier to install than the other "lunch-box" lockers and cheaper too. You won't notice it on the street and overall easier on the Jeep during daily driving, especially with a young one behind the wheel. Will gain you a lot of traction off road. 4.56 gears should be about where you want to be with a 4.0 auto w/od. and 33's. I have this in my ZJ, and I can run 80+ w/out killing the motor.
 
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