need gear ratio direction!

DIXIE_KRAWLER

DIXIE_KRAWLER

dixie-OllllO-krawler
Joined
Jan 27, 2013
Location
Boiling Springs NC
i have a 97 tj, 4 banger, auto. currently running 32x11.50s. looking to run at least 36s. i want to keep my stock dinky axles, i know i should upgrade to chromoly shafts but thats about it. im not sure about what gear i need. i want to be able to still run 60-65 on the highway and still be able to wheel it fairly hard. please feel free to give me advice and pointers. thanks, -wheel on!
 
a 4.0 swap would be a good idea. but i believe 4.88 is the max for d30. probably want to find a different rear axle amigo
 
You need to swap the rear axle is you wanna run 36s.


Sent from my mobile Toyota base using Tapatalk
 
Redneck92 said:
You need to swap the rear axle is you wanna run 36s.


Sent from my mobile Toyota base using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

This. You're not going to be able to polish the dana 35 rear enough to run 36s reliably, and especially not with just adding chromos and regearing. Your dana 30 can survive for a while if you build it right and wheel sensibly, but neither are up to 36s in stock form.
 
Hate to say it but this is a want your cake and eat it too kind of question. If it was my TJ, I would slap narrow 33" TSLs on it with a 4" lift and swap to an 8.8 or 9" rear, mechanical lockers at both ends. Then wheel the crap out of it. That little Jeep can do some amazing things without big tires. Giant tires + spindly axles + wheezy engine = problems.
 
I have 4.88's with 33's and it's manual. I can get to 65 and still be under 3k. 70 pushes 3k or just over. Other than that it brought the 4.0 to life and then some. I was lucky and bought my 8.8 and trussed locked d30 from a poster on here already geared. No way in hell I'd ever put ,y money into 4.88's and 33's on a dana 35 just because your cost is already so high anyway. Find an 8.8 geared 4.10 from the factory maybe even with an lsd and use your regear money to pay someone to weld the perches and shock mounts for you. Then go 4.10 in the front and call it a day.
 
OnlyOneDR said:
Hate to say it but this is a want your cake and eat it too kind of question. If it was my TJ, I would slap narrow 33" TSLs on it with a 4" lift and swap to an 8.8 or 9" rear, mechanical lockers at both ends. Then wheel the crap out of it. That little Jeep can do some amazing things without big tires. Giant tires + spindly axles + wheezy engine = problems.
Click to expand...

I'd problem go the same direction. 33s will surprise you at what you can do with them. You don't always need bigger tires, just have to be picky where you put those little tires.


Sent from my mobile Toyota base using Tapatalk
 
I forgot you should already have 4.10's which is better for you cost wise. Just find a factory 4.10 8.8 and then figure out how much tire you need after that. 4.88 on 35's would probably be ok with a 4 banger. I think that's as big as you can go with the front axle.
 
Last point because I hemmed and hawed on gearing. Between the costs of gears and install know exactly where you want to end up because the value of a tj on 36's still sporting a D35 is much less than one on 33's but riding a beefier axle.
 
Pricing out a 4.0 swap may be a more advantageous upgrade. A 4.0 paired with your 4.10's especially with an automatic might net you more bang for your buck. Especially if yours has high mileage.
 
You can pull 4:10 8.8 at pull apart for $160. I was in your boat but decided to swap in the 4.0. I swapped in a low mileage engine trans and transfercase with sye header harness and computer for $2k, thats everything with me doing the swap, welding/fab. I now swapped in a 8.8 and have less than $300 doing everything myself using stock brackets and used parts and some extensive Googling for cheap conversion parts. Of everything I have done, I wish my first mod was the 4.0L swap. I wish I had done it 50k miles and 3 years earlier.
 
Plus if he's farming out all the gearing and work he's probably 1800 in and will still have a crap rear axle. At least with a 4.0 you have a defined upgrade and can better use stock 4.10's. Wheel till you break em then do the axles.
 
Only other advice I have is read up and save up. Lots of reading allows for more saving, lol. None of it's cheap. Although being able to weld yourself for the axle setup or do the gear setup yourself is a huge savings.
 
Back
Top