which gear should i run

highrollintj

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2005
Location
Rolesville
i just purchased a set of dana 44 axles for my 2002 tj and i am plannin on runnin a 37" or 38" tire. i am currently runnin 33's on 3.07 gears. i was just wanting to know what everyone else thought would be the idle gear to run with respect to the fact that this is still gonna be my daily driver.
 
well i was just lookin into it and i am debating between 4.27, 4.56, and 4.88. the only problem that i see with the 4.88's is that my rpms will be too high on the highway, so either 4.27 or 4.56 is lookin pretty good right now.
 
what engine are you runnin and what kind of mileage are you gettin with it
 
haha very true, i am just tryin to get it to where it will drive on the road fine and have enough power offroad but also not cause me to have to go to the gas station every 3 days like i do know. i mean i already have a set of full width axles lined up for when i get another daily driver, then i do plan on gearing low for offroad only.
 
you have to overgear a little to help the engine spin all that tire/wheel weight. You'd be crazy to gear less than 4.88s if you are shooting for 38s (unless its a diesel).
 
yeah i guess i will stay with the 4.88's that i also bought with the axles then because i will be pulling a bass boat with it too.
 
Well then like he said your rpms will be sky high, not literally but you wont be able to run over highway speed limit at most with 4.88s I would doubt.
You'll have to settle with lower (num.) gears for the tires youre running which I wouldnt do if you do a lot of tough offroading, or I'd drop down to 4.56s and go with 36" SS. Thats just IMO though.
 
highrollintj said:
because i will be pulling a bass boat with it too.
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Am I the only one scared by this comment???
 
ShyHiK5 said:
Am I the only one scared by this comment???
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No, you're not.. But there is so much mis-information & bad advice being spewed around here that I just sorta ignore it and hope no one I know gets hurt or killed when he wrecks.
 
I run 4.56's with 36" IROK's (nearly 37") and have plenty of power, and get 14mpg. However, this is with a 4.6 stroker and a 5spd manual, YMMV.
 
4.88 will be your only option. It takes some grunt to turn those big tires, you'll just have to live with the RPM's. Your fuel mileage will suck no matter what. The BEST you could hope for is 13 mpg ish..... With the "Leverage" the taller tires have you can re gear all you want to and you'll never get your gas mileage back. Please listen to what everyone is telling you about towing the bass boat. Towing with a lifted vehicle with an off road suspension can get really hairy..... Don't forget that your brakes are already being stressed by stopping the big tires, then you wanna pull a boat..... The auto tranny in your TJ isn't that stout...... If you carry this out your trannies life will be greatly reduced.
 
thats waaaay worse than him pullin a little bass boat with a lifted jeep
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Don't forget the weight ratio of the jeep to the bass boat. A jeep isn't really that heavy a vehicle to being with, and... the short wheel base......
 
well i think i may have a solution to the bass boat issue. my dad just bought a brand new smaller truck for a daily driver so that means that i can drive the super duty whenever i want. and also the dana 44's that i bought have bigger breaks then my stock p.o.s dana 30 and 35.
 
:(

highrollintj said:
well i think i may have a solution to the bass boat issue. my dad just bought a brand new smaller truck for a daily driver so that means that i can drive the super duty whenever i want. and also the dana 44's that i bought have bigger breaks then my stock p.o.s dana 30 and 35.
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It isn't the brakes as much as the SHORRRRTTTTT wheel base with a jeep that makes them SUCK for towing.
For short trips, at low speed, and KNOWING what you got, you can tow a lot with a jeep. (Short trips, I mean, from the marina bay to the ramp) Or if you are careful, keep it slow, and short trips. BUT as soon as you try to stop in an emergency, that boat will push your backend right around.
Lifted high enough for 37-38s and your springs are gonna be REAL squirrely with that.
 
6" lift on a grand, with 33's and 4.11 gears. I have pulled a 31 fountain with trailer brakes no problem.. it can be done you just need to know the limits of your vehicle and how to freakin drive.

on my 89 nearly stock wrangler i have pulled my 2200lb Center Console and it was kinda scary.. it just depends on if its a little 16' bass boat or a 22' with a 300hp outboard...
 
haha yeah i will leave pullin my 32' wellcraft with dual 300 yamahas to the super duty. the bass boat is 17' with a 125 mercury.
 
If only you had a tranny with a decent overdrive... 5.13's!!!:burnout:
 
im pretty sure this is the formula but i dont have it in front of me. its simple take the gears u wanna run (4.88) times the hwy speedlimit (65) then divide that by the size of your tires which 38's arent usually 38 inches tall so lets say (37) then multiply that by 336 and there u have your rpms at 65mph with a 1:1 3rd gear in your auto. if it has overdrive your final rpm range is lower i just dont remember how to do the formula off the top of my head for that so its: 4.88x65=317.20/37=8.5729x336=2,880 rpms. 2,880 rpms at 65 is not high at all. if u have overdrive on your tranny id go with 5.13's
 
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