I know the regearing subject has been beaten to death on here. But I have a questions that I could not find an answer to using the search feature...

My current setup is an '08 Rubicon with the stock gears, 6-speed, Ripp stage 2 and 37" Wild Peaks. I have been running this way for about 2 years with little to complain about.

Last year we got back into whitewater rafting and were towing the boat around with our '06 4runner. Boat and trailer weigh about 800 lbs total (lots of wind resistance though). At the end of the summer we traded the 4Runner for a VW Jetta TDI thinking that the Jeep could take over towing responsibilities for as little as we were doing.

Fast forward to this year... more boating trips are happening with the extended high water in the 4 corners area, and often further away. The Jeep does OK with towing the boat as long as the winds are working in favor of the trip. When hills come into play, or the wind doesn't cooperate life sucks.

My options now are:

1. Spend a few thousand to get a dedicated tow rig and keep the Jeep. Hope for a diesel 3/4+ ton something.

2. Dump the Jeep and buy something in the $30k range and say good bye to wheeling.

3. Regear the Jeep for a $1.5 - $2k.

I have looked at the charts and watched the tach for the past couple of years and have decided that 4.88's would probably be best. 5.13's seem like they would be too much for the way we use the Jeep.

My question is, how much of a difference does the regear make? Will it be night and day, or am I still just polishing a turd?

I am not looking for the Jeep to tow like a big diesel truck, I could live with something close to the performance that our v6 4Runner had.

Next time you are pulling the trailer in 6th gear, drop to 5th. The difference will be a lot like going from 4.10 to 4.88 in 6th gear.

If you normally pull the trailer in 5th, drop to 4th. The difference will be a lot like going from 4.10 to 5.13 in 5th gear.

I think its night and day.


Went form 4:10 to 5:13's. Do not tow, but the highway and actually passing someone when needed was a big plus !

Never mind. My comment was for an auto not a 6 speed.

I would say 4.88's would be good with 37's. We just re-geared a 2015 with a manual to 4.56's on 35's and the guy tows a 1200lb trailer he is very impressed.

Jason

Thanks for the replies! I was pretty set on 4.88's, went and talked to the local shop, they recommended 5.13's, called Ripp, they recommend 4.88's.

Back on the fence again between the 2 options, although, still leaning toward 4.88's.

In any case, I am thinking the regear option might be the best for now. I will wait for some more thoughts to come in!

Quacktacular,

I'm quoting ronjenx's post for you to re-read:

4.10 / 0.84 = 4.88 (6th = 0.84:1, 5th = 1:1)
4.10 x 1.25 = 5.125 (4th = 1.25:1, 5th = 1:1)

5th gear with 4.10s is almost exactly what 6th gear is with 4.88s.
If your headwind troubles occur in 6th, 5th gear will show you exactly what 4.88s will be like.
If 5th gear with 4.10s doesn't do what you need, then 6th gear with 4.88s would not either.

ronjenx's examples for 5.13s are just as solid. You can "test drive" your new gears for free!

If you plan to continue to run 37's on the Jeep, I highly recommend going to 5.13's with the 3.8 liter and auto trans. 4.88's may be livable similar to what you say you've dealt with prior to towing but 5.13's will be much better.

i have a 6 spd that came with 3.21. i got 4.88 when i got 33's. LOVE IT. i have 35's now but the gears are still very short but no regrets. in your case with 37's i would absolutely go 5.13, wouldnt even think twice. if i got 37's right now i would re-re-gear my rig to 5.13.

as far as towing goes, never have and probably never will with the jeep. honestly if you are going to be towing a lot, get a truck that can handle it. seems like youve already weighed your options and at this point its really up to you.

here's how i see it. you should regear the jeep anyway, regardless of whether you're going to use it to tow or not.

as far as purchasing an older 3/4-1 ton truck and keeping the jeep versus buying a highway king and say goodbye to wheeling, that depends on how much you love wheeling.

different motors

The charts are for actual tire size not generic sizes the tire companies sell.
The difference between 4.88 and 5.13 is slight and I would consider how the jeep is driven the most. Lots of towing, long distance highway trips, lots of steep grades, town driving, actual tire size on the jeep.

More towing, more hills, more town driving I would go with 5.13's

more non towing with lots of highway driving in flatter areas I would lean to 4.88's

Either choice should make a night and day difference when towing even with a Ripp and will take some of the stress off the drivetrain all the time.

Thanks Dirtman, your comment pretty much seals it for me. The past few days I have been pouring over the calc charts and ratio calculators plugging in all of the possibilities. My tires measure out at about 36" so I have taken that into account.

The calculators show about a 130 RPM difference between 4.88's and 5.13's in 6th gear at 65 - 75 mph. Looking at that figure I am pretty set on the 5.13's which would give a better advantage in the lower gears.

Living in Moab we frequent the 6500'+ elevations in southwest CO, and recently, often with the raft and trailer. The majority of the time the speed limits are <70 mph so top end is less important than low end grunt.

Now on to the install... I have setup Ford 8" and 9" gear sets in the past with good success. I know the 44's don't have a 3rd member to take to the bench, but I think I can set these up myself and save about 2/3rds the quoted cost. Other than the locker plunger are there any things to watch out for on the install? Any tips to make the install go easier? I plan to purchase a package with master install and gear sets. I have a shop press and a full set of tools to pull it off, with the exception of a dial indicator and a case spreader (if necessary). One thing I don't have is access to a lift at this point. I am youngish so doing it on the ground is probably doable. Just need to wait for a weekend with good weather... probably September at this point!

Thanks to all that have replied! I am feeling good about the difference that regearing will make. I think the Jeep will fill the towing needs much better post regear.

Yes but he has a supercharger which makes it a bit faster than a 3.6 and trans is the same

Jason

Thanks again for everyone's input! 5.13's and master install kits were ordered today.

Anyone know of good tutorial videos out there for installs in the Rubicon axles?

From what little I have found the carrier bearing preload / location is set by shims between the outer race and the housing. Can anyone confirm this?

yes correct

Jason

The carrier bearing preload is shim-set.
The pinion bearing preload is torque-set, with the crush sleeve ensuring a high torque on the pinion nut.

Miss read that! Corrected