NUEKANE

Hey guys/gals whoever wants to read this discussion.

So one day I was watching these ridiculous (amazing) wheelers in sweden compete in these rolling hill climbs through mud on TV when on of the vehicle owners came on and started talking about how everybody ran a full gear ratio higher in the rear axle than up front. He said that since one tire was always slipping that it was determined that the different gearing pulls the vehicle through crap by grabbing the terrain.
Well I'm kinda creative and pretty experimental and realized that though I didn't have sets of gears lying around to swap in and out I had 32's on one cherokee and 33's on the other.

Now I have been running 32X10.5X15's in front and 33X11.5X15's in the back of my cherokees for 2.5 years now. I have grown to love this setup. Here in southern Idaho there's lots of lava rock, sandy dirt an rolling miniature hills. I cannot explain scientifically how this works for me or why I've never broke a transfer case or drive line (joint or otherwise), but I will tell you that ever since I went down in size in the front that I have increased mobility, especially climbing. I am not joking, the smaller tires turn faster than the rears and grab into the earth giving me a new energy, especially when mild climbing in mixed soil with medium rock.

I never use 4X4 on pavement, so there are no issues there for me.

Anybody else out there as crazy as me??

I have 4.88 gears with a limited slip in the rear- never have broke down and bought lockers- you know if you learn how to drive without them you become a much better wheeler.

I will admit right away that I do not participate in real rock crawling, for the most part I trail ride down dirt bike trails to mountain lake type destinations. Usually the whole family is with me, wife and my 2 and 3 year old so we don't do anything that would be cause for divorce lol.

Oh and I don't run full time tcases either so again..... you see what I'm saying.

So somebody tell me what you think of my setup, anybody else out there being different??

93XJLI

I think youre a little bit retarded.

99NCXJ

There is a valid point to having a different gear ratio up front but I would think it would only help in serious rock crawling. for flat dry trails it will put your drive line in a bind.

I've actually thought it would be nice to somehow be able to change the final drive ratio on the front axle to do something similar but it would have to be in the transfercase somehow so you could shift out of it somehow and use a matched gear ratio for normal wheeling. It would probably help with making sharp turns on the trail too.

Howler_GT

QUOTE:"So somebody tell me what you think of my setup..."

They asked for a tech opinion, not personal bashing.

prerunner1982

I think the set up is best for mud when there is alot of slippage. For anything else matching tires/gears would be fine. I am actually running two different sized tires right now, but they arent off by much and I only use 4wd rarely and on surfaces that allow slippage. This is due to short funds but will have matching tires are soon as those funds allow.

mike37

I think the sand drag jeeps ran like that
its an old concept and it work great in the right places

93XJLI

Ok then. To the OP:

-When you're running up a hill with your tires spinning, and they suddenly catch, your transfer case will grenade.
-You're constantly loading the chain in the transfer case with unneeded force bc of the different size tire
-The one inch difference in tire diameter barely equates to maybe .3 of a gear ratio change, so you're not getting "OH SO MUCH MORE POWER"
-The only thing that the driver of a vehicle with open diffs gets better at is spinning tires. Since professional drivers are so good, how come XRRA, WEROCK, CORR, and other off road trucks all have lockers?


Satisfied now that I've added tech?

HeavyMetal

Yeeup.

mike37

your smaller tire in front is the exact opposite of taller gears in back
smaller tire=less distance traveled per revolution

a taller gear in back would give you less revolutions in back with the same size tire

wicked_xj

x2 drive line bid and the r@p go boom

93XJLI

spelling/grammar plz? and no, the ring and pinion wont go boom.

NUEKANE

Well looks like you guys are alive. Good responses- and I don’t mind the bashing. The idea is that I’m wondering about your opinion and that should not be mellowed down.

You know the idea isn’t more power- its traction. And I trail ride in a lot of crap where traction is premium. Not so much the mud holes though. If you are talking about power its all how you look at it, do I have smaller tires up front (weaker power) or larger ones in the rear (see I’ve just powered up the rear)????? See the idea is about placing energy where it might actually get used. One thought is that I could be sensing all this extra ability because of my lack of lockers (the power is now displaced in lurches- 3inches per rotation- where individual tires now get the opportunity to break loose.


So my front tires spin less than my rear (about 3 inches lost per rotation), because they are smaller. In essence the rear pushes into the front tires and because of it the front tend to bite in a little harder than before- pulling the jeep up. That gives me traction- more than I had before in situations where it has been very evident and valuable.

I know the risks. I know my t-case will break eventually, it will break no matter my what tires I run. My jeeps are toys, they are allowed to break. I’ve got parts, (although some dude stole one of my parts XJ’s last fall) and I’ll still make it to work and so forth in one of my other vehicles (2500hd and chrysler300). But you know I really enjoy the adventure- not just the trail but the XJ that I navigate down that trail, all of it together. And to have that XJ, "that I built on my wild ideas" -that performs as well as the next guys build (even better than some) is my great accomplishment. So keep the ideas coming, no harm in bringing up the subjects.

BTW> I’m not knocking having lockers by any means- I personally haven’t made the install that’s all, and I will eventually install them guaranteed. Most jeep groups (clubs) around my parts make them mandatory and for very, very good reasons. My statement is that I have seen first hand, that guys learn to execute trails better (maybe just faster learning curve) when they are practicing (learning) without the axles locked up.

adamp

Last time I checked, it was spelled "please"

I'm pretty sure one of the points of a forum like this is to maybe get peoples opinions and help rather than verbal abuse. Maybe learn a thing or two?

Who **** in your Corn Flakes anyways?

93XJLI

your front tires are gonna spin more since theyre smaller... not less

UNLESS...

you're running stock gears up front, and 4.88s in back. that is INSANE and PLEASE say that is not true.

Verbal abuse? Its a tad easier when you can READ what people type, ya think? Btw I dont eat corn flakes.

NUEKANE

[QUOTE=93XJLI;92042]your front tires are gonna spin more since theyre smaller... not less


you are right> but its also how you look at it.
They will spin "more" as in faster than the rear, because every axle rotation is 3inches less travel.
But they will also spin "less" in traveled distance.

This is a confusing topic.