CB121

I just bought a 97 Jeep Wrangler and I'm looking to change the gear ratio or whatever to something larger so I get more pull on the lifted tires. Anyone know a good website or store that I can get it? Also, I think they come stock 3. something and I need to know what to bump it up too. Thanks

SpeedJunkie

Join jeepforum.com


You can find all the info you need there. You can also request a build sheet from Jeep.

http://www.jeep.com/wccsapp/universa...ull&category=U

Being that yours is a 97 it very well may not be stock gears anymore.

CB121

being someone who doesn't know what their looking at, haha, how can you tell if it is or not?

Thanks for the help though

SpeedJunkie

The easiest way is to turn your rear tire one full rotation with the whole rear end jacked up and count how many times the drive shaft rotates. May want to mark the drive shaft with a piece of tape. So for example. One full turn of the tire and the drive shaft rotates about 3.75 times you would most likely have 3.73s

My guess would be 3.07s

There is also a tag on the diff cover that should tell you, may need to clean it up a bit to read it though.

Knowing what you need to bump up to would depend on the tire size. Also, when you have it opened up you will most likely want to install lockers. It gets real expensive real fast, but then again so do Jeeps.

CB121

See I thought they came 3.73 and as it gets lifted it isn't necessary but helps to change the gear ratio on them just for more pick up and I think it gives better gas mileage too. Do you have a guess as to about how much $ it will run?

SpeedJunkie

Most stock gears are 3.07s on wranglers. Some were optioned out with 3.73s based on towing packages or just the owner ordering it that way. For example mine came with a D44 in the rear and 3.73s.

Cost is going to depend upon a couple of things.

If you decide to do lockers at the same time and what type and brand of lockers you do.
What gears you decide to get.
Who installs them. I recommend a professional or someone you know well and trust as you can destroy a set of gears quickly if installed wrong.

My rig does fine with 3.73s and 33s but I am going to gear for my down the road plans when I go with tube fenders and 37s for a low center of gravity build. It is going to cost me a lot because I will swap front axles and do air lockers at the same time... Who knows when I will do it, will probably work on other things first. Just dropped 700 on a rear bumper.

What do you really plan to do with it? Cruise the beach? Just drive it? Trail riding? Rock crawling?

CB121

I picked it up from a High school senior looking to sell so he could get a car. They bought it from a dealership and I could tell he wasn't going to know what was done to it so I didn't bother asking. I am a college student so its my only transportation, dd, commuter, beach cruiser, just everything. I was only looking into changing the gears because I know it gives you a little more acceleration, pep, and gas mileage. I use to own a 92 4.0 and it seemed to be a little better, but this 97 2.5 doesn't have quite the pull. I would just like to be able to do 70-80 on interstate, if that's possible. Are the lockers a necessary thing? What exactly do they do?

SpeedJunkie

They are not necessary by any means. They just ensure that you never have wheels that aren't getting power to them (true 4 wheel drive). Without them you can have 2 of your 4 wheels spinning and 2 just sitting there depending upon the traction each wheel is getting.

If you don't do any serious wheeling you don't have to go spend that money.

The 2.5 is never going to be a rocket on the streets but is very capable off-road. What size tires do you have?

CB121

oh simple enough ha. Yeah I don't expect to haul ass but it be nice to eventually get to 70-80 cruising on interstate. Their 33's 4" lift

-JB-

With a 2.5 motor it should be stock dana 30 lp front axle and a dana 35 lp rear axle both with 4.11 gears. That is a typical setup for a stock 2.5 Wrangler.

Throw a set of 4.56 to 4.88's (4.88's if you plan on running larger tires in the future) in the axles and while you are there throw some lockers in. If you are on the cheap look at Aussie front locker and a detroit for the rear.

2.5 motor isn't anything to brag about, it does good on the trails crawling around. 4.0 swaps are fairly easy and I've done one on a buddies Jeep TJ. Just have to get motor mounts and wire it up.

Join JeepForum.com (which the majority of people on there are your typical Jeep owners that drive them everyday and don't do anything extreme to them)

Join Pirate4x4.com (this site is geared more towards extreme 4wheeling and rock crawling, you'll see Jeeps sitting on 1ton axles running big tires)

Join NovaJeepers.com (its a local Jeep forum and the guys over there are pretty good)

Join VirginiaKrawlers.com (another local forum and the guys are cool over there, its not only Jeep but any type of 4x4)

I plan on building my hp dana 60 front and dana 70 rear 1ton axles I have in the garage for my Jeep, stretching the wheel base and running 40in tires with 5.13 gears or higher.

Do some research all the answered are there on those forums.