Jump to content

Help With Gear Ratio


Recommended Posts

I have 4.88s with a 2.5l and AX4 turning 33x12.50-15s.

 

On the road it feels slightly over geared and I could definitely make use of a 5th gear but otherwise its great.

 

I would look at 4.56 or 4.88s

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The 235/75r15's make my' 86, 2.5, ax5, 4.10 feel like a dog. 33's would be unbearable, for me at least, with the stock 4.10 gears. The 2.5 is more high strung than the 4.0 so I would tend to error on the over gearing side of things. I think 4.88's would be a good fit for 33's and the 2.5/ax5. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I forget where I found that chart specifically, but IIRC, it's specific to the 4.0L/AW4 auto in 4th/overdrive.

 

It similar to this one, which goes into detail how they calculated the values...

http://www.superlift.com/library/gears.asp

 

This one may also be of some help:

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f13/zj-forum-faqs-read-before-you-post-880249/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This should help.

 

 

Those numbers don't even say what they represent. Is that supposed to be RPM at 60 MPH? If so, is that in top gear (overdrive) or 1:1 ratio (4th in the 5-speed, 3rd in the auto)?

 

Assuming they represent RPM at 60 MPH, they are completely wrong. I compared them to the numbers I worked up in a spreadsheet, using actual tire manufacturers' revolutions-per-mile data, and the numbers in this chart simply don't match up with ANY RPMs in my spreadsheet.

 

The above chart is somewhat useful as a general guide (bigger tires = less RPM, more gear = more RPM), but not helpful beyond generalities.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is that chart specific to our motors?  It also doesn't specify if that's axle ratio or final drive.

It doesn't matter.  Find your stock gear ratio and tire height.  Note the listed RPM.  Move down to your new tire height and move to the right until your find the RPM close to what you found with the stock setup.  Then look up to the new recommended gear ratio.  I recommend going one ratio lower (numerically higher) if possible, as the chart accounts for increased tire diameter but not increased tire mass.  Erring on the low ratio side greatly improves performance on road and off.

 

The common stock ratio for the 2.5L AX5 setup is 4.11, so I'd definitely go with 4.88 gears.  Changing to 4.56 isn't enough of a change to warrant the cost and time involved, and performance will only be slightly improved.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...