landis76

I am NOT a pro mechanic but I am pretty confident when it comes to that stuff. Has anyone here ever tried this? I understand the basic procedure but I'd like to hear if any shadetree mechanics have attempted it. I just thought with the right tools, it could be done.

PsychoCupcake

Yep I did mine and I had no prior experience. 20k miles and still doing fantastic. This thread was what I used for my DIY as well as some other resources. But this will get you started.

https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/jk-w...gearing-82262/

landis76

Wow,I have never seen such a detailed write up! This gives me alot of confidence. Thanks!

PsychoCupcake

Yep! And if you have any questions, feel free to PM me. I'm always happy to help.

ShutterBug

I have never done my own gears, and not sure I would on my DD.

My current housing was geared to 4.88 before I got it. When I replaced the axle seals, I could not get the carrier back in to the housing. Whoever did the gears had put so much preload on the bearings, that I had to ask someone else to help. They ended up using a case spreader to stretch the diff housing just enough to get it back in.

If my Jeep was a trailer princess, I might consider doing a job like this myself. Although it seems simple enough to follow a write up, when things don't quite go to plan, it's not always that black and white. Plus, the tolerances being so tight, that a small mistake could end up with disastrous results.

This, but no means, is meant to discourage you from giving it a go. Like I said, if I didn't need to drive it every day to work, I'd consider it. I'd be able to spend all the time I wanted to make sure it was right. But the $1000 or so in labor is worth it to me to be reasonably sure I'll have a vehicle to drive when I need it.

PsychoCupcake

Using a diff spreader is recommended for gear swaps anyway. I can't imagine putting it back in without one. So, I don't think you had too much preload... it was probably just fine.

I've known way too many people who blew their gears apart on the trail and you have to stop and wonder if it was just a bad day on the trail or if it was sloppy gear setup. Almost all the gears I have seen from local shops had horrible contact patterns. At least doing it myself, I only have myself to blame if something goes wrong.

Another sticking point for me was that I wanted to buy American made gears. And yes, I was able to find them from US Gear in 4.88 for my Rubicon. I couldn't find anyone willing to do the work with me bringing them the gears. They wouldn't warranty it or simply refused to do the setup entirely. So, again, that is why I did my own.

landis76

The one question I do have is where I can find the cheapest set of 4.11s?

PsychoCupcake

Generally used from someone that had them and replaced them. But why would you spend all that time and energy to regear to 4.10s? What is your tire size and engine/trans?

landis76

Well using the 3.6/auto chart you see everywhere giving the RPMs for tire size vs gear ratio, 4.11 seemed to be the best way to go. I currently run 33” which has me at about 2K at 70 mph. 4.11 would put me just slightly above that. However, I did consider 4.56 because I eventually want to go to 35” or 37” but I was afraid it was overkill. What do you think?

PsychoCupcake

4.56 would probably be overkill for 33s but I would hate to do gears multiple times. 4.88s are what I'm running for the 3.6 auto and 37s and I think it is spot on. If I were you I'd hold of on gears until you know what your final desired tire size is and then go the appropriate gearing.