Edit** It's also against the law to tow more than stated rating even if a "dealer" says it can pull more.[/QUOTE]

Understand that but that said there is no one I know that has ever towed or loaded a bed of a pickup and not over loaded it. The truth is manufacturers know this and factor it in. Like ford says we have a tow rating of 11300 on ecoboost f150 cause we know ppl will tow 3-4k more than it says and when asked what tow rating is they said we won't tell cause then you'll put even more on.

 

Thanks again...

Are there cons of going with 5.13's and running 33's? I'm not completely sold on going the route of 35's on the Teraflex BB. However, I want to be prepared for future upgrades and NOT have to regear down the road.

On another note, you support the idea of considering the other add-ons, which will save me some $ if I do them now rather than at a later date. I understand why, but I'm not fully knowledgeable of those upgrades. Can you comment on the advantages and priority of the following and add any additional add-ons I should consider:

lockers/limiteds
gussets welded on
pull the axle for truss or sleeves

I feel like I should be tipping you for the advice. If you were closer, I'd most certainly buy you a few ::beers::

 

Lockers limited slips if you want them do it with gear swap it save you a bunch of money cause you have to set up gears when you do locker any how. I would go 4.88 with 33's no higher unless dedicated offroad. If doing sleeves do it now while axle it pulled apart same reason. Gussets most will say is a must no matter what.

 

The cons would be higher rpms and strength.

The chart will show you the rpm difference between the various ratios and tire sizes. Be sure to use actual measured tire heights and not mfg's specs. For the strength, as the ratio number increases, the pinion size generally decreases, leaving thinner teeth or less teeth in contact with the ring gear. This shouldn't be an issue with the rear 44, but can be somewhat important for the front d30, especially with larger tires and heavy offroad use. (for my use and needs, 5.13's were fine with both 33's and 35's, and I would have even gone with 5.38's if they had been available at the time of my first regear).

There are plenty of threads debating the 'need' for front housing upgrades. What it basically comes down to is that you will never know if you actually need them until after your housing is already bent or shattered. (you can bend the c's or the housing just from a good run-in with a pothole or a curb, so don't think this is only from serious offroad abuse. It is simply much more likely from offroad abuse). So the term 'cheap insurance' is fairly popular, especially with the gussets, which are inexpensive, relatively cheap to install, and provide a very good bang-for-the-buck return on investment. Anything more will depend on individual needs and budget. (If you need gears + lockers + housing upgrades + shafts + balljoints + etc, you are better off just looking for an aftermarket 44.)

 

Thanks for the education...much appreciated.

OK, so I should decide on the exact wheel and tire configuration (and put them on) before pushing forward with the regear and ultimately refer back to the chart and match it up. If I understand correctly, I should not really be trying to go with a higher gear ratio unless it maps-to/matches the tire size on the chart. And, choosing a higher ratio than what's recommended for the tire runs the jk at higher rpm's and ultimately causes more engine wear.?.?

Cheap insurance. Got it. So gussets and sleeves are a no brainer with approximately a $200 investment in parts and limited additional labor costs. I'm not sure I need the other upgrades at this point and if I did, like you said it may make sense going the route of a complete axle upgrade. But, again, I'm not sure I need the other upgrades largely in part because I don't completely understand their benefits and if its applicable to want I'm trying to accomplish. But I'll learn...hopefully before making poor choices.

As for brands of gears, gussets and sleeves...any recommendations? There seems to be a good number of choices out there.