About to finally re-gear my 2011 unlimited automatic with 35's....i think to 4.88's but maybe 5.13. Is it smarter to buy the new gears with the complete overhaul kit (bearings) or save the $200 and just buy the gears? Jeep has about 20000 miles right now.

 

for $200.00 dollars it worth the peace of mine. you never know if the old were just bearly damage during removable or what. and you sure can't redo for $200.00 later

 

Depends on a few things...

1. Do you have a clam shell puller to pull the bearings? If not, new bearings are in your future.
2. Do you have a lot of miles on the Jeep? At 20k, you're pretty low miles for the bearing life.
3. Have you had the axles under deep water or extreme conditions? If so, new bearings are a good idea.

That said, most JKs can get away without new bearings and diff bearing failure doesn't seem to be a huge problem in these axles....but like gonup2 said, it can be cheap insurance.

 

I would get master kits with new bearings.