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Impressions from a 5.13 gears install on a JL Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon (JLUR)

jlrusoin

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Are you talking about the video when Synergy did? If so, you need to remember that those guys do wheel their Jeeps hard. Real hard. Those are not only show vehicles for their product but also test vehicles that they need to put through the ringer to make sure their parts survive. Yeah there is a whole lot of skinny pedal in that video.
I have not see the Synergy video. I do wheel hard myself and that’s my concern. Do you have a link? Well wheel extreme trails but don’t or try not to do all the bouncing. Trying to play very hard on 37-38’s without spending money on 1 tons. Also drive everywhere so need something solid to make it back home.
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mgroeger

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I have not see the Synergy video. I do wheel hard myself and that’s my concern. Do you have a link? Well wheel extreme trails but don’t or try not to do all the bouncing. Trying to play very hard on 37-38’s without spending money on 1 tons. Also drive everywhere so need something solid to make it back home.
@chevymitchell had doen a bunch of research into the 4.88 vs. 5.13 debate and the pinion size for each. His opinion may be if benefit to you.
 

chevymitchell

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@chevymitchell had doen a bunch of research into the 4.88 vs. 5.13 debate and the pinion size for each. His opinion may be if benefit to you.
Follow the math. The math will tell you that you need a 4.62 to gear to achieve the equivalent of 33's on 4.10's. (With a 37" tire.)

The next size up is 4.88. It's that simple. You can go to 5.13 fine. If you wheel hard, you'll want the extra insurance of a thicker pinion. I don't look any further into than that.

I look at: What is the mathematical equivalent of mechanical advantage? Everything else doesn't matter to me.
 
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wibornz

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No matter how tough you make something, someone is capable of breaking it. So you wheel hard, you will break stuff. There are people breaking 1 ton axles, and others breaking RCV axles shafts.

We have some guys in our local club that have JKs on one tons and they break stuff just about every time their Jeep leave the driveway to go wheeling. I know that if I go wheeling with them, that we will be sitting on the edge of the trail while they fix something sometime during the day. They carry extra axle shafts, and extra drive shafts with them.
 

jlrusoin

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No matter how tough you make something, someone is capable of breaking it. So you wheel hard, you will break stuff. There are people breaking 1 ton axles, and others breaking RCV axles shafts.

We have some guys in our local club that have JKs on one tons and they break stuff just about every time their Jeep leave the driveway to go wheeling. I know that if I go wheeling with them, that we will be sitting on the edge of the trail while they fix something sometime during the day. They carry extra axle shafts, and extra drive shafts with them.
Yeah I know the same sort of people that can break anything, it's frustrating to wheel with them. I don't want to be one of those people.

My question about the strength of 5.13's is coming from people on this forum talking about switching to 5.13's for the improved street performance and ability to pull a trailer. There is very little talk about how 5.13's hold up with off road use. As many have said on the road gear strength is not an issue. Was hoping for real world "I use my jeep hard off road with 37"+ tires on 5.13's and they have been fine" or "no way stay clear 5.13's are fragile". From the responses it seems 5.13's will be ok with relatively sane wheeling.
 
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wibornz

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Yeah I know the same sort of people that can break anything, it's frustrating to wheel with them. I don't want to be one of those people.

My question about the strength of 5.13's is coming from people on this forum talking about switching to 5.13's for the improved street performance and ability to pull a trailer. There is very little talk about how 5.13's hold up with off road use. As many have said on the road gear strength is not an issue. Was hoping for real world "I use my jeep hard off road with 37"+ tires on 5.13's and they have been fine" or "no way stay clear 5.13's are fragile". From the responses it seems 5.13's will be ok with relatively sane wheeling.
I have 5.13 gears. My JLUR is basically a drive to trail trail rig. It has done some of the hardest badge trails in the US and a total of 32 badge trails in just over a year. Been to Moab twice, ran Holy Cross in Colorado, done Windrock twice, done Rausch Creek and the Rubicon Trail. It has also pulled a trailer over 14,000 miles in the last year. We wheel plenty hard, but smart. There has been many times at Moab and other places where we have spun the tires while locked in to heat the tires up.
 

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No, I had thought of going with 4.88 gears, but after talking to someone that specializes in doing gear swaps, and looking at the playing with the re gear program I found on this site, I am glad I went with the 5.13s
What is the re gear program you are referring to? Also, anyone running 5.13s with 35"s?
 

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What is the re gear program you are referring to? Also, anyone running 5.13s with 35"s?
Somewhere around here there is a chart or a linik to a site for what gears to use. Example, the chart states that for an automatic the 4.88 and 5.13 gears with 37" tires are both considered "performance" or something to that effect but for the manual transmission the 5.13s are considered performance and the 4.88 are daily driver.
 

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I just went 5.13 with 37 beadlocks and man does it feel good city driving so far. I’m shocked how much of a positive difference it made on my fairly heavy build. I dunno if it’s a psychological thing or I just haven’t been driving enough this year but my shift points feel smoother / less jerky getting back closer to Original spec.

The only advice I have for anyone is I got bit by that pesky rear locker sensor dying during this effort and moving to the Tazer Z Locker OEM workaround until a sensor can be sourced. Pick this up assuming it’s going to fail at the least opportune time and save yourself some headache until they can be sourced without buying a full axel out of warranty for what’s likely a $50 dollar sensor. @&$!#^
 

conFUcius

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I just went 5.13 with 37 beadlocks and man does it feel good city driving so far. I’m shocked how much of a positive difference it made on my fairly heavy build. I dunno if it’s a psychological thing or I just haven’t been driving enough this year but my shift points feel smoother / less jerky getting back closer to Original spec.

The only advice I have for anyone is I got bit by that pesky rear locker sensor dying during this effort and moving to the Tazer Z Locker OEM workaround until a sensor can be sourced. Pick this up assuming it’s going to fail at the least opportune time and save yourself some headache until they can be sourced without buying a full axel out of warranty for what’s likely a $50 dollar sensor. @&$!#^
Still new at this... what’s the rear locker sensor dying issue after the re-gear?
 

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chris4prez

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Still new at this... what’s the rear locker sensor dying issue after the re-gear?
so the regear is not likely the culprit entirely but likely helped exacerbate the known issue in my case. Basically the sensor isquite failure prone and sensitive. Their is lots of threads about it here in the forums and currently becasue the sensor is not sold 3rd party or direct from Jeep only solution to oem resolve it currently is a full axel replacement which is not ideal or cost effective after you just regeared.
 

conFUcius

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so the regear is not likely the culprit entirely but likely helped exacerbate the known issue in my case. Basically the sensor isquite failure prone and sensitive. Their is lots of threads about it here in the forums and currently becasue the sensor is not sold 3rd party or direct from Jeep only solution to oem resolve it currently is a full axel replacement which is not ideal or cost effective after you just regeared.
Got it - thanks! I’ll take a look at some threads.
 

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I would be surprised if you could find a dealer that would do a re-gear. Like the OP said, they aren’t even allowed to open the axle for warranty. Any issues and they replace the entire axle.
This is not really a Jeep issue, it's a Dana issue. The axle is provided to FCA as a sub-assembly. Nobody can buy the locker position sensors, not even FCA. I'm sure this will eventually get remedied as every time a $20 sensor fails, Dana has to supply a new axle assembly under warranty.

Just to be clear, the dealership doesn't touch my rig if I can help it, nobody does but me. No way in hell I'd have a dealership do a re-gear.
 
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wibornz

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This is not really a Jeep issue, it's a Dana issue. The axle is provided to FCA as a sub-assembly. Nobody can buy the locker position sensors, not even FCA. I'm sure this will eventually get remedied as every time a $20 sensor fails, Dana has to supply a new axle assembly under warranty.

Just to be clear, the dealership doesn't touch my rig if I can help it, nobody does but me. No way in hell I'd have a dealership do a re-gear.
No this is a Jeep thing. I have made many calls to Dana tec line and they say they are not allowed by contract to sell the sensor. Same thing with the locker. Call and try to buy just the locker.
 

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This is not really a Jeep issue, it's a Dana issue. The axle is provided to FCA as a sub-assembly. Nobody can buy the locker position sensors, not even FCA. I'm sure this will eventually get remedied as every time a $20 sensor fails, Dana has to supply a new axle assembly under warranty.

Just to be clear, the dealership doesn't touch my rig if I can help it, nobody does but me. No way in hell I'd have a dealership do a re-gear.
^^^ This, this and more this.
I would question the sanity of someone who would go to a dealership for a re-gear.
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