Recommended gearing for Sahara V6 with 3.45 gears on 35s with a rear D44

[beast40]

4.88 would be my recommendation. Those charts don't factor in rolling weight, drag etc. I've made the expensive mistake of under-gearring before.

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[aldo98229]

I'm not too far South of you and am getting ready to do my own. I don't know what is so weird about this area, but it the labor is crazy high here. On top of that, shops don't stand by their work. Most don't offer any warranty. I received similiar quotes to you before going through a nightmare I won't get into here, so now I'm doing my own. If you're mechanically inclined and want to see how it goes, I'd schedule the setup day with you so you can watch and we can bring questions back to the forum.
Don't go with 4WP, do Northridge 4x4 instead if you're going to drive. They're on the forums and will be accountable to their work. 4WP don't care, I went off their recommendation and regret it along with the ~$4.5k I've spent to date with more tools to go before I can install my own.
Back to the tire topic, there are Rubicon take-off tires available in our area. I don't think I posted mine here, but if you want me to I will.

Judging by passing comments I've heard from dealers, I believe there is a chronic shortage of qualified mechanics in this area.

One of the advantages of living in a large metro area like Los Angeles, is that I had my pick of where to get this kind of work done. Same thing with Jeep dealers. Here I am stuck with one crummy dealer and four re-gearing shops in a 50-mile radius.

I've had so-so experiences with Northridge 4X4; some times they are very friendly and helpful; others they don't seem to care if I drop dead. I think it all depends who you get --or if they already got my money.

When are you planning to work on your Jeep?

 

[Some Random Guy]

I'm currently sick, so I'm hoping to get to it the weekend of the 22nd/23rd. If I can get my tool shopping finished this weekend I'll have an updated schedule. I'm also clearing Christmas stuff back to our storage unit to make room.

 

[aldo98229]

4.88 would be my recommendation. Those charts don't factor in rolling weight, drag etc. I've made the expensive mistake of under-gearring before.

Yeah. The shop I’m still waiting to get a quote from was leaning towards 4.88.

Apparently, there’s no price difference between 4.56 and 4.88 gears.

 

[Some Random Guy]

Judging by passing comments I've heard from dealers, I believe there is a chronic shortage of qualified mechanics in this area.

Yeah, and the ones they do have are quite busy. The shop I was prepared to pay for a 3rd attempt at my rear axle was thrilled when I changed my mind and said I'd pay retail for the parts if they'd just give them to me. They were trying to cut me a deal on cost because of my bad experiences and I'm pretty sure they would have lost money. On another note, they all know each other around here. So be careful to be objective if you're ever talking to one.
I'm documenting the oil level, contact pattern, carrier torque-to-turn, and pinion torque-to-turn. I have my suspicions now that I've learned from @chevymitchell 's fantastic videos and threads about what went wrong twice in a row.

 

[scottijohn63]

4.88 would be my recommendation. Those charts don't factor in rolling weight, drag etc. I've made the expensive mistake of under-gearring before.

I drive with my SOT open and the back windows out all the time which creates more drag. When it warms up a little I'll pull the doors off as well! I am picking up the Jeep today with new 4.88 installed!

 

[aldo98229]

Update:

• Shop A - $5,000
• Shop B - $4,400
• Shop C - $2,500 to $3,000
• Shop D - Still trying to meet with the owner to get a quote
• Shop E (4WP) - Never sent a quote

Shop C came back with a more reasonable quote: $2,500 to $3,000, but they don't have availability until the 3rd week of March...

I am going to try Shop D one more time.

 

[aldo98229]

Just attempted Shop D for the fifth time but the owner is still nowhere to be found.

 

[Some Random Guy]

I wish Everett Naval still had their auto skills shop available. I swear we’d have it booked out by forum members 1-2 times a month for regears.

 

[scottijohn63]

Update:

• Shop A - $5,000
• Shop B - $4,400
• Shop C - $2,500 to $3,000
• Shop D - Still trying to meet with the owner to get a quote
• Shop E (4WP) - Never sent a quote

Shop C came back with a more reasonable quote: $2,500 to $3,000, but they don't have availability until the 3rd week of March...

I am going to try Shop D one more time.

I drive with my SOT open and the back windows out all the time which creates more drag. When it warms up a little I'll pull the doors off as well! I am picking up the Jeep today with new 4.88 installed!

Picked up the Jeep last night! Very happy with the new gears. No problem holding 8th on the freeway with the top and the windows open on my way to work this am!

 

[aldo98229]

Picked up the Jeep last night! Very happy with the new gears. No problem holding 8th on the freeway with the top and the windows open on my way to work this am!

That’s great to hear!

I’m scheduled to get 4.88 gears on February 21-22 at Northridge 4X4’s shop in Salt Lake City.

It’s a 1,000-mile drive; gives me the perfect excuse to plan a road trip around it.

I’ve been wanting for a long time to see Yellowstone in winter. I might stop at Jackson Hole, too. Can’t wait!

 

[scottijohn63]

That’s great to hear!

I’m scheduled to get 4.88 gears on February 21-22 at Northridge 4X4’s shop in Salt Lake City.

It’s a 1,000-mile drive; gives me the perfect excuse to plan a road trip around it.

I’ve been wanting for a long time to see Yellowstone in winter. I might stop at Jackson Hole, too. Can’t wait!

Wow, looks like it will be a fun trip. What brand gear are you going to use?

 

[aldo98229]

Wow, looks like it will be a fun trip. What brand gear are you going to use?

Ha! No idea. Yukon would be my guess; that’s the most prominent on Northridge’s website.

 

[scottijohn63]

Ha! No idea. Yukon would be my guess; that’s the most prominent on Northridge’s website.

I went with Yukon as well. There is a slight gear whine at 55 mph which doesn't bother me especially since I can only here it when the Jeep is all buttoned up which is never! That is the only issue. Overall I am very happy. If you have to have perfection you might want to go with one of the other brands.

 

[aldo98229]

I went with Yukon as well. There is a slight gear whine at 55 mph which doesn't bother me especially since I can only here it when the Jeep is all buttoned up which is never! That is the only issue. Overall I am very happy. If you have to have perfection you might want to go with one of the other brands.

Since I will be driving 1,000 miles there and 1,000 miles back, I asked about breaking-in. The person at Northridge 4X4 was very helpful; he explained that the gears are very tight at first, so there is a specific breaking-in procedure:

1. Drive 15 miles and stop the engine; let the gears cool down for a few minutes. Drive again for 15 miles. Repeat this for the first 100 miles
2. After that, they said to drive continuously but stopping every hour or so to let the gears cool down. Do this for the next 500 miles
3. Make sure to replace the fluid after 1,000 miles

That's it.

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