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I would like to point out that
the gearing that works best for one type of four wheeling will be unlikely to be
best for all types of wheeling. What kind of driving do you
do? Mud and Sand driving, hill climbingMud, Sand driving as well as loose hill climbs like to have a final drive ratio that allows the engine to stay in it’s power band through several gears, low enough that you can launch nicely and keep in the power over several gears, and not too low such that you over rev trying to get sufficient tire speed. Rock Crawling:Typically, rock crawling wants a final drive ratio of at least 50 to one with an automatic, or 100 to one with a stick. Any less than that with a stick, and rock crawling becomes more of a ballistic experience: Point & shoot - and hope you get there unbroken. Extreme Low gearing:In the early 90s, Marlin Czaikowski (of “Marlin
Crawler fame) popularized the use of extreme low gearing in the Toyota
minitruck crowd. I was extremely impressed at what this could do, and
developed an application for my early Bronco. The company I worked for at
the time got interested (Klune-V), and I spent the next 5 years pushing the idea of
extreme low gearing in Jeeps, as well as Scouts, Chevy, Ford and Dodge
full-size vehicles as well as others. I define “Extreme ratios” to be crawl ratios of 175 to one or greater with a stick and a V8, or deeper than 300 to one in 4 cyl applications, and crawl ratios in excess of 100 to one with an automatic. Now these are some pretty ridiculous gears. You certainly don’t want to be stuck in these gears all the time; In overdrive at 4000 RPM on the tach you will cruise along at a max, buzzing, speed of around 10 mph. But having these gears available when needed means that those super technical (can you spell “body damage” “roll over” or “Broken”?) spots become a slow motion exercise of precision steering the rig over a carefully chosen line. If you CAN crawl it, chances are you will not break, and you will have sufficient control to avoid body damage. Forest Service and other “4WD” trails intended for the general publicThese trails lead to some of the most glorious country on the planet. The limited
accessibility tends to keep the numbers down (and the Winnebagos out, I
really don’t see why you need TV and all that noise out there, what did
you go there for in the first place, you got a perfectly good TV at
home?). Bringing the Jeep means that at camp you will have cold beer,
steaks, a comfortable sleeping location, and other things most find
unavailable on foot. (I simply hate those 80 lb backpacks, so when I
backpack I do without). My editorial commentary aside, these trails are mostly built for stock 4x4s. The best gearing for these trails is usually the stock transfer case low range. Highway drivingHighway driving wants to see gears that allow for good initial acceleration around town, while keeping engine RPMs in a comfortable range on the highway or freeway. When you put larger tires on a vehicle, you effectively change your overall gearing. Axle ratios need to be changed to keep good drivability. If you intend to do much highway driving, don’t go too low in the axle gears or it tends to become unpleasant and wearing on your good mood.
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