Im bored outa my mind

 

I did the Boulder Basin run north of Ketchum yesterday with the club. It was a blast, to say the least. The weather was perfect. That is really a good run. I wouldn't mind doing it several times a year. Parts of it remind me of the Rubicon Trail.

I was amazed at what my old XJ can do compared to Wranglers with bigger tires. There was a YJ well built with 40s and a well built TJ with 37s. In most areas and obstacles, my XJ was just as capable with 33s and 4:88 gearing. I have to say that the ARB lockers in that setting were valuable to have.

In fact, the longer wheelbase of my XJ was a considerable advantage for climbing over steep ledges and such. The YJ really struggled with some of those obstacles where my XJ went up and over with no problem. The automatic tranny was an advantage too. I learned a lot about tire sizing and gearing on that trip. Large tires are not necessarily better unless the gearing and other issues are in place to match the tires. Driving skills are probably more important.

West89, I thought about calling you but I was unsure of club rules about inviting non-members. As it turns out, it would have been perfectly fine.

Go-bolts: I have tried to call you a few times and got a message about temporarily out of service.

 

Well from what i read idk if my little xj woulda made it with open open diffs and 3:55 gearing haha and 31s

 

It is a fun run and west ive seen a stock k5 blazer make it up there .

 

I still would have tried

 

Thats what i was saying it woulda made it

 

I know and im sayin i woulda pushed my rig to its limits

 

For regearing all u need is a ring and pinion set right?

 

Damn dirster, not sure why my phone would not work, kinda strange I haven't turned it off or anything, would have loved to go! Oh well maybe next time. To answer your question about re gears, it's best to get a master rebuild kit with your gears. It comes with new bearings and seals and all the other races you will need to replace while doing the re gear. And dirtster, I can attest to the smaller tires not always being a disadvantage. I've built and wheeled many jeeps with only a handful of them with more than 33's. My current xj is on 35's only because I too have 4.88's and they work better rpm wise with the aw4 transmission especially on the freeway.

 

Dirster, what club are you with?

 

Where do u find those master kits all i can find is ring and pinion...
I was thinkin about going 4:56 or 4:10s.... But idk a whole lot about all this gearin stuff

 

Go-bolts: Please PM your phone number again. Maybe I have it written down wrong. I'm in the Southern Idaho Off Road Assn. club, mainly because I like Jeff Trammell and a few others really well. The club is not as active as I would like but that is typical of clubs as they ebb and flow.

West89: If you can get down into Devil's Corral and back out you can do the Boulder Basin run.

I'd like to take you guys out to a new area that I was introduced to by the Pocatello club. It is a desert area between Rupert and Am Falls on a road called Lake Channel Road. Sand dunes, rock crawling ... really a blast and a great place for early spring and fall outings. The rocks are similar to out north of the bridge but with the addition of the sand dunes and a huge bowl area with sand that is very unique. Anyone interested?

 

I up for it

 

I'm up for it as well

 

West, pretty much every company has their own master install kits. Anywhere that sells the ring and pinion usually has the kits. Some even come with the gears but ask first. As for what ratio to go with, up to you man but it depends on what size tire you want to run so as to keep your transmission from hunting for gears especially on the freeway. If I where you I would look for a 1997 and up disk brake 8.8 out of an explorer since most came with a decent LSD and 4.10's, that way you only need to re gear the front and upgrade your rear dif at the same time.