OK cool, The reason I was asking if you had manual is because the manual I6 has 3.07:1. If you had manual then you would go with 4.10:1, manual transmissions have a higher gear ratio stock then the autos did.
so you want to get 4.56's for 33" tires on an auto. and for a manual 33" tires need 4.10's sorry if that is confusing its late

 

Wow! This has been so helpful. I have one question though. I'm running 33's on my 92 xj, a friend of mine told me that I should regear to a 4.56:1 ratio. However the numbers you've shown say otherwise. My question to you is, if I did go for a 4.56 would it have any negative affects to the power and or fuel economy?

 

Maybe a little negative on fuel economy, but positive on power. You will be running higher rpm at highway speeds so it will burn more fuel, but if you stay with stock gears it will burn more fuel because the engine will be trying too hard to turn the wheels. If you do 4.56 instead of 4.10 on the power side it will feel like you are using a lower gear in the transmission at the same speed, so more torque to the wheels.

 

I was wondering what type of rear diff I can use for a 2.5 liter xj not going with big tires just want limited slip and stronger rear end was wondering if 8.8 would be good and would I have to change my front diff?

 

Won't hurt it one bit. I have a D44 LSD in the rear of my 4cyl MJ.

 

Won't have to change the front unless you can't get gears to match the rear, but there should be compatible gear ratios for each.

 

Hey guys so i have a 1997 xj sport with a 3.55 D35 rear end and I'm sitting on 30" wheels. Im planning on buying a used D44 rear and keeping it as a project for the next couple months until i buy 33" tires. Im pretty new to most of this stuff but I'm starting to get a little bit of an understanding through a bunch of research and what not. Anyway, the D44 I'm looking at came out of a ****** wagoner has 4.27 gear ration, 5 lug, 11" drums, measures 57" from outside wheel surface to the other, and the driveline is 2" off-center. I just would like to know how compatible this sounds and any other overall advise as this would be my first axle swap. also, if i change my rear axle, can i keep the D30 front. Also, I have a buddy selling 4.10 gears for front and back which seem to be what id ned for 33" should i vest in this??

 

also are tj gears compatible with an xj

 

Gears are axle specific. If you're re-gearing a D44, then you need a D44 gear set.

Both axles need to have the same gear set. If you have 4.10 in the rear, and 3.55 in the front, you need to remove the front driveshaft or you're going to destroy your transfer case.

 

anyway to know if an axle (D44) out of a ***** wagoneer will fit onto a 1997 xj sport. The D44 axle has 4.27 already in it but I'm planning on replacing my gears all around to 4.10. The 4.10s came out of an 06 Tj. I'm also wondering if those fears will work in my xj and if 4.10s will fit in my front D30?

 

Two problems here, one is the Wagoneer Dana 44 has a 6x5.5 wheel bolt pattern so you would need different wheels for the rear or you could get adapters. The second thing is the TJ has a low pinion Dana 30 that uses a standard gear set, while your 97 XJ has a high pinion Dana 30 which is stronger but it uses a reverse cut gear set so those 4.10s wont work in your axle.

 

Also very good points.

yvngpnw97xjer, I think you need to ask yourself what the ultimate plans for this XJ are. Have a solid idea of what you want to do and where you want your XJ to be and then start making the appropriate choices. Don't force it. A HP D30 and C8.25 are both solid axles for the most part. Especially if this is a DD/Weekend Warrior. Maybe try and get your hands on a C8.25 instead and build that up.

 

Well I live by hills and mountains and it's muddy 8 months out of the year, So I know I need something stronger than stock that can get me out of some sticky situations. Also I'm buying 33s to put on and I already bought a 4.5 lift kit. I will still need to be able to drive on the freeway and what not and it will still be my DD.
also I'm asking is just because I know the D 35 isn't the best axle and I constantly hear stories of people having to do replacements so I just figured why not get one as a project and start building it up so hopefully by spring or summer I can have an axle to swap. I'm just looking for any advice on where to start or what to look for when I get started.

 

HP D30 and C8.25 although stock are both pretty solid axles. Plenty of guys on here have this setup. A D44 isn't really that much stronger than a C8.25 from what I've heard. Not knocking anything you're asking, just throwing out options.

You are right though, a D35 is called a Turdy5 for a reason.

 

Thanks for some of that advice man. So I'm just wondering if anyone can help me understand what exactly to look for in an axle to make sure that it fits into my 97 XJ. Also I know the gears are reversed cut on the XJ, what vehicles could I work at getting gears out of. I'm just buying parts off of wall rigs on Facebook marketplace so I just want to know what to look for if anyone can help me with that. Thank y'all.