Ak_xj

i have a 5 speed 98 cherokee that came with the 3.07's and it sucks for trails, i always have to put it in 4L and my mpg suckss!!. now i threw a rod out the oil pan at 227,000 miles and i found a 98 auto cherokee with 104,000 miles thats been rolled and its an auto so im pretty sure it has the 3.55 gearing so what i was wondering is should i swap the axles and would it be worth the time for swaping them? would i notice much of a difference on my mpg or wheelin? i want something better then what i have for not spending much money at all. im not looking into swapping bigger axles yet since 33's are big enough for me.
thanks for the help

biztyke

only something you can answer. what is your time worth? will it be an improvement? yes, for sure it will. it won't be what is recommended, but it will be an improvement nonetheless. so again, it's just time....what is your time worth?

FWIW, i have a 5spd xj and went from 3.07 hears to 4.10 via an axle swap and it was a huge difference. but, i am on 31s. goinf from 3.07 to 3.55 will make a difference no doubt, even on 33s.......it's up to you if you think it's worth it.

also, i am assuming they are the same rear axles? in other words, don't go from an 8.25 to a d35.

Ak_xj

yea they are the same axles
thanks

OnlyInMyXJ22

Yes, it's worth your time.

Hoooper

something like a 15% change in gearing. While its not as ideal as going to 3.73 or 4.10s for you, it would still be an improvement. If youre buying that parts Jeep already you might as well go for it, its not very difficult to swap stock axles for stock axles

opake

Like biztyke said, it will be a difference but not huge. I actually just did this swap (3.08 to 3.55) in my 96 5 spd, and while it made a difference I wasn't really satisfied with it. 4.10s are in the process of being installed right now. Also, my mpg didnt really suffer (though I have 31s), I lost maybe 1 mpg in mostly around town driving.

brg0012

Personally If your going to take the time to swap axles for 3.55 why not just regear the axles you have? In my opinion that seems to be the smarter idea to regear I would go for 4.10s or 4.56s.

TheJerm

Rear gearing will cost alot, maybe he doesnt want to spend that much money.

I rock a 5sp with 33's and 3.55, its not too bad. Offroad i still use 4 low and drive around in 3rd or 4th until i need the extra gearing. On road the biggest issue i have is 25mph-ish is between 2nd and 3rd, and living in the mountains mean i usually have to run 2nd up a hill. I still get 16-18 mpg with it. But for free and a weekend worth of work is enough not to ***** about it, plus next set of tires i buy will be 38-40's maybe 42's so I live with it.

Ak_xj

Thanks a lot everybody
My axles on my jeep right now need new axle seals so ill just wait and swap the axles when i get a chance, but could i change the rear one weekend and the front the next? And driving it like that for a week? Thanks

torque062

You might wanna find another vehicle to drive for the week.. it would be a pretty bad idea to try different front and rear gear ratios

mr white

Doesn't matter unless you kick it in 4.

Corcor4

would you like me to call the waaaahmbulance?

mr white

wat

TheJerm

Thats how I did my swap, one axle at a time. I did my front 1st so i didnt have a DS in but it wouldnt matter

jomps

yeah as long as both axles arent engaged then your only using the one set of gears but if both are with different gearing then that would cause issues