Matt21

I rolled my jeep the other day and totaled it. and now im looking for a new xj. I found a few but had a few questions about the manual jeeps. i have a 4.5 inch lift with 32x11.5r15s, i was going to transfer it onto the new jeep if i am able to make up my mind if i want to stick with the auto or go for the manual. but i read on other jeep forums that i would have to regear for the size of my tires with the manual but i could just slap my lift and tires on and go offroading with no worries in a automatic. Also i read that its a bad idea to shift in mud with a manual because of it being vented and sucking up mud into the gearbox. is that just for the newer jk's or is that all standard shifts? Im a complete noob when it comes to manuals, but my main goal for my rig is to get through anything i throw at it whether it be a mud pits a hill climb or a boulder here and there but be rugged enough to last and handle the abuse. Opinions, advice? help me out

cruiser54

Autos had a 3.55 axle ratio and manuals had a 3.07 axle ratio. Having driven an auto with 32s on it, I don't think you'd like the 3.07s with 32s.

99 Purple XJ

If your not sure about manual stick with an auto mines an auto matic and i wheeled my friends manual once and i hated it i couldnt watch out the door what i was doing as much as i could driving my auto and it was a pain to keep going up hills with the clutch constantly engaging and disengaging

freegdr

low range in the transfer case and 2gear work wonders

mike mike

If you got a rolled XJ with auto and good diffs you could swap the diffs into a manual XJ.
5sp, 3.55 gears and 31in tires about the same ratio as 5spd, 3.07 gears and stock tires

freegdr

even better

cruiser54

My thoughts exactly.

lukeincolorado

Go with auto. I have 33's and 3.07s and it blows...

Donnie_K

Hold up on the gear ratios here. The reason manuals have 3.07 gears and automatics have 3.55 is the final output on the manual transmission is a lower ratio than on the automatics. So they raised the axle gear ratio to 3.07 to bring it back to equal with the automatics. If you installed the same 4.10 gears with 33's in an automatic and a manual, the manual would actually be the lower geared vehicle.

elkwagn

Did I not also read somewhere that the 4cyl and V6 jeeps with manuals had 4.10 gears?

cruiser54

Not all of them. Some had 3.54s, 3.73s. Gotta look at each one to be sure.

XJdryva

Some had 4.56s with the towing package

cruiser54

Extremely rare 4 cylinder models IIRC.

SuperGlue

Thats exactly what I did and I really couldnt be happier. I dont want to sound like a hater, the aw4 is a great tranny. But It just isnt a jeep in my eyes with an auto.. lol

XJdryva

I managed to find 3 in the SY in my 12 years of Jeep ownership