Still a noob but hey that's why i'm here. How many 4.56 gears do I need for a 2wd XJ

 

1 set of gears. A set consist of a ring gear and pinion gear.

Happy Jeepin
TexasTaz38

 

So just to confirm I only need a gear for my rear axle since its 2wd and I dont have a front axle?

 

Well you have a front axle but it's just a tube without a differential (the big pumpkin looking piece) .

This is what one (1) ring and pinion gear set looks like. This would be enough for one axle.

 

I think i'm beginning to understand, it doesn't have to do with axles but the differentials and
I only need one ring and pinion gear set because I only have a rear differential and not a front on a 2wd?

p.s sorry if this is irritating i'm extremely new to cars

 

It's all good gotta start somewhere. Correct you only need one ring and pinion gear set. I would also invest in a rebuild kit while you are at it. Installing the new gears will require them to be "reset". This is something I would suggest letting a shop do, if you are this new to vehicle maintenance. While they have it apart it's not that much more work to rebuild with new bearings and seals and will be worth it in the long run considering the age of any XJ out there.

 

So I should get this for them to put it in there? Also am I just wasting my time building up my 2wd XJ or does it still have offroad potiential? I'm not trying to do a rock crawl or super deep mud, maybe just light mud and gravel/dirt trails with light rocks

 

With a rear locker you will be pretty well set for all but real steep or technical off road stuff where the low range would be very helpful. I'd invest in good recovery gear and a winch as well.

In the future you may decide to do a 4WD conversion which on the XJ is pretty easy overall.

 

That's great to know, other than it being 2WD it's a real clean jeep, and theres not gonna be major wheeling here so with the tires I'll be gettting, the lift, and the locker, it sounds like i'll be good. Thank you for all your the input and help!

 

You probably want to check to see if your rear differential will even support 4.56 gears.

Check your carrier break here: http://www.differentials.com/technic...arrier-breaks/

 

I honestly don't really know what i'm looking at here

 

There are folks here that know better than me for sure...

It may or may not be possible to install the much larger ring and pinion (e.g. the 4.56 that you want to install). It depends on the diff that you have and the carrier break. For example, my XJ has a Dana 44 3.54. The carrier break, based on deck height (I guess), is 3.73/3.92. One translation, a 4.56 ring and pinion set cannot be installed in the Dana 44 on my XJ. 3.73 is as large as I can go.

But, I am an IT guy, not a mechanic. So I hope that another CF.com patron chimes in.

I saw a thing on YouTube though. The NickInTimeFilms guy was able to put a stronger gear set ratio into his XJ Dana 44 based on some specialized hardware that he acquired. But he is a pretty advanced XJ tech.

 

Forgot about the carrier break. But if you are buying a full case locker to put in there it won't be a problem. Just buy a locker for the proper gear set.

 

That's not true, you can put any available gear set in your Dana 44, you just have to get a different carrier if you want 3.92 or lower gears.

 

Did I forget to mention my rear diff is a Chrysler 8.25? Does that change anything?