The Frog Blog

Hmmm. I read threads of people saying they did 33's and 4.56, and wish they went to 4.88.

I want to do it right! But Im getting deals on 4.56 gears, and I don't want to go bigger than 33.
 
Jon has 488s and he always says its a dog in the hills.......he is also on 33s
 
Check your gear ratio charts and determine if you want near stock performance, best gas mileage, or low end torque. As a dailer driver and tow rig, I prefer the 4.56 and 33" tires. I can still go with 35's in the future without much of a problem. I will be towing my trailer Easter weekend and I will report back how it performed.

The green Jeep is geared to 4.10's and 32x11.50x15" tires. I have only driven it once, but I like the feel of my red XJ better than that setup. On a related note, I drove a friend's Cherokee this weekend who has been having steering and handling issues with his 4.5" RE lift. He is geared to 4.56 and is running 32x11.50x15" tires. Again, my red XJ out performed that by a mile, and he agreed.
 
Really? How does your 33 setup feel better than your buddy's 32's?

31's and 3.55's is seriously the devil. Add two bumpers, sliders, frame stiffeners, people, gas, and you've got a slug.
 
srmitchell said:
Really? How does your 33 setup feel better than your buddy's 32's?

31's and 3.55's is seriously the devil. Add two bumpers, sliders, frame stiffeners, people, gas, and you've got a slug.
Click to expand...

The red Jeep is very tight in turns, during acceleration, and when stopping. The guy who tested mine was complaining about his sloppy feel and was trying to pinpoint his problems (rear locker, worn shocks, loose suspension..). He was impressed with the Frog and its feel. I drove his rig and felt the slop that he was talking about. He said my combo was more like the stock feel that he wanted.

As you have mentioned, the only time I would call the 3.55 and 31's a slug is when I was towing my 3500 lb trailer, and even that was just towing up hills and I can hardly blame the 4.0 for that. After not driving that rig for sometime, I was reminded yesterday how good of a vehicle Old Blue is. Other than fully loaded and pulling crap uphill, that Jeep is very solid and performs perfectly.
 
Right on. Mine feels fine just around town and un loaded, but add a bunch of friends and gear, and its garbage!
 
sounds like you need to get out to PC to test out the new Jeep? let me know you if your gonna go head out there anytime soon and ill see if i can meet you guys.

I love how in the pictures it goes from 5.5-3.5 and 33's-31's. I have been looking for a picture like that forever. It really lets me know the size difference in all 3 set-ups.
 
connor0770 said:
sounds like you need to get out to PC to test out the new Jeep? let me know you if your gonna go head out there anytime soon and ill see if i can meet you guys.

I love how in the pictures it goes from 5.5-3.5 and 33's-31's. I have been looking for a picture like that forever. It really lets me know the size difference in all 3 set-ups.
Click to expand...

I thought that was cool as well. My kid wanted to get the pics but it was getting late and we only had a few minutes before we lost light. I'm sure we'll take more pics before we sell the blue XJ. Maybe I will stack them up this time.

I'm game for a trip to PC. Last time there the park was mostly closed for races and we only had a small place to play. I still ended up recoving people on three different occasions...
 
We made it back from our annual Easter camping trip. This year, it was Thursday-Sunday at Collins Lake for some fishing. The weather was bad and we did not bring home any fish, but the trip was good, regardless.

ry%3D480


This is the first time I towed the Fleetwood popup trailer with the new lift. I never got around to welding up the sway bar for the trailer and that sucker fishtailed all the way to the lake, and all the way home. Gusty winds did not help. Although the Jeep towed fine for this short distance, I am now doubting the trip to Moab next spring. Maybe I'll opt for a tent or cabin, instead. No way I'm lugging that 3500 lb trailer behind the Frog for 800+ miles.

Oh, I managed 10 mpg on this trip and never broke 65 mph thanks to the strong head winds. It's good to be home...
 
Srmitchell you need to stop complaining. If you think you have a slug now, try putting 33s on your rig.... I'm kidding of course, but I definitely need to gear mine soon. I'm sick of putting it to the floor to get on the freeway
 
jimbosz07 said:
Srmitchell you need to stop complaining. If you think you have a slug now, try putting 33s on your rig.... I'm kidding of course, but I definitely need to gear mine soon. I'm sick of putting it to the floor to get on the freeway
Click to expand...

I'm digging my Jeep. Love the tires and gears. I prefer riding that over anything else...er..uh...nearly. Ahem.
 
I waited three years and two Jeeps before I was able to make the move to 33's. My only regret is not going with a long arm suspension, but I had to save $$ someplace. Maybe in a few years I'll upgrade.
 
jimbosz07 said:
Srmitchell you need to stop complaining. If you think you have a slug now, try putting 33s on your rig.... I'm kidding of course, but I definitely need to gear mine soon. I'm sick of putting it to the floor to get on the freeway
Click to expand...

You obviously don't have armor, 4 passengers, gear, and a full tank of gas.

;)

Haha, seriously though, I value decent mileage, and 33's might be too much for my daily driver.

It already draws enough attention. :eeks1:
 
i dont worry about gas in the jeep. its not a DD for me. i jsut fill it up when it needs it. i mean wheeling for 8 hours totally will screw up your gas mileage anyway.
i reccomend the cheapest most cost effective upgrade to get good mpg out of a jeep is to buy a toyota tercel/corrolla/camry for a DD. that being said, fully loaded cargo, rack, and 4 peeps and full tank of gas i get roughly 13.5 mpg going up to the mountains and back
 
Yep, 13.5 mpg sounds about right for a wheeling trip. 10 mpg or so for towing a BA trailer, and up to 17 mpg for steady highway cruising at about 2200 rpm.

Conversely, I get a steady 36 mpg to work and back in the Civic but I tend to hang up on rocks bigger than my sandwich.
 
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