Gearing idea...thoughts?

[Markrobinson]

Long story short, I want to build my next rig as a capable street legal trail rig that can take me to work in a pinch or take the family to sonic on a hot July Friday night. It's gonna be an xterra (laugh it up fellas)

I plan on using a stock tcase/np205 doubler, an automatic, and 37s.

I like stock based axles for cheap and plentiful 4.63 gears, but not for $450 5.13 gears.

Knowing that many ultra4 buggies are being built with overdrive autos and 2.0 or 3.0 transfercases often kept in low range through rock and speed sections (to avoid stopping to shift from low to high) I decided to hit up an RPM calculator.

With 4.63 axles and 1.96 transfercase, my effective single low range axle ratio would be 9.0478. Seems low, but at 70 MPH I'd only see 4500 RPM (assuming a .85 overdrive; I couldn't find that info anywhere). In reality, I doubt I'd ever hit 70 unless for the sole purpose of saying I could.

Keep in mind, I wouldn't be commuting in this rig, but I want to be able to park my tow rig and drive this to and from trails and perhaps into town on wheeling trips. More importantly, for places like Moab, this would be a necessity.

Anyone think this is a bad idea? To me it seems like a good way to put the gearing and heat burden somewhere other than a $1000 transmission, while retaining stronger and cheaper axle gears (and gears for which I can potentially carry a apart third).

I figure any Toyota guys with a doubler in a street legal rig could perhaps lend some insight. Last rig had a 22r and a single 4.7 case on the same axles and I felt it was too low half of the time and even in a samurai, would barely pull in high range.

 

[grcthird]

My yota with 4.10s in the axles in stock single low range seems to drive good on the street with 36's. Now I rarely ever get above 35 mph due to death wobble.... high range is pretty much useless. Look for the xterra build Kelly did awhile back on here.

 

[TBItoy]

Re: Re: Gearing idea...thoughts?

I'm doing the same thing on my new buggy. 205 is locked in 4lo

With 4.10 gears in the axles, 39s, and 1:1 in the C6 I should be able to cruise at 45-55 at reasonable rpm.

It'll be tagged as an 89 Bronco and have the minimum requirements to be street legal. I'll only use it for riding from the tow rig to the trails, but it'll be legal at least

 

[Markrobinson]

Was that X ever built? I remember a thread with a bumper and some stock sized TSLs but nothing more.

I had a frontier with 35s and a dana 44 front years back, but parted it out to build a samurai buggy that also got parted out.

I figure I'll give it a shot; if I burn up a $100 nissan case or 205 I can always put another one in and look at gearing the axles.

 

[ridered3]

Xterras are cool to see built up, but due to the fenders you'll either have to chop it up quite a bit to clear big tires without lifting it to the sky or lift it to the sky..

 

[Markrobinson]

I wil have to cut the **** out of the fenders and probably move the sterring box forward or better yet, go full hydro again - so I can move the axle forward.

There's room to shove a big tire in there; I think you see so many tall ones because people body lift a stock truck and then graduate up to a solid axle. I'm gonna skip the IFS build and go right to a well built 3 or 4 link.