[ihc] recommended r&p for a Scout with 36" tires

[Bob Blair <bobblair@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

My $.02 ...
You'll find that 4.56 gears will work well offroad and yet aren't
too buzzy on the highway.  Don't forget that the 727 effectively
doubles the crawl ratio.  I've heard that 4.88 gears in the D44
are not as strong.

Howler runs Q78 Swampers, which are very close in OD to your 36's.
It's very rare that I've wished for lower gearing, although on
the longest rides I have wished for lower.  4.56 seems a good
compromise. It outperforms almost everything going uphill.

You will never regret installing a Detroit locker.
Regards,
Bob
http://mvpimages.net/cgi-bin/willys/wtregistryview.cgi?action=view&id=255


> Date: Wed, 24 Mar 2004 16:17:44 -0700 (MST)
> From: damian@domain.elided
>
> Hey guys,
>
> I have a dilemma, that I need to resolve before I do something dumb.  I
> need to upgrade the ring and pinion in my diffs so I can go up hills
> again.  Since I put on 36" tires on my 77' Scout II it has been having
> issues making it up the steep trails.  On the bright side I can do 75 MPH
> at 2000 RPM, but that's not what a Scout is meant to do.  I don't want to
> buy a new r&p just to find out it isn't good enough.  Here are my specs:
>
> 727 Auto Trany (2.45 low)
> Dana 20 Tcase (2.00 low)
> Dana 44 Diffs (3.54 ratio)
> Current Crawl Ratio - a disappointing 17.35:1!
> 36" x 12.5" x 15" Super Swamper Radial / TSL tires
>
> I was thinking of putting in 4.56's in the diffs, which I think would
> bring me to just above stock.  I mostly do mud and hill climbs in the
> truck, but I need something that I can still do 65 MPH on the highway.
> This is mostly an offroad truck, so not too woried about the fuel economy.
>
> Any suggestions?  What is a good ratio to use for 36" tires?  I just can't
> find any good information about this on the net (at least for Scouts).
>
> (PS: if anyone has any good suggestions on what posi/locker I should use
> in the front I could use the advice there too!)
>
> Thanks in advance!