Anyone running 3.54 gears with a V6?

I am sporting 4.88's now, but am going to yank them and put them in my YJ. I have a D30 with 3.54 gears to put in the front of the CJ, and will just throw 3.54's in the rear to match. The CJ sees and will see mostly street use anyway. Just wondering if it's going to ruin the fun or if there is any negative side to this with the V6 and T86 tranny. (I also have a T14 I can use, but final drive ratio is the same either way)

 

A buddy had 3.73's with the 225 and aT14 and that Jeep was quick. It isn't 3.54 but I think you could still have plenty of fun if you wanted to.

 

We have a 67 with v6 and 3:73's, I wouldn't go any higher!! We have 27" ish tires on it and it is still way to high geared. my dumb brother peged it off the spedo. the other day, 90MPH plus! Four low first is two high to putt around the place also. We will either go lower gears or put a t18 if for a granny gear. I would think 3:54's would suck.

 

You sure about this? Do you have non-stock axles?

 

JMO - going to a lower (numerically) ratio won't help with economy, and will make the Jeep harder to sell. I'd think the 3.54s would make the 2A something of a castrato. How did you get 4.88s in the 2A? I thought they all came with 5.38s?

 

YJ has a D44 front... 2A has a 66 cj5 frame and running gear, D44 rear axle.

YJ has a D44 front... 2A has a 66 cj5 frame and running gear (1971 V6,T86 D18, , D44 rear axle.

Honestly, the flatty won't be getting sold, and rarely wheeled as I have the YJ for that. I am not worried about helping economy, just wondering if driving it will suck, IE hard to take off, slip the clutch too much, etc. The build on this one has gone more closely to stock then the wild originally intended for it. I would rather cruise it around town that wheel it I think.

 

I'm going to be the dissenting voice here...The one piece of info always needed before any mod is "what do you intend to do with the rig". This has been answered. With the V6 and mild rubber, I think 3.54's will work quite well on a light weight street rig, especially if you run any longer stretches of open road.

 

I've run them in in late seventies and an eighty model and have a set that I am gong to put under my 58. It'll see the highway a lot between here and the hunting lease and if I need lower I can use low. They worked fine for me for a multi-purpose Jeep that I used on the street also worked pretty good flinging the mud and keeping me moving in the muddy stuff.

 

CJ7's had 2.73, and no one complained (much) back then, I think 3.54 would be okay for the street, but you're likely to take it on mild trails, and that's where it will suck.

Paul

 

This guy does okay on 2.73 gears with 33" tires. Course, I don't think it's a V6 :

 

I don't think it will be a problem, I have a 225 v6 and 3,73 with 33" tires and it is fine for me. On and off road.

 

Thats kinda the feedback I am looking for, When I got it, I was going to play more with it, but since I have just put my YJ on 38's there is really no reason to beat up the flatty more in it's life then what was done in the past. I want it to be there for my kids, even if it isn't anywhere close to original. Really in MI 2 tracks are all that are really legal anyway. I just wanted to be sure that it wouldn't make it totally suck on the street. The acceleration on the 32's I have now is really fun, but at the same time I don't want to be playing with it like that. I have a set of 33" muds for it, that I will be putting on it to play once in awhile, but it for sure isn't going to be it's primary use, I have been DDing it for a week and have almost 200 street miles on it so far, and I just enjoy driving it.

I do plan on a 4 speed for it one day, so that answers my unasked unthought of yet question R)

 

My CJ7 has 3:31s with 32s (I6 258 ) and it is fine on the street. It worked good off road on light trails.

My CJ5 has 3:73s with 33s (V6) and it goes well on road, when I was younger and used the 5 off road alot it did good with 31" tires.

Comparing the two above Jeeps, I would say you will be OK with the 3:54 gears.

I also had a Jeep with 3:54s and it was fine on the road. I agree with the above posts about having a lower 1st gear 4 speed trans if it is possible.

 

Good enough to putt around in.