big power or super low gearing
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jeepsubmarine
- Posts: 26
- Joined: Fri Sep 17, 2004 3:54 pm
- Location: phoenix, az
big power or super low gearing
big power or super low gearing? whats your dream drive train?
I think it is about mild low RPM power but go for the better gearing.
that is why if you are going to start with a BII go straight for the 4.0L swap or 302. these motor make enough power to be effective. the 302 is better as far as life cost goes but inital cost can be cheaper for the 4.0L.
I personaly think the biggest part of this hobby is traction and gears.
that is why if you are going to start with a BII go straight for the 4.0L swap or 302. these motor make enough power to be effective. the 302 is better as far as life cost goes but inital cost can be cheaper for the 4.0L.
I personaly think the biggest part of this hobby is traction and gears.
71 Bronco - twin sticked, full width, 2" lift, wristed arm, lots of rust...
http://www.catalystcycles.com
http://www.catalystcycles.com
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Rockcrawler
- Posts: 588
- Joined: Sun Apr 18, 2004 10:41 pm
- Location: San Juan Bautista, CA
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A little bit of both is definately best.
In a street driven trail rig, I'd have to say V8 over gears. Especially if you have an auto tranny.
If you gear your axles low, street performance sucks. Generally, having big tires and a small engine sucks ass on the street even with low gears.
There is a happy medium between engine and gears. It's hard to explain, but you actually get more traction from lugging your engine in a higher gear than you do using your lowest gear. It's a key concept that most wheelers don't understand. So, when you are on an obsticle where you are breaking traction in your lowest gear, you choose a little higher gear and lug the engine to the point of stalling.
Think of it as if you leaned a 2x4 on bench(ramp) slowly walk up....it holds you fine. But if you jump, it breaks. Well if I jump
Low gears is like jumping. Your tires are going to turn no matter what. But if you're using your engine, your rpm changes and absorbs some shock
So you need an engine with decent low end, but not too much, otherwise it won't lug well, and will break traction just the same as low gears. This concept applys to low traction surfaces. The rock crawlers on high traction surfaces have more to gain from low gears.
And finally, I like engine over gears because I can rap the throttle to get some tire spin at just the right moment. Can't do that with gears.
So I think a mild V8, mild gears and a doubler is the way to go for great all around performance. Your axle gears should be set to what is nice for cruizing down the freeway. Might as well gear it out if it's a trailer queen.
In a street driven trail rig, I'd have to say V8 over gears. Especially if you have an auto tranny.
If you gear your axles low, street performance sucks. Generally, having big tires and a small engine sucks ass on the street even with low gears.
There is a happy medium between engine and gears. It's hard to explain, but you actually get more traction from lugging your engine in a higher gear than you do using your lowest gear. It's a key concept that most wheelers don't understand. So, when you are on an obsticle where you are breaking traction in your lowest gear, you choose a little higher gear and lug the engine to the point of stalling.
Think of it as if you leaned a 2x4 on bench(ramp) slowly walk up....it holds you fine. But if you jump, it breaks. Well if I jump
Low gears is like jumping. Your tires are going to turn no matter what. But if you're using your engine, your rpm changes and absorbs some shockSo you need an engine with decent low end, but not too much, otherwise it won't lug well, and will break traction just the same as low gears. This concept applys to low traction surfaces. The rock crawlers on high traction surfaces have more to gain from low gears.
And finally, I like engine over gears because I can rap the throttle to get some tire spin at just the right moment. Can't do that with gears.
So I think a mild V8, mild gears and a doubler is the way to go for great all around performance. Your axle gears should be set to what is nice for cruizing down the freeway. Might as well gear it out if it's a trailer queen.
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jeepsubmarine
- Posts: 26
- Joined: Fri Sep 17, 2004 3:54 pm
- Location: phoenix, az
i agree with you nobody, it is great to throw it down into low range and creep over obstacles but at the same time i do beleive that there is just no substitute for horsepower. when i go wheelin i find myself in alot of 50/50 situations so i guess it all depends on what a person is doing. im also sure that more than half the people here have found themselfs in situations were the old saying "when in doubt throttle it out " is quite necessary. i like to think of horsepower as a proverbial backbone to good gearing. but anyways thats were i sit on the issue, just curious about others. 