Yehp... Mileage and driveabilty have improved considerably.
Ok, so "screaming" was an exaggeration, however, you've proven my point. If you're running the same RPM in 8th gear, that you previously ran in 7th gear, then your RPMs have increased and therefore aren't "reving like OEM". It's basic math. Yes, you're seeing 8th gear. . .but it means nothing because you're running what you were previously running in 7th.
You're comparing a full gear swap to a Pedal Commander?
No, just making a joke at pedal commander's expense.
Perspective on where I'm heading with my mods:
The fact is the 8 speed auto makes axle gears almost irrelevant. Comparing to pretty much any previous auto is comical. The early jks auto had a 2.86 1st gear. They'd need 6.13 axle gears just to match a jt with 3.73s and the 4.7 1st gear. The overdrive in that 5 speed was equal to our 7th gear. You can almost over or under gear a JT to infinity without losing much. As someone who does a lot of road trips at 85mph+ I lean toward over gearing (the fact that it's free helps). My JT Mojave beta along great with 4.10s and 37s. Even if I regeared I wouldn't go below 4.56s for my use and it's hardly worth $2500+ for that small of a change in my opinion. The wife's JLUR on 39s has no problem on grades or maintaining freeway plus speeds with the factory 4.56s. Again 4.88s would probably be optimal for my use but hardly worth the cost. The 4-1 transfer case will still let the thing crawl over the biggest boulders so no need off road either.
I did not like my JT with 3.73s.
As someone who regularly wheels on tough bikes ok crawling trails on 37’s with 5.13s, I couldn’t disagree more. The difference between stock and a 96:1 crawl ratio with 5.13s is night and day compared to wheeling it with 4:10s and 33’s. It’s got way more crawl than it did, the the amount of control you gain on the rocks is not slight.
I've wheeled everything from a stock cj to a TJ, several XJs, a WJ, a JK, and the latest 3 a JLUR that we geared super low 5.38s on 38s, a JLUR on 4.56s and 39s, and my JTM with 4.10s and 37. The JLUR on 5.38s was no more controllable off road than the one on 4.56s. It's an auto with a massive crawl ratio in either case. If you can't crawl that you need a driver mod not a vehicle mod. Again an early JK would need 7.17 axle gears just to match the stock 4.10s. Nobody ran those and yet we were all able to crawl through the rubicon or Fordyce any given weekend?
Just because you, clearly Superman without the alter ego, CAN do it, doesn’t mean it doesn’t crawl better with a higher ratio. It’s mathemaatical, mechanical physics. 65:1 is significantly less than 96:1. It just is.
Kind of a weird place to push an anti regearing agenda. ?
The stock xr has an 85-1 crawl ratio and there is a point of diminishing returns in my experience. Obviously running a 4 speed atlas II with a 10.3 to 1 compound low will have "more control", but finite control at 1 MPH vs .5 MPH isn't remotely necessary in my experience. I know may is hard for some people but if you could wheel the same trails in a JK with its stock 47-1 crawl ratio or even its "Low" crawl ratio of 61.5-1 with 5.38 gears you'll never convince me that you "need" to regear. Add that to the experience of actually wheeling similarly built JLs with 4.10s, 4.56s, and 5.38s I won't waste the money. The 5.38s weren't noticeably better off road as even on trails like the rubicon I'm not spending a lot of time in 1st Gear. Drop it into 1st for a technical section and 30 seconds later I'm back to far more speed than 1st gear will allow in low range. On road the 5.38s sucked. Lost 2 mpg on the freeway, it was pretty much in 8th gear at any speed over 40mph with nowhere to up shift even if you were rolling double that speed downhill. Completely defeats the purpose of a double overdrive if you gear it so low that it holds 8th all the time. I realize some guys never drive much over 60, or only crawl with their rigs and those guys should gear to the moon. I want to drive mine the 1100 miles to moab with the cruise set at 85mph and then slap it on low range and crawl the same trails you will... in a few hours when you get out of the slow lane.
That’s obviously on the extreme end of the conversation, well past daily drivers that wheel. But I’ve seen apples to apples comparisons, repeatedly, of lower low ranges compared to stock rubicons with 4:10, to 3.73 8 speeds, to 3.73 manuals. It’s a compelling difference with climbing up something, needing to stop without roll back with a tire perched, turn, and continue at a controlled speed. The same goes for steep controlled descents. It does make a noticeable difference. I would regear, or buy any other part to “say that I have it”. I upgrade for function only.
