Rockhoppers or diff gears for GQ?

Joined: 23 Apr 2004 Location: Mornington, Vic

Scenario: Mate just bought on early petrol/gas SWB GQ and it will get all the bits required for serious work but not sure weather to go gears in T/Case or diffs. Car will be running 35 inch tyres all time and motor will get mods or replacement in time. Only wanna do things once the right way and my suggestion is the T/Case option. What you think Question

Joined: 30 Dec 2002 Location: Melbourne

My understanding is that the transfer gears only effect low range gearing but I may be corrected on that.

If that is the case then it will be a pig to drive on the road with 35in tyres and 3.9's or 4.11's. I say go the diffs first and then if required for rock crawling or the like do the transfer gears.

By doing diff gears the car also retains it's standard gearing both on and offroad and your speedo will be in check with the tyres.

HTH

James

Joined: 30 Dec 2002 Location: Melbourne

My understanding is that the transfer gears only effect low range gearing but I may be corrected on that.

If that is the case then it will be a pig to drive on the road with 35in tyres and 3.9's or 4.11's. I say go the diffs first and then if required for rock crawling or the like do the transfer gears.

By doing diff gears the car also retains it's standard gearing both on and offroad and your speedo will be in check with the tyres.

HTH

James

Joined: 25 May 2003 Location: Redbank Plains, QLD

two outcomes

1st outcome.. Transfer case gears get replaced. - Offroad driving will be awesome. BUT.. downside is your car will be a pig to drive with standard gearing on highway / road use.

2nd outcome. Diff gears get replaced - the car will feel like 31's in low range with the 35's (as the gears will be replaced to suit the 35's) And you'll get the added benefits of the car not being a pig to drive on the road.

Why not get both??

TOM

Joined: 24 Jan 2004 Location: glendenning

How u going, I have a GQ wagon 89 mod with 35s, Rockhoppers, 4.3 diff ratios, and a front air locker and its great.
4.6 ratios would be even better. Cool

Joined: 13 May 2003 Location: Scarborough, Qld

I just lashed out and got some 4.6's and 2x air lockers....now all I have to do is get them fitted........

I went the diff gears as I found the transfer case reduction adequate when I ran 31's, and at the end of the day, I drive mine on road ALOT....to and from work, dropping kids at school/daycare/kindy etc.

I'm looking forward to having my gearing back!!

Joined: 25 May 2003 Location: Redbank Plains, QLD

MRGQ wrote:

How u going, I have a GQ wagon 89 mod with 35s, Rockhoppers, 4.3 diff ratios, and a front air locker and its great.
4.6 ratios would be even better. Cool

Guess you could say i picked the harder option.

Got factory 4.6s Wink

courtesy of my car being a 2.8 TD patrol.

But the engines out and the 4.2 is going in shortly Twisted Evil

Joined: 24 Jan 2004 Location: glendenning

Iam very happy with my set up, it goes very well.
When u do the engine change it will make a big difference GQ Smile

Joined: 23 May 2003 Location: Camperdown Vic

MYTTUF, is it manual or auto trans. Diff gears make bugger all difference with the auto tranny.

Joined: 25 May 2003 Location: Redbank Plains, QLD

MRGQ wrote:

Iam very happy with my set up, it goes very well.
When u do the engine change it will make a big difference GQ Smile

Yup perfect gearing to go with 36' swampers.

Still gotta get some daily tyres to drive around in!!! Rolling Eyes

Joined: 27 Nov 2002 Location: Lost in Melbourne.

If its always going to have 35s go the diff gears to start with, to make it driveable on and offroad.

Go with 4.6 or 4.88s

then save up for Rockhoppers..

unless your rich, do it all at once.

Joined: 25 Nov 2002 Location: Golden Square

Depending on how much driving on-road you do. I would just go the tranfercase gears. My shorty gq goes alright with 35's (TD42 non-turbo) yes it could do with some more hp but as it doesnt get driven every day now it aint a problem.

Joined: 11 Dec 2002 Location: Newcastle

i was in the same senario diff or transfur? So A1MAV was selling some 4.6 diff gears and locker so i said that will do first. pick em up on saturday. then i will do the transfur later when some more money flows my way

Joined: 04 Nov 2002 Location: Rockingham W A

I ran with standard set up and 35s for 18 months while its drivable on road it sucked going up any kind of hill put the camper on the back and made it 4 times worse .Got hold of some 4.6s on road its great back to were the car started towing is now a breeze .Just fitted transfercase gears as have started playing in the rocks and 38s are on order it crawles excellently go diffs first then transfercase when you can get the money mine is standard td42 just with extractors.

Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Location: Melbourne

bogged wrote:

If its always going to have 35s go the diff gears to start with, to make it driveable on and offroad.

Go with 4.6 or 4.88s

then save up for Rockhoppers..

unless your rich, do it all at once.

Careful, dont over gear it for the road...... much better to drive with 35's and 4.11's than 33's with 4.6's! The torquey motors like TB42, and TD42 would be particularly aweful to drive overgeared.......

Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Location: NEWCASTLE

getdirty wrote:

bogged wrote:

If its always going to have 35s go the diff gears to start with, to make it driveable on and offroad.

Go with 4.6 or 4.88s

then save up for Rockhoppers..

unless your rich, do it all at once.

Careful, dont over gear it for the road...... much better to drive with 35's and 4.11's than 33's with 4.6's! The torquey motors like TB42, and TD42 would be particularly aweful to drive overgeared.......

Damn how am i gunna go with 4.8's and 29"s armsup

Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Location: Melbourne

A1MAV wrote:

Damn how am i gunna go with 4.8's and 29"s armsup

Shame! Shame! Shame!

Joined: 27 Nov 2002 Location: Lost in Melbourne.

A1MAV wrote:

Damn how am i gunna go with 4.8's and 29"s armsup

AWESOME!! 5th gear starts in High range!!

Joined: 27 Oct 2003 Location: Melbourne

This may be a stupid question but i'm running Simex 34 JT2's for offroad and was looking at getting 33 or 35 M/T or A/T for on road. now if i change my diff ratios to suit these tyres will i get better fuel economy?

(SWB GQ 4.2 diesel)

Joined: 25 May 2003 Location: Redbank Plains, QLD

Kane wrote:

This may be a stupid question but i'm running Simex 34 JT2's for offroad and was looking at getting 33 or 35 M/T or A/T for on road. now if i change my diff ratios to suit these tyres will i get better fuel economy?

(SWB GQ 4.2 diesel)

if you have 4.11 ratios.. and u want to go 33's - go 4.3 diff ratios. U want to go 35's go 4.6 diff ratios.

Personally 33's arent toooo bad with stock ratios on the road(if yours is a 4.11)

If you want to go 37/38s for every day driving - 4.88s would be the go.

TOM

Joined: 23 Apr 2004 Location: Mornington, Vic

If we do go diff ratios;
Are we better to get genuine or aftermarket Question

What price should we pay Question

Where should we get'm from Question

Thanks for your thoughts Wink

PS: Its a manual.

Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Location: Melbourne

If its a petrol and the max tyre size will be 35" then I wouldn't go for diff gears. Only because you will be disappointed by the difference vs cost ratio. It honestly doesn't make a massive difference, more subtle. I went from 4.1 to 4.6 in mine and it certainly wasn't a "wow! how much better was this" more a "its a bit better..... i suppose".

MYTTUF wrote:

If we do go diff ratios;
Are we better to get genuine or aftermarket Question

4.6's and 4.3's can be had genuine. 4.8's can also be bought but only aftermarket. Genuine costs more but is better. 4.3's are a good compromise for 35's and a TB42 manual. 4.6's prob make it a bit revy...

MYTTUF wrote:

What price should we pay Question

Heaps! Genuine could be $1500+ for both. Don't really know exactly, I got a VERY good price (read: Free swap for my 4.1's!) when i put them in.

MYTTUF wrote:

Where should we get'm from Question

Aus4WD Bayswater 9729 4899 (biased opinion Wink

)

Joined: 25 May 2003 Location: Redbank Plains, QLD

aftermarket gears range around from 600 ish for the gears of choice.

Pay particular attention to what getdirty said about tb42s being revvy cars.. 4.3's may be the perfect compromise.

Regards
TOM

Joined: 24 Jan 2004 Location: glendenning

No dont go 4.3s if u can help it, go the 4.6s if u can.
I tow a offroad camper and it works pretty hard on hills, 4.6s will bring it close enough back to if u were running 31s.
4.6s would make the car sweet, with Rockhoppers even sweeter.
If u havent driven a car with Rockhoppers of road wait to you have its UNREAL. armsup

Joined: 27 Nov 2002 Location: Lost in Melbourne.

GQ wrote:

aftermarket gears range around from 600 ish for the gears of choice.

the only issue with aftermarket is that the dude sellin them stated to me that they only last around 30,000kms which in a comp truck is kewl, but a week day driver is only 12 mths.. long term genuine are cheaper.

Joined: 04 Nov 2002 Location: Rockingham W A

Scored my 4.6s for free swapped with amate who wanted 4.11s would go genuine but check posts about fitting MQ rear diff gears then aftermarket front gears as they hardle ever get used .$.6s are great with 35s change everything back to as it was when you bought it at first good low range for down hill work go the transfercase gears when you go bigger tyres or start playing on rocks i have been running 35s with both and it is way slow its great will speed up some with the 38s when i get then next week .Towing is heaps better now i have gone to 4.6s as for fuel usage if not towing standard ratios will give better ks as the engine is not reving as much but if put throgh hilly country it will have to work harder so us more fuel were 4.6s will rev more from the start but give a better overall fuel usage just my 2cents worth

Joined: 13 May 2003 Location: Scarborough, Qld

Watch the aftermarket gears too. I was lucky, I scored two genuine sets of 4.6's from a low km 2.8td GU1 for $435 per set. When I was ringing around diff shops to get a fitting price they all asked me if they genuine gears, and two said that they actually refuse to install a popular aftermarket gear set, that usually sell for $595 per end.

My 2c worth.