ok so the answer may be a "well it depends" but that's better than where I'm at right now...

I have a 1990 Samurai with a 1.6L/8v.  Engine is newly rebuilt and "rebuilt well"....so I'm told.  The transfer case gears are stock but are soon to be 6.5:1.  Right now it's on 31"x10.5" MT but is capable of 33" tires.

What size tire is ideal for that engine/tcase setup and what tire size is just too much for it... last thing I want to do is invest in tires too large for my setup and then I just have a cool looking but practically useless Samurai where i'm forced to go off road in only 4Low.

I live in the flats of Louisiana but will soon be moving to the Smokey Mountains in eastern North Carolina.  I just don't want to be forced to always use 4L and putt-putt around going 5mph because of the tire size.....   

maybe there isn't a clear-cut answer?? but it would suck to shell out $$ on 33" tires that are too big for my setup.

Thanks for the help!

With a 6.5:1 gear set your SJ will be setup for stock gearing in high range with 33" tires.  If your not looking for crawling you might be better off with a mixture of t-case and axle gearing.

I would recommend checking out a transmission calculator so you can take a look at the tire size you want to run and the RPM at various speeds:

http://www.solemnwarning.net/transmission/

The Samurai is an SJ-413 on the link above.

Here is another good link for gearing :
http://www.grimmjeeper.com/gears.html

Cool -- I'll look into the ring and pinion options and then ill play with the transmission calculator.  I plan on using it as a daily driver so i know there will have to be compromises...but even with compromises I don't plan on doing anything too durastic off-road with it.... isn't that what they all say? ha

seems like 4.57 and 5.38 is what's mass available for the ring and pinion



Thanks so much!

I'll search the threads and web for posts related to "performance mods on daily drivers"

seems like 4.57 and 5.38 is what's mass available for the ring and pinion

4.57 and 5.38s are aftermarket gearsets.  The most common "factory" gears that are available to work in samurais are 4.62 and 5.12 trackick (tracker/sidekick) gears.

4.57 and 5.38s are aftermarket gearsets.  The most common "factory" gears that are available to work in samurais are 4.62 and 5.12 trackick (tracker/sidekick) gears.

Ah...Cool. I read that 1990 samurais stock is a 3.727...Guess 4.57 - 4.62 is just enough change to make a noticeable difference.  5.12 - 5.38 puts the RPMs > 60mph a little too high for a DD based on my inputs -- IRC around 5k RPMS (maybe that's not too high but it seems high to be driving around on the roads)
 
Do you typically replace the R&P for the front and rear or just the rear?  I was thinking they were for the rear but I've come across some sites and forums where people mention front and rear...  I assumed re-gearing the Tcase was sufficient?

from 3.73's to 4.62's on a 2" tire height change is huge.(89%) much more than "just enough for a noticeable difference". read your other  similar post theres some good replies there too.

about the tires......if you go to 33's I would stick to skinny ones, big fat (>12.5's) almost always drive like shit on a 2k rig. unless its just about "looking cool".

from 3.73's to 4.62's on a 2" tire height change is huge.(89%) much more than "just enough for a noticeable difference". read your other  similar post theres some good replies there too.

about the tires......if you go to 33's I would stick to skinny ones, big fat (>12.5's) almost always drive like shit on a 2k rig. unless its just about "looking cool".

somehow my posts turned into silimar topics -- until now i didnt know they were related...ha

yea looking cool would take a backseat to functionality...nothing wrong with the 31s for what i do... if the 31s are better in terms of functionality for the setup i have then i definately want to stick with them.  I really don't know the difference 2 inches makes (assume same 10.5" or < width) for my samurai and you can ask 10 people "who know" and get different answers -- and there's a lot of fun in learning and trial and error -- but no fun in spending $$$ on bigger tires then say dang this sucks!

Quote from: Skyhiranger on May 22, 2011, 07:30:02 AM

4.57 and 5.38s are aftermarket gearsets.  The most common "factory" gears that are available to work in samurais are 4.62 and 5.12 trackick (tracker/sidekick) gears.

Ah...Cool. I read that 1990 samurais stock is a 3.727...Guess 4.57 - 4.62 is just enough change to make a noticeable difference.  5.12 - 5.38 puts the RPMs > 60mph a little too high for a DD based on my inputs -- IRC around 5k RPMS (maybe that's not too high but it seems high to be driving around on the roads)
 
Do you typically replace the R&P for the front and rear or just the rear?  I was thinking they were for the rear but I've come across some sites and forums where people mention front and rear...  I assumed re-gearing the Tcase was sufficient?

All 86-95 samurais have 3.727 (3.73) axle gears.
If you want to use trackick gears in samurai axles, you have to use trackick FRONT gears in both axles.  Trackick REAR gears will not physically fit in samurai axles.

Hey there I run a 88 Samurai on 33"x 13.5"x15" pitbull rockers. I have a 1.3L (done up) with 4.62 gears and a 4.16:1 tcase. It'll do 55mph |removethispart|@ 4200rpm no prob. I wouldn't go with such an agressive tire for a DD but those gears are great on the highway. Hope this helps.

I am running on 31x10.50x15's,
Stock axle ratios,
4.9 to 1 transfer case gears, (From LowRange 4x4)
Stock 1.3 8v w/ Weber Carb
5" of lift
Living in Central Wisconsin,
I didn't set it up for Rock Crawling,
I do Forestry Roads, Logging Cuts, etc.
And it gets around GREAT!

Just something too look at if you what to save some hard earned CASH
and you are NOT going to do EXTREME OFF ROADING.

CAPT