[SuziBlu]

joeblow wrote:

Gwagensteve wrote:

I'd just spend the money on 4.1 or 4.9 transfer gears.

Steve.

don't forget to mention forking out for beefier t case mounts etc etc...........

Who makes, and where do you get beefier transfer mounts.

Something I have overlooked.

[5ierra]

matfan wrote:

JrZook wrote:

Dude!! You are looking at it wrong! Among the extra cost and time to set up you are not gonna be much better off with diff gears. The tcase gears are more cost effective! What you get is a gear set that reduces your high range gearing, making 5th gear usable again, as well as at the same time significantly reducing your low range so you don't have to slip/ride the clutch or hit obstacles at high speeds. If your aiming to run 31's are your 'not that hardcore' 4.1:1 or even 4.9:1's are your best bet!

Dan

I'm not too worried about the cost side, I just don't want a LOW low range. I found the stock gearing on my old tyres (215/75 at's) suited my needs. The concern I have is based on the reduction in my lwb, flat out in 4th I'm hitting 25 kms/hr, which is pretty crap for zooming around.

I use my tin top for exploring, the lwb is for more "serious" obstacle climbing.

I do welcome the feedback though!

Thats why the suzuki/4x4 gods invented high range 4...

Mate, spend your money how you please, but tcase gears are the way to go (to begin with) then worry about R&P later down the track when your going to larger tyres to split the load across all the gears...

I'm running 6.5:1 tcase gears, roctoy ring, custom made cradle & 2" tcase lift and could be happier with the result. Admitedly i change to High 4 alot more then someone with 4.9's would, but that doesnt bother me in the slightest.

Gears (including rebuild kit & upgraded front output) cost me about $700 shipped from LROR. Cradle and roctoy cost me $170.

Gearing on the highway is a little high. but you would be looking at lower gears anyway (4.9's are well suited for 31's).

Now with all of that said, I had 4.8:1 Vitara R&P. highway speed wasnt much different to what it is now with 6.5's and low range was shit. so i went back to 3.7's and 6.5's for reduction.

As i said though, how you spend your money is up to you, you will be dissapointed with the result though.

[Gwagensteve]

X lots for what 5ierra said.

there's lots of options for stronger transfer case mounts, but I'd be very surprised if mounts fail often with 4.XX transfer gears and 30's.

We have a car in the club that eats (passenger side) mounts with 6.5 transfer gears and 3.9 diffs... but it runs Q78 swampers, which generate masses of traction.

It's traction that kills mounts. Whilst it's true that spreading the reduction between diffs and transfer is kinder on mounts, for a 30" tyre, the numbers don't add up.

Steve.

[CairnsZook]

Gwagensteve wrote:

...there's lots of options for stronger transfer case mounts...

Hey Steve, do you know of any lifted mounts that are not bolted all the way through? Maybe like an engine mount (or similar) from another vehicle.
I'm after something about 50mm bigger than the stock mounts.

[Gwagensteve]

I reckon if you're concerned about the strength of the stock mount, the real solution is a through bolted mount. A taller isolation mount will have even more spring in it.

We've been running a bunch of cars with Urethane isolation mounts for about three years. (including my car) and last weekend we had one fail ( the first) This car will be getting through bolted mounts and a reinforced tension side mount - the passenger side. On the car I'm talking about, the drivers side mount has been reinforced but it's trashed three passenger side arms.

PS, stock 1.0 sierras use four through-bolted mounts stock. I think the 1.3 arrangement is inferior to the standard 1.0 setup - it helps to prevent twist in the case and there's one more mount to spread the load.

Steve.

[JrZook]

Gwagensteve wrote:

I reckon if you're concerned about the strength of the stock mount, the real solution is a through bolted mount. A taller isolation mount will have even more spring in it.

I think another solution is to have all the mounts work on compression instead of expansion (talking about the single side mount).

Dan

[Gwagensteve]

I like the sound of that.

We're radically reworking the mounts on the car that took out a mount last weekend as part of a larger rebuild (coils) and I think that idea has heaps of merit.

Steve.