[Gwagensteve]

If a newbie asked if they should run 6.5's with 29's or 30's I'd say they were a bad choice.

At 31"+ they are an excellent choice.

Steve.

[shep]

i had 4.16 with 30s so cant comment on the 6.5s and 30s. unfortunately there is no way a noob can distinguish between
someone who knows what they are talking about and a knob sitting at their computer recycling bullshit from all the
other bullshit artists that keep commenting on things that they are guessing about which is why i thought a poll of owners
might reflect reality.

[ajsr]

I am not recycling bullshit thankyou shep, I make it up all by myself

[shep]

ajsr wrote:

I am not recycling bullshit thankyou shep, I make it up all by myself

you have a set of 6.5s.

[jdk81]

I love them, and I hate them at the same time.

Mine are rockhoppers stage 4, havent done a xfer case mount, but have bent the xcase long arm bracket.
I have made a cradle, and new arms for it.

With the stock g13a, low 2nd was my go to gear off road (32" pedes).
With g16 bottom end, low 3rd-4th, even high 1st are where I am at now (on 31" bighorns)

I hate them, as I am always changing between low-high. Since the g16, I do a lot more in high.

Personally, I would prefer diff gears (4.6ish and 4.16 xfer gears though). However, the preference to the 4.16 gears isnt enough to make me want to sell my 6.5s and get 4.16s.

Low 1st rarely ever gets used, and if I do diff gears with 6.5s low 1st and 2nd become mostly useless.
However, high range becomes far more useful, and on the highway the engine will be screaming.
Thus to solve this issue, run larger rubber.

[BlueSuzy]

Really depends on what you drive also. My favourite is full grip steep rock.

[31zook]

BlueSuzy wrote:

Really depends on what you drive also. My favourite is full grip steep rock.

X2

[Red89]

You need 3 options.

1. I love em because they suit the terrain I drive perfectly.
2. They are good when I am driving on rocks but shit me everywhere else.
3. They just plain shit me.

Some people will understand that to drive a specific sort of terrain requires a particular set of mods and this will mean a compromise in handling in other sorts of situations. Other people have read that you have to have max reduction when 4wding, so go straight out and buy them then wonder why there drive-ability has suffered on certain terrains ie mud and sand, and it is now reving off its not at highway speeds which scares them.

[ajsr]

they are ok in the mud and open stuff, you just need to be able to rev the tits off it and row the cogs fast

[31zook]

Spot on red, I don't think you can build the ultimate truck for every situation, if someone had 10k to spend and lived in the NT, I would buy a Vit and twin lock it and get from track to track, but the ultimate truck for maito-Sydney area would be a Sierra that you weren't worried about having panel damage or the idea of trailering it home....

In no way am I bagging out the NT, I'm just saying that everyone has different needs. 6.5s will suit the boys around here, but not everywhere.

I'll be putting 6.5s in my Jimny for sure!

[MrRocky]

ive had 6:5's in my daily's for years now and its a compromise
Im happy to sit on lower hwy speeds cause im old but i also want to be able to
idle up the steepest inclines i can find and do the occasional trip away
along with some beach work. They are to low for sandy tracks and long open beach runs but for going up sand dunes
i normally sit on 5000rpm in 5th and get up most dunes, this isnt an issue if u have a 16v 1.6 or something with similar power
cause u can just use high range but with a 1ltr or 1.3 into a headwind or really boggy sand your gunna do it tough in high and kill your clutch.

[monley]

31zook wrote:

Spot on red, I don't think you can build the ultimate truck for every situation, if someone had 10k to spend and lived in the NT, I would buy a Vit and twin lock it and get from track to track, but the ultimate truck for maito-Sydney area would be a Sierra that you weren't worried about having panel damage or the idea of trailering it home....

In no way am I bagging out the NT, I'm just saying that everyone has different needs. 6.5s will suit the boys around here, but not everywhere.

I'll be putting 6.5s in my Jimny for sure!

Your revs will be over 5000rpm@100KPH with 6.5's and 29's wont they?

[Rusho]

monkey wrote:

31zook wrote:

Spot on red, I don't think you can build the ultimate truck for every situation, if someone had 10k to spend and lived in the NT, I would buy a Vit and twin lock it and get from track to track, but the ultimate truck for maito-Sydney area would be a Sierra that you weren't worried about having panel damage or the idea of trailering it home....

In no way am I bagging out the NT, I'm just saying that everyone has different needs. 6.5s will suit the boys around here, but not everywhere.

I'll be putting 6.5s in my Jimny for sure!

Your revs will be over 5000rpm@100KPH with 6.5's and 29's wont they?

Doubt it...I had 30's(under size) with 6.5's and it sat on 4000-4100ish

[monley]

Rusho wrote:

monkey wrote:

31zook wrote:

Spot on red, I don't think you can build the ultimate truck for every situation, if someone had 10k to spend and lived in the NT, I would buy a Vit and twin lock it and get from track to track, but the ultimate truck for maito-Sydney area would be a Sierra that you weren't worried about having panel damage or the idea of trailering it home....

In no way am I bagging out the NT, I'm just saying that everyone has different needs. 6.5s will suit the boys around here, but not everywhere.

I'll be putting 6.5s in my Jimny for sure!

Your revs will be over 5000rpm@100KPH with 6.5's and 29's wont they?

Doubt it...I had 30's(under size) with 6.5's and it sat on 4000-4100ish

What was the RPM@100kph stock though? I think mark I jimny's sit on about 4000rpm @100kph stock...

[Rusho]

To be completely honest changing from standard t'fer gears to 6.5's there was only a few hundred revs difference

[SierraDan]

31zook wrote:

BlueSuzy wrote:

Really depends on what you drive also. My favourite is full grip steep rock.

X2

x2

[31zook]

monkey wrote:

31zook wrote:

Spot on red, I don't think you can build the ultimate truck for every situation, if someone had 10k to spend and lived in the NT, I would buy a Vit and twin lock it and get from track to track, but the ultimate truck for maito-Sydney area would be a Sierra that you weren't worried about having panel damage or the idea of trailering it home....

In no way am I bagging out the NT, I'm just saying that everyone has different needs. 6.5s will suit the boys around here, but not everywhere.

I'll be putting 6.5s in my Jimny for sure!

Your revs will be over 5000rpm@100KPH with 6.5's and 29's wont they?

Jimny's also have 4.09 diffs

Nah, my high range will be spot on... I have secret plans

[SierraDan]

31zook wrote:

Nah, my high range will be spot on... I have secret plans

[shep]

my car now has 6.5 trans gears and 4.88 diff gears and i am building it to be a touring car

[Shansh]

all this diff gears/transfer gears sometimes does my head in.........

I understand the reasons for 6.5, thats no worries, but I thought with 33's 6.5's & 3.9 was a good combo in a 1.3 sierra

I also get the point about different terrain needing different setups, i was planning on the above combo for a "general" setup or starting point depending on how it performs & where I end up doing my driving, im in SA for now but will be heading back to eastern NSW in the not too distant future

so even though i dont have 6.5's yet I am following this closely to try and make up my mind whether to get them or 5.14's

[christover1]

Theory, though important, never replaces actual experiences.
Drive or passenger in a friends zook.
Get an idea what you really need.
And never aim for what you think is perfect.
Because some things need trail experience to determine,
thus mods never really stop.

I worked out in theory that I needed 4:6 diffs in my Sierra,
but accidently bought 4:9's.
Loved the result.
Was undergeared a tad on road, but never got a speeding tickey.
Unlike in my Vit

[SierraDan]

Shansh 5.14's and 3.9s on 31's i see as perfect all round combo for my area (Eastern NSW). But for 33's I'd/am going 6.5's.

[Shansh]

dan, cheers mate, will see how it goes...........