Steely's Dilema...Tera-Low or Gears?

[Steelheader]

I had an in depth discussion with a friend from our club today and got an interesting view point on what I should do. Rich told me that if it was his TJ (he owns a '76 CJ-5), he would go with the Tera-Low and keep the 3.73 gears for the hiway driving that I do. Rich says that the Tera with a traction device (recommended the E-Z Locker) would be more than sufficient for me to overcome some of the pitfalls of wheeling with 3.73s and 32" tires. I am looking for some friendly discussion and input on the pros and cons of this strategy. TIA and Happy Jeepin'! :)

[Chris S]

If you find you have enough power on the highway then go with the terra-low. Most guys chose the axle ratio change because they have rust on their 5th gear :D

[Lauti]

Steely,

32" tires and 3.73 gears is what I wanted before my mishap with the rear axle housing. For me it would have been a perfect combination. Although others surely think with tires larger than 31" YA NEED 4.10 gears. It's all personal preference.

If you like your setup on the streets, like it is now, than you would be even happier with a lower geared t-case for the trails.

[Steelheader]

Chris, I don't have rust on 5th, but I sure would like to get that 5th gear pick-up that I lost when I went to 32s. ;) Right now I tach at about 1900 rpms at 55 mph.

Lauti, the combination is at the very outer limits as far as power is concerned. I would not recommend going any higher than 32" tires with 3.73s. It isn't bad, but it would be better with 4.10s, IMHO. You are helping to convince me to go with the Tera-Low. Dang you, you cheap Jeep whore you. :D :p :D ;) I just priced one in the lastest JP mag at $995.00. :eek: Time to slam down some serious OT at work. :)

BTW, I forgot to put in my first post that I have a line on a rear axle from a 95 YJ with Moser Dana 35 axles and a Trak-Lok and 4.56 gears. I know that the axle housing can't be bolted straight up w/out major modifications, so I was gonna gut the housing and use all the internals on my housing. I am trying to figure out if it would be worth buying the rear axle from my friend, then upgrading the front axle with 4.56s or just go with the Tera-Low. ;)

[Lauti]

Steelheader,

But you also know that Rusty sells the Atlas 3.8 for only $1900 :p

4.56/32 is a radical combination. I guess you wouldn't need 1st gear anymore on the street. You could take-off at the stop ligth with 2nd engaged!

Do you already run a slip yoke eliminator kit?
What tire size do you want to run in the future?

Edit: I wouldn't invest in another D35, if I were you.

[lynn]

Vince
I run 3.73s and 33s in my '71, with a T18 tranny (driven on the street like a 3 speed).
I plan on keeping my 3.73s, and getting a TeraLow kit for my 'case. I plan to install the TeraLow later this summer, after my front axle swap is completed and broken in.
FWIW...

[Colo.TJ]

I'm currently running 35's and 3.73 gears w/ the Tera Low. First, I plan to go to 4.56's in the near future. I think that 4.56's are a little steep for 32's. 4.10's seem like a better all around choice. Second, I love my Tera Low. Off road it is king. So much control. Idle over obstacles. Brakes are rarely needed coming down steep inclines. In my opinion you should stick w/ the 3.73's and go w/ the Tera Low and a couple of drop in lockers like a lock right. If you want beefier lockers like a full Detriot you may as well regear at the same time to save on labor in the long run.

[StealthTJ]

FWIW, Bob Supplee sells the Tera 4 lo a lot less than that.. Don't have the exact price in front of me, but it was somewhere around $875.00, and that *includes* shipping..

:)
Fred

[Lil'Green]

Steely,
Go with the TeraLow. It will give you more and better use/pleasure off-road and it can still be there even if you change gears/axles later.

Also, going from 3.73 to 4.10 is not worth it, in my opinion. Too small a change. 4.56's are great with 33's but watch your mileage go down. Plus if you 're not gonna run 35's, and I would not on that axle, you don;t really need the 4.56's.

Additionally, you may gain some if not all of your lost 5th gear power by putting a header and a freeer flowing muffler on. Another reason not to change the gears just yet.

Furthermore, I would not invest in the D35 too much other than the moser shafts maybe.

Lynn,
Your 4 speed has a 1:1 ratio in 4th, so the 3.73's with 33's seem OK. Steely wants his 5th back. I'm saying forget it and loose the fifth if anything.

Hope this helps.

[Crowdog]

What is in your future for tire size? Are you planning on staying with 32's, or might you go with 33's or 35's in the future?

If you don't know whether you will change tire size, I would go with the Teralow so you don't gear for the wrong tire size.

Crowdog

[lynn]

Milan,
You're right.
I often feel like I'm at the lower edge of my powerband, even with a 1:1 4th.
If I had a .75 or .78 5th gear, it wouldn't be very useful...
Steelheader, I guess it all depends on if you're satisfied with your current highway performance, and whether you plan bigger tires in the future.

[TJ Edge]

Steely,

I'm falling in love with my TeraLow and my PowerTrax NoSlip in my D35! :D

I've had 3.73's with 30" and 31" tires. They were fine with the performance mods I had done: Airaid, Jacobs Omni & Wires. I just went with 33x12.5's; and having looked at the gear ratio charts, I decided to go with 4.10s to put me back to where I was with 3.73s and 30" tires. That was crucial! With the added weight of the taller, wider tires, the 3.73's would not have cut the mustard.

I would go with the TeraLow and "lunchbox" Locker (EZ, LockRight, NoSlip) first, if you don't plan on moving up in tire size right away. Then change your gearing when you move to 33's or 35's.

If you plan on changing tire size now, then go with 4.10s for 33s or 4.56s for 35s with the locker.

Cost-wise, you're gonna pay more for the tires/gears/locker upgrade.

TeraLow & Locker
$900 - TeraLow + $350 Labor (zero if you're a good machanic)
$350 - Locker + $200 Labor (NoSlip can do yourself no problem)
Total = $1800

Gears, Tires, Locker
$425 - Gears + $500 labor (unless you can set your own backlash)
$350 - Locker + $200 Labor (NoSlip can do yourself no problem)
Tires - $170 * 4 = $680 + $80 mounting & balancing
Total = $2235

[Steelheader]

Thanks for all the great advice, you guys are awesome. http://www.ilovejeeps.net./images/icons/icon14.gif

From the feedback on this and the other forums I visit, I am getting an overwhelming response to go with the Tera-Low. I think I will take your guys advice and drop in the Tera. I am not planning on putting 33s or 35s until next summer. So I will tolerate the high gearing for 5th gear. I've been living with it for almost a year already and it's not too bad, but would be nice to have that 4th and 5th gear pep again. ;)

Many thanks to you TJ Edge for the breakdown on the economics of both strategies. Your breakdown and everyones input has convinced me that the Tera is the WTG. :)

I will still buy the rear from the YJ for the Moser axles and the Trak-Lok. I will save the gears for when I go to 33s or 35s next year. Thanks again for keeping m,e from making a mistake. :)

T.Dome nix my last email I sent you about the gears. I'm gonna go with the Tera-low. Make sure you read TJ Edge's breakdown on the costs involved. ;)

[Lil'Green]

Milan,
You're right.
I often feel like I'm at the lower edge of my powerband, even with a 1:1 4th.
If I had a .75 or .78 5th gear, it wouldn't be very useful...


Hehehe. Maybe, but I'd take your NP435 over my AX15 any day!

[T.Dome]

i see...it looks good to me too but i still have to regear for the hi-way.

you gonna get that thing in before we come down next month? cause i want to see how it works:):)

[Steelheader]

you gonna get that thing in before we come down next month? cause i want to see how it works:):)

I wish! I gotta slam down at least 5 OTs to make the cash I need to buy it with. That doesn't include the locker either. I am looking at June or July more than likely. When you come down I will introduce you to some of the guys in the club (well, at lest one of them) that have the Tera-Low. Rich lives right up the street from me and he is the one that suggested going with the Tera. He has a CJ-5 with 3.73s and an E-Z Locker in the rear. He runs 36" Super Swampers and has NO problems getting anywhere. ;)