1st gen sas questions

[MoreFuel]

So ive tossed the idea around of "sas"ing the explorer and was wondering if Jeep alxes out of a Wrangler would be up to the task? And would the mounts on the Jeep axles be able to be retrofitted to keep the coils up front?

 

[IZwack]

Search results:
https://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=jeep+axles+site:explorerforum.com

 

[4x4junkie]

So ive tossed the idea around of "sas"ing the explorer and was wondering if Jeep alxes out of a Wrangler would be up to the task?

Not even close. Huge step backwards. :thumbdwn:

A D44 would at least give you bigger brakes than what you have now. If you're looking to run tires much bigger than 36" or so, I'd start giving some thought to 1-tons though.

 

[MoreFuel]

Understood, I mean I really don't "beat" my rig off road, just some casual trail riding and such and I don't plan on going beyond 35" tires (maybe 33"s)

Idk may just lift it and keep the ttb, and rebuild the front end

Btw, what kind of gears some I look in to for 33 or 35 tires, i was thinking along the lines of 4:56s

 

[Anime]

4.56 gears will be good for 33's. They'll be okay for 35's as well, but 5.13 might be better depending on the wheeling you do.

Generally a SOA lift in the rear, and matching 5-6" lift in front is a good way to go. That way you can go with either 33's or 35's. Lots of people have spent more money going up in lift and tire sizes, and it seems to be less expensive in the long run to just go straight to 33-35", and then do body lifts or other stuff if even larger tires are desired later on. Gears are usually the other big expense, so it can save a lot of time and money to just stick with one tire size and gear ratio rather than changing those as well.

 

[MoreFuel]

Honestly I don't do a huge amount of wheeling but most of it its trail riding and such, I don't exactly go mudding I see it as a good way to tear stuff up. Lift wise i'm thinking a standard 4" lift and 2 or 3 inch body should suffice for my needs and 4.88 or 5.13 gears

Where would be best to get my gears from? Should I go with a locker in the rear of some sort, but I don't want to lose my ability for "daily driver" use.

 

[Anime]

The 5-6" lift is preferable to a 4", since you can do a SOA in the rear, and a 2" body lift if you need more clearance. The 4" lifts keep the spring-under in the rear, so you need to buy new leaf packs, which adds a lot to the cost of the kit. The 3" body lift is a PITA vs. the 2", so going with a 4" suspension lift and 3" body lift seems like a good way to make things more expensive and difficult.

You could also just do the suspension lift and 33's will fit. I'd say 33's and 4.56's are good for a daily driver that will do just about any trails. When you get into 35's and 4.88/5.13, you are looking at dedicated trail rig use, or limited around town driving.

There are a lot of opinions about gears. None seem to be "bad", but warranty service varies by manufactuer so I'd go with one where customer service is paramount, not just based on initial price.

You could just get a standard Detroit locker or something, a locker will make it handle funny on the road, but if it's on 33's/35's, you'll have to take it easy anyway. ARB air lockers are a nice (expensive) way to get open diff road manners and locked diff capability on the trail.

 

[Naasau]

To keep on-road manners more manageable, you could go with a worm-gear style locker; they're not as expensive as a selectable, and way less of a pain in the ass than a ratcheting or lunchbox locker.

like so:
http://www.eaton.com/Eaton/Products...utomotiveAftermarket/Differentials/PCT_221471

For what it is worth, I think Anime is right, and going with a 5-6" lift will clear 33+ just fine, and you can do a SOA in the rear for cheap.