Determine Jeep Gear Ratio
Many Jeep owners want to know the gear ratio of their vehicles, but do not know determine the exact ratio themselves. Determining the gear ratio is not physically difficult, but requires repetition and counting, and is slightly tedious. Typically, gear ratio demonstrates the pulling power and speed capabilities of an automobile. Jeeps generally do not sport excessive speed or extreme pulling power, so their gear ratios should typically be moderate. The moderate gear ratio of a Jeep, however, should indicate its strong center of gravity and maneuvering, and explains why Jeeps are good off-terrain vehicles.
Instructions
1. Raise one wheel off the ground using the car jack. The transmission should be in neutral to allow you to view the revolutions of the wheel and driveshaft. It is recommended to place bricks or wedges under the wheels to keep the car from moving.
2. Mark a point on the wheel and driveshaft with the chalk. This will give you a reference point to count revolutions.
3. Rotate the tire 10 full revolutions, and watch the driveshaft as you do this. Count how many times the driveshaft made a full revolution during the 10 revolutions of the tire. If desired, rotate the tire 20 times to get a slightly more-accurate ratio.
4. Divide the number of driveshaft revolutions by half of the total tire revolutions made. The resulting number is the gear ratio for your Jeep.
