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recalibrate speedometer


blamtro
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I have a '97 XE with the 4.375 gears in the axle. I have 235/70r15 stock tires but want to go larger. What options do I have to recalibrate the speedo so it reads right after my tire swap. I know it sounds dumb, but it will bug the piss out of me to have it read incorrectly after the swap.

 

My understanding is the vehicle speed sensor coming out of the trany is what gives the speedo/odo the info. Are there different gears for the VSS available? If so, from where?

 

Is my only option to change the rear axle gears to the 4.625 found on most LE models?

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If you get bigger tires, such as 31x10.50R15, you will probably want to swap gears even if your speedometer were made accurate, since you'll notice a dramatic decrease in acceleration and performance.

 

You can check to see if there are diffferent gears for the VSS (vehicle speed sensor).

 

BTW, your 97 XE has 4.363 gears (48-tooth ring / 11-tooth pinion), not 4.375, and you would regear to 4.636 (51 ring / 11 pinion), not 4.625. The slight change in gear ratios started with the 96 model year.

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If you get bigger tires, such as 31x10.50R15, you will probably want to swap gears even if your speedometer were made accurate, since you'll notice a dramatic decrease in acceleration and performance.

 

You can check to see if there are diffferent gears for the VSS (vehicle speed sensor).

 

BTW, your 97 XE has 4.363 gears (48-tooth ring / 11-tooth pinion), not 4.375, and you would regear to 4.636 (51 ring / 11 pinion), not 4.625. The slight change in gear ratios started with the 96 model year.

 

 

Hey XplorX, I just mounted some 31.6" tires on my 3.3 R50 and WOW is it slow!!! My R50 went from turtle pace to a sloth on the verge of death.

 

Do you know what gears I have in my 99 QX4 and what all is involved with regearing??

 

 

All advice is greatly appreciated

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Hey XplorX, I just mounted some 31.6" tires on my 3.3 R50 and WOW is it slow!!! My R50 went from turtle pace to a sloth on the verge of death.

 

Do you know what gears I have in my 99 QX4 and what all is involved with regearing??

 

 

All advice is greatly appreciated

Fueler, what size tires did it come with from the factory? (Should say on the door jamb, too.)

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yours is 4.625 if I'm not mistaken.

R50's have either 4.363 or 4.636 gearing. They don't have 4.375 or 4.625 like WD21's. The number of pinion and ring gear teeth is different between the older H233Bs and the later-model ones.

 

And yes, if you have 4WD, then you need to regear both the front and rear axles.

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Fueler, what size tires did it come with from the factory? (Should say on the door jamb, too.)

 

Factory: 255/65/16

 

Now: 265/75/16

 

 

 

There is no spot for "axle code" on the door jamb...

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Wow, fueler, I actually don't know whether yours came with 4.3 or 4.6 gears. The QX4 OEM tire size is between the early Pathfinder's 235/70R15 and 265/70R15.

 

However, your original tires were approx 29" in diameter, whereas your new tires are 31.64, which are almost 10% larger. No wonder you're having problems.

 

If you want to check for yourself to see which ratio you have, you'll need to chock the front wheels, raise the rear tires off the ground, put the tranny in Neutral, then mark the driveshaft. Rotate the tires exactly one full revolution (make sure both tires turn at the same speed), counting the number of driveshaft rotations. If the driveshaft turns more than 4-1/2 revolutions, you have 4.636 gears. If it's not quite 4-1/2 revolutions, then you have 4.363 gears.

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I assume the cheapest way for me to re-gear would be to buy a used third member with the 4.636 gears already in it. Is there any specific thing I need to look for in third members besides being an H233B?

 

Is the only differences in third members being ring and pinion gear teeth numbers and open or LS carriers?

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Yep. that would be the simplest option for you. You just need to specify H233B with a 4.636 ratio for any Pathfinder model year between 96-04.

 

Being only 2WD, you're fortunate not to have to buy a front diff also!

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Any 96-04 axle should work. They're all identical as far as I know. I forgot that the axle code wasn't listed on the door jamb. It's on the stamped plate in the engine bay on the passenger side. I couldn't get a clearer picture since it's dark, but here's where to look.

 

537030760_Picture%20002.jpg

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Thanks for the help bro, mine says HG46

 

 

Which is better for larger tires: 4.363 or 4.636 ??

Numerically higher ratios (lower gears) are better for larger tires, so 4.636 is better than 4.363.

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