The Elusive Lower Geared Transfer Case

Lower IS Better - for some things!

What more can be said? I’ve always wondered what was so great about a low range transfer case until now. All of you Samurai folks with your 4.16:1 cases can’t have it all to yourself now. Just think, this new kit may make it plausible to keep the trans and transfer case intact when doing a swap to the 1.6 ‘big block’ motor! No more ripped in half transfer case mounts? Time will tell how durable the Tracker case really is though. Mines been to the’ hot place’ and back and still performs quite well.

GRP Automotive out of Australia have released their new super low transfer case gears for the Tracker / Sidekick / Vitara line of vehicles. It appeared to be advertised as a 4.0:1, but my math gave me something a bit higher. 3.79 to be exact. I was anxious to get a set due to fact I was becoming ‘allergic’ to smokin’ clutches. Replacing a clutch every other year was becoming old, AND expensive!

I can say without a doubt, the Tourister luggage commercial with the gorilla really is TRUE! I have proof! At least that what my shipment looked like when I first got the package from Greg Page in Australia. The package was so damaged that it’s guts literally were hanging out. Upon inspection, it turned out the gears had been damaged.  Chipped teeth on at least two of the gears. This prompted a call to Greg @ GRP. As it turned out I also checked to see if the gears were the correct ones. Lucky or not, you decide, the gears were wrong ones anyway. I contacted FedEx and they told me to return the gears and they would pay to send them back and return me an undamaged set. A phone call to Greg to get the proper gearset set aside and I was off and running in a little over a week. The box contained the gears (and a really cool shirt) but not much else!)  The only instructions that came with it told me to follow the factory manual when replacing the gearset. As you see, it had a few twists though. Still, I would recommend anyone who is digging into their vehicle get a quality factory manual to guide them through component rebuilds and electrical gremlins.

Upon getting the gearset in my hands I had just over a week to get them in so I could have them in time for the trip to the United Four Wheel Drive Assn. Convention in Sweetwater, TN and the following trip to Upper Tellico OHV Area.