Ok, well after a ton of reading I have come across a problem I missed for some reason. I have a 2012 Jeep Liberty and I am about a month away from ordering the 4" lift kit from JBA. I also plan on going with larger tires obviously to supplement the additional room because stock tires would just look sad I would imagine. So now I read in here that regearing is a viable need when going with larger tires. Now my already expensive $5k lift seems to go up by another $1500 which I have not saved up for. Soo, regearing, what is the downfall of not doing it?

I am about to install a 4" JBA lift too. I don't have money for tires just yet, but was planning on going with 245/75/16's when I do. Most of the reading I've done on LOST, JeepKJCountry, and JeepForum indicates that this is the largest size you can go to with the stock 3.73 gear ratio, and not lose a ton of performance. This is what I've learned: With 265/75/16's, you'd be looking at really bad gas mileage, inability to use overdrive (4th gear) unless going downhill or on the flat, and a significant loss of power on the highway. I'm sure there will be some effect of the 245's on all of the above, but running the larger 265's without regearing really makes the 3.7L engine work hard all the time (higher engine temps, more wear and tear on engine and transmission), and reduces your gas mileage by something like 5 mpg. Getting 4.10 or 4.56 gears would allow you to run 265's but would be an expensive proposition to install. Probably worth it if you really want to run 265's, though. I'm planning on running the 245/75/16's after my lift. One last advantage is that the 245 tire fits in the OEM spare tire location under the truck, but 265's don't. You'd need to find an alternate mounting point for your spare if you run the larger tires. Hope this helps! --LFH

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2008 Liberty Sport 4x4 Automatic

Jeepin By Al 4" Lift Kit
BFG KO2’s 245/75R16
Full MOPAR skid plates
Rock Lizard Skink Super Sliders
AtTheHelm Front Recovery System & Roof Rack
M116A3 Trailer build thread: viewtopic.php?f=72&t=77997

If you tow a camper, or anything else that weighs over a thousand pounds then you'll need to regear. I've got 245/75-16's and my KK is a pig while towing. I've even had the tranny high temp alarm ring on a trail ride last year, on a steady incline in 4 hi. 4.10's or 4.56 if you want some extra torque. May as well add a limited slip or locker while the axels are apart.

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2010 KK Deep Water Blue,OME Liftplus 1",JBA 5.5 UCA ,Dynaflow cat back exhaust, Weathertech VV & mats,Mopar skids,Atthehelm front bumper, Smittybilt XRC 10, Rigid LED's,RL Skink Supersliders,Gecko Safari Basket Detroit Truetrac rear, E-Locker front, G2, Dana 4.10's