Opinions on 241OR Rubicon Transfer Case?

[TreverStevens]

So I'm doing some major changes to my TJ and one of them being upgrading to the NV3550 (from the Ax5). With that I'll have to put a new TC on the backside of the trans. I was wondering what anyone's thoughts were on the Rubi TC (NV241OR)? I know the ultra low gearing is great to have when needed, but at 3x-4x the price of the NV231 really worth it?

 

[Fouledplugs]

So I'm doing some major changes to my TJ and one of them being upgrading to the NV3550 (from the Ax5). With that I'll have to put a new TC on the backside of the trans. I was wondering what anyone's thoughts were on the Rubi TC (NV241OR)? I know the ultra low gearing is great to have when needed, but at 3x-4x the price of the NV231 really worth it?

It really depends on want you want to do in your Jeep. Rock crawling with finesse? NV241R is a really good option, with patience they can be had for at or around $1000. Otherwise the 231 might be a better option for you.

 

[MallCrawlOnTons]

What kind of off-roading you do?
I want a rubicon case but I think they are hard to find

 

[tworley]

There is the terralow kit for a 231. I have no experience with it though. The downside to the 241 is its massive size. Depending on how your rig is built it could restrict travel on your rear axle.

Of the few times Ive seen them for sale they have been marked around 1k.

 

[Hotchef181818]

There is the terralow kit for a 231. I have no experience with it though. The downside to the 241 is its massive size. Depending on how your rig is built it could restrict travel on your rear axle.

Of the few times Ive seen them for sale they have been marked around 1k.

I’m 99% sure the teralow kit has been out of production for a while now. From what I remember they were a pretty loud gear set.

On a side note if you happen to see a 241 around 1k in our area would you let me know? The ones I seem to find are 1600-1800. I’d grab one at 1,000

 

[tworley]

I’m 99% sure the teralow kit has been out of production for a while now. From what I remember they were a pretty loud gear set.

On a side note if you happen to see a 241 around 1k in our area would you let me know? The ones I seem to find are 1600-1800. I’d grab one at 1,000

You're right--I cant seem to find one online anymore.

Ive probably seen 3 for sale in the last 5 years. They are not to common but I'll keep my eyes open:thumbsup:

 

[jjvw]

The benefits of the 241 depend on what you want out of the Jeep. Personally, I really enjoy the low and slow crawl ratio, but it also can be frustrating when I want to move faster. When I eventually regeared the axles I was able to use 4hi off road far more often, which made up for the 241.

 

[MallCrawlOnTons]

There is the terralow kit for a 231. I have no experience with it though. The downside to the 241 is its massive size. Depending on how your rig is built it could restrict travel on your rear axle.

Of the few times Ive seen them for sale they have been marked around 1k.

Pic of “massive case”.( Random pic off he internet)
If you do the swap can you include a before and after pic of each case in the Jeep?

I like the idea of the rubi case.
4:1, and 32 spline outputs for us rock bouncers in the south!
I personally don’t think 1k to $1300 is bad for a rubi takeout for what you get. Plus you could sell your case for a couple hundred.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

I've run both a 231 and my current 241 Rubicon tcase and for rock crawling/low-speed technical trail crawling the 4:1 of the 241 is definitely the better choice. But if you're not rock crawling and/or doing extremely slow very technical trails, the 4:1 might be a little too low of a ratio. Some things like deep mud, snow, etc. require a higher ratio like the 231 has which creates more wheel speed.

It's also not easy to get a 241 installed, it's not a straight-up bolt-on transfer case. So if you're not on trails where the slowest possible crawling speeds are needed I'd recommend going for the 231 at 1/3 the cost. And the last thing I'd recommend is the Teralow kit. Noisy, doesn't hold up all that well, and new replacement parts are non-existent.

 

[MallCrawlOnTons]

There is the terralow kit for a 231. I have no experience with it though. The downside to the 241 is its massive size. Depending on how your rig is built it could restrict travel on your rear axle.

Of the few times Ive seen them for sale they have been marked around 1k.

Wait. restrict travel? How?

 

[jjvw]

Wait. restrict travel? How?

The rear drive shaft on a TJ is short. The 231 with a super short SYE will result in a longer shaft than the 241. It isn't difficult to reach the travel limits of the Rubicon rear drive shaft.

 

[toximus]

Wait. restrict travel? How?

Shorter driveshaft by about 2" compared to a SSSYE iirc.

 

[tworley]

Wait. restrict travel? How?

The rear drive shaft on a TJ is short. The 231 with a super short SYE will result in a longer shaft than the 241. It isn't difficult to reach the travel limits of the Rubicon rear drive shaft.

Shorter driveshaft by about 2" compared to a SSSYE iirc.

For those reasons they stated. Driveshaft length is an important factor when building a rig. On my 231 I am running a JB Conversions supershort SYE (2" shorter than a standard SYE), a 19" double cardan driveshaft, and I have roughly 4.5" of downtravel at which point my driveshaft begins to bind. The bigger size of the 241 forces you to have an even shorter shaft than mine. If I installed a 241 on my jeep today, my downtravel would be significantly less, probably even less than what was offered on a stock configuration.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

....and I have roughly 4.5" of downtravel at which point my driveshaft begins to bind.

Which is why I had to replace my rear driveshaft with its larger 1350 u-joints with one with 1330 u-joints. The rear driveshaft was binding at times with the 1350's.

 

[jjvw]

...

I like the idea of the rubi case.
4:1, and 32 spline outputs for us rock bouncers in the south!
...

I have an image in my head when I think of a Southern rock bouncer. Is that an appropriate application for a Rubicon 241?

 

[JDS123]

I have an image in my head when I think of a Southern rock bouncer. Is that an appropriate application for a Rubicon 241?

Considering the fact that the rock bouncers I'm thinking of blow through Atlas cases, I'd reckon a Rubicon case would last approximately 20 seconds behind the 800+ HP they're putting out. A lot of them run trail worthy fab hero cases or some lesser known one speed cases. Rock bouncers have absolutely no need for a 2 wheel drive option.

 

[TreverStevens]

I plan on doing some wheeling and crawling with my TJ once I get her up and running again. My engine bit the dust about a month after I picked it up, and before I even really used the 4x4. Not really planning on mud bogging or stuff like that regularly. I'm also doing a TDi swap with everything so I was thinking the lower gearing of the 241R with the low TQ of the diesel would be a steady combo.

 

[MallCrawlOnTons]

I have an image in my head when I think of a Southern rock bouncer. Is that an appropriate application for a Rubicon 241?

I’m just talking driving style. We bump a lot of stuff on the trail. A low crawl ratio would be nice to have in my Jeep 90 percent of the time. I do bump stuff often, but with a rubi case I could just hit second.

 

[toximus]

I have an image in my head when I think of a Southern rock bouncer. Is that an appropriate application for a Rubicon 241?

Just send drive it!

 

[tworley]

Its funny to me to compare wheeling habits based on region. Seems anyone east of the Mississippi has a "throttle down and out" mentality. Whereas West is slow and finesse