I put 35's on my G and would like to change the gears to regain the torque lost. Two guys at Europa said there were no options for the 463 and that the 6.17 ring and pinions wouldn't work. They recommended looking for an aftermarket parts supplier in Europe. I usually speak to Travis, but he wasn't there.
The W463 250 GD came with the 6.167 diffs as optional equipment. 463s 250 GDs are rare -only 272 were ever made- but if it worked in that 463 it would work in any 463.
Normally I would agree that if it was offered in a 463, it should work. On the other hand, I think the front axle on the G500 may be a little different. The front locker was not offered on the '93 500GE partially because of durability concerns. The new G500 has a whole lot more power yet. It is possible that the diff is unique.
The best thing to do is to make note of your axle numbers, they are right on the tags next to the diffs. Then have Travis check it out.
Mike, what are your axle part no.'s. They're on plates riveted to the diff housing. That information might be helpful in determining what might be available. All the tables I've seen for diff gears reference the axle no.s.
The W463 250 GD came with the 6.167 diffs as optional equipment. 463s 250 GDs are rare -only 272 were ever made- but if it worked in that 463 it would work in any 463.
Cheers
Having said that, I double checked today.
My May 1990-issued manual titled "The new cross-country vehicles - series 463, Introduction into service for customer service", lists front axle AL 0 / 3 C 1,3 / 6,167 as Special Equipment (SA 020428/1) for the 250 GD.
(When fitted with diff lock, denomination is AL 0 / 3 CS 1,3 / 6,167)
However, I could not find this option in any other manual. Other sources state that the only diff possible for the 250 GD is the 5,286.
In any event, if you are looking for a diff setup with lower gearing than your 4,375, you have at least two options for the front axle, namely:
AL 0 / 3 CS 1,3 / 4,857
AL 0 / 3 CS 1,3 / 5,286
The fact that in both cases the "sales designation" of the front axle are exactly the same as that fitted to your car leads me to think that these would be fully compatible with your front axle.
As for the rear axle, the denominations quoted are:
HL 0 / 11 S 1,8 /4,857
HL 0 / 11 S 1,8 /5,286
Incidentally, my 1991 300 GD is fitted with 5,286 diffs. In my EPC, part numbers for the front and real crown and pinion sets as the following:
I spoke to Travis yesterday about this. He said that for sure the 4.9 gears are availible but that he had checked previously and could not get 6.17s. Looks like the 5.3 would be an excellent choice, the 4.9 probably isn't worth the cost of the swap. There does not seem to be a major difference in the G500 axle vs the earlier 463, my error.
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