Locking and Re-Gearing Thailand-Built M226 Differentials

The Thailand-built Nissans have a different version of the M226 rear axle than here in the U.S. The Thailand models have 12-ring gear bolts rather than 10. This makes things a little tricky when upgrading to a locker and re-gearing, but it’s not impossible. Rugged Rocks has the 12-bolt version of the locker available.

However, if you plan on re-gearing your axles to a deeper ratio, you will need to use a 10-ring gear bolt locker with the 10-ring gear bolt gears from Rugged Rocks. The 12-ring gear bolt gears in aftermarket ratios are not available. Visit https://ruggedrocksoffroad.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=1665 for more details

For an ARB Locker for your Nissan Truck or SUV, visit: https://ruggedrocksoffroad.com/index.php?route=product/search&search=ARB-RD

Differential Gear Ratios: How to Pick the Best for Your Off-Road Vehicle

When installing oversize tires on your vehicle, you’ll notice that you’ll lose low-end power when towing, taking off from a stop or even on the trail. To regain this power, you’ll need to re-gear your differentials. The formula to figure out ideal gear ratio is stock tire size divided by the stock gear ratio.

This should be equal to your new tire size divided by your new gear ratio. However, this doesn’t account for extra rotating mass of the tire, just the dimensions.

Going strictly by this formula works well for street driven trucks without heavy aftermarket accessories. If you’re looking to get more torque for carrying heavy loads, towing, or if you spend a lot of time on the trail, you’ll want to pick a ratio that is deeper (numerically higher) by one or two available ratios than what the formula suggests. This typically ends up being between 5% and 15% deeper.

We have put together a chart to make things a little easier: https://ruggedrocksoffroad.com/nissan-gearing-chart.html

Once you have your gear ratio calculated, you can get your Nissan truck or SUV gears on order at https://ruggedrocksoffroad.com