[Spish]

I know it's been covered but I can't find the answer I'm looking for. I've been talking back in forth with Zuk here in PHX about getting regeared, looks like I can't get it done til October though. He was recommending going with JustDifferentials.com cause he does work on the cast clamshell in the front. So if I pull my 3rds myself how much should a regear cost? What gears should I run? This is my daily driver and weekend offroader, right now my gas MPG's and power is way down, I'd like to be back as close to stock as possible. What are you guys running with similar setups?

[the great him]

well im an auto trans and have my stock gears still and other than searching for gears on the freeway when i come to a little hill im happy with the stock gearing so far for street use, this summer im going wheeling for a week with my truck and we shall see... but i have a feeling ill want to regear to at least 4:56 and possibly even to 4:88s cause i know the bigger tires and weight of armor will really be putting a strain on my trans and transfer case

[99runnerwa]

I am running 33's on my dd/weekend wheeler with 4.56 gears. I have the auto as well and am happy with the performance. The mileage on the other hand isnt all that great but hey its a lifted suv what can i expect?
I went with the east coast Gear supply and was pretty happy with the experiance. my differentials arrived at my door, i swapped them out and took the old ones with the packing labels to fedex and they were on their way back. My rig was down only a weekend, would have been quicker but i found some other issues that i took care of.
i went with gears and ARB lockers, i think over all it was some where around 2500 for front and rear

[Rc4r]

I went to an offroad shop and they called Yukon directly and asked about my runner and they said 285s with armor ( bumpers, skids,sliders) to go with 5.29s they said I will see the most improvement with theses.

I also have toyo mts witch usually run about 15ibs a tire heavier Then most other mts.

[Mr. Leary]

There are two variables here: Weight and tire size.

If you have increased one, you should go with 4.56 or 4.88.

If you have increased both, you should look at 4.88 or 5.29.

For example, if your truck is relatively close to stock weight but has larger tires, then you should not need to go deeper then 4.88 gearsets, and you can probably get by with 4.56. If you have added 500+ lbs. of armor and/or gear you may want to consider 5.29 gearsets, and at least 4.88.

Word of caution. Most of the people that I know who dropped 4.56s in thier Yotas said that the difference was not big enough to really be worth it and that they should have stuck with stock gears and "took the money and ran" or gone to 4.88s.

5.29 gears are the deepest that you can go in your truck. If you want some idea of what it will be like at highway speed, ride around with your overdrive off for a while. The RPMs will only be slightly higher with the OD off on stock gears then they are with the OD on with 5.29s. If you drive 60 you will have a pretty good idea of what the rpm level will be at 65 with 5.29s.

Hope this helps,

Leary

[Edubsam]

Not to hijack, but what kind effect would adding an SC have on recommended ratios? For example: lift, 33s and armor with an SC. would 4.88 be plenty?

[the great him]

a SC will have some affect but when you are off road there is never a replacement for gearing... your motor and trans wont have the strain and load in it with the lower gears... look a guys who are shoving V8s in their jeeps and other rigs or building high HP/TQ rigs vs guys who are using mini trucks and suzuki samurais and the like, small motors but generally they are gearing them way down adding dual case and 529s ect. they still go everywhere the big HP trucks go and some places they cant... sure adding more power will help you on the highway and around town but it will only increase the strain and stress on your transmission or clutch besides its cheaper to regear and throw in some lockers while your at it...

[Mr. Leary]

I was actually talking to Jacque at TRDParts4U about that the other day. His truck was built very similarly to mine (bigger tires and lots of armor). He said that the gears (4.88) made a noticeable difference, but it wasn't until he added the SC that the truck felt like it had the power back on the highway.

Kid is right about gearing, although a slushbox will do wonders to offset this effect. Deeper gears mean more low end torque, which is what you want for offroad performance.

[YotaZach85]

4.88's at a minimum. I put 4.56's in my Tacoma and was pissed after I drove it, wasn't worth the money at all and it only cost me about $600, I'd a been REALLY pissed if I paid upwards of $2000 like other people have paid.

[Spish]

Good info guys, thanks. I talked with Justdifferentials and looks like I'll go with 4:88's. Just dont know who I'm going to get to do it.

[the great him]

Originally Posted by Spish

Good info guys, thanks. I talked with Justdifferentials and looks like I'll go with 4:88's. Just dont know who I'm going to get to do it.

do it yourself... its not hard hell i set up gears last weekend for the first time, and its so much easier than everyone makes it out to be... for me hard part was getting the damn third back in the axle housing...

[vthokie]

how much are people usually paying for gears? I think i'm going to have to re-gear after I get my new tires and add some weight.

[Pikeman]

If you want to set-up the gears yourself average cost of a gear set is $150-$200 per axle and master install kit(bearings and seals) another $100 or so per axle. If you want to get pre-assembled diffs and just swap them out yourself they start at about $600 per axle without lockers and go from there depending on your choice of lockers. East Coast gear Supply(ECGS) is a reputable company that several members here have used. You can also order complete diffs from Marlin Crawler and Inchworm gear. I used to be on the 4.56 band wagon but now when I regear I am going to go 4.88 since I have so much armor and it is only 250rpm difference at 65.

[04LTtacoma]

You don't need to re-gear if you are going up 1". You could go up wit 33" tires without re-gearing.

[Pikeman]

Originally Posted by 04LTtacoma

You don't need to re-gear if you are going up 1". You could go up wit 33" tires without re-gearing.

Minimum he is going up is 2" since the largest stock tire is a 31" equiv. I have been driving around for 2 years now without regearing so yes it can be done but I would as well as several other guys on the board highly suggest a re-gear. This has already been mentioned by a few other posters about the addition strain put on the drivetrain by making everything work harder to turn the tires and if he has it the weight of armor. I have not re-geared simply due to economic reasons but plan on doing it soon.