Looking for advice and some knowledge on gear ratios.

I’ve been looking around and will continue to do so, but I know many here have experience with changing out their gears.

I’m currently running 32” tires on stock gears, which I believe are 3.73’s from what I’ve read.

I’m going to go up to 33” tires for the next tire purchase and figured it’d make sense to upgrade gears at that point.

This is my daily driver and will be for awhile, so highway mpg’s are important to not completely go down the sh***er.

I tow a 3,500 lb camper a few times a summer and a raft just about every other weekend, so I’m looking to keep some torque with the 33’s.

From what I’ve read 4.10’s wouldn’t be a big enough difference to justify the cost.

So it’s between finding some 4.30’s or going with 4.56’s.

What have others done with the V6 with 33’s?
What do you like or not like about the setup you have?

I think the general consensus is 33’s and 4.56 are like warm bread and butter lol. I’ve heard nothing but good things. That being said, I’ve run 33’s for years and haven’t upgraded gears yet. Yeah it’s a noticeable drop but not 100% must do right away. I will eventually. Some people run 4.88’s but I’m not sure on the highway driving for that low of a ratio. If I’m not mistaken @Inv4drZm runs 4.88’s but he’s got a V8, so not sure how that compares.


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If you plan on staying 33s and what you listed for towing, and a DD. Personally, 4.56.

I'm full armor and heavy, ran stock gears on both 32s and now 35s for over a yr before regearing. 4.56

I'm a DD also, but capable of doing a right turn to extreme trails if I wish. 4.56 gives me that decent DD with some torque, I sometimes tow also. If I was more off roading, 4.88swould have been a better choice.

Also, dont really expect to improve your MPGs by doing this, regearing is just going to bring that pep back you lost when upgrading tires and weight.

Edit, going the 4.56s are a stronger set of gears on the breaking perspective.
And if you doing that, dont cheap out, get new bearings also and the solid spacers.
You have it apart already, and it will be solid.

And 35's with eventual 37's.

I too have 33s and no upgraded gearing...It's completely fine without any wishes in more umph...completely gets the job done especially for daily driving...I have a V8 and you a V6 but I don't think it varies enough to make the justification...but shoot, it's your money! You'd be set for 35s then and you may as well do that! You will need a body mount chop done IMHO when fitting 33s...I did one on mine and no longer have rubbing on it and full lock, etc. Never really hit anything until there was a piece of debris on a road, like a bug, stick, or coin...drove me nuts so got it done and I'm happy with how it drives now! One think you might consider might be a Pedal Commander to get you some more umph without needing to change the entire drive-train out...just my $.02

I've been running 4.56 and 33's for a few years now. No regrets and at the time when I originally did this I was commuting about 80 miles a day.

The revs obviously run higher, however much less throttle input is needed to maintain speed. Also, when running any kind of load on the highway (packed trunk, cargo box on roof, etc.), there is much less gear hunting and more consistent cruising speed on inclines, hills, etc. Passing is also done with much more ease. I don't have any empirical data to back it up, but I also felt like there was a lot less stress on the transmission especially when driving around town in stop & go.

I'm not sure I noticed a drastic decrease in economy. Even with just the 33's I was feeling lucky to push the 250 - 300 mile range. After the gears I feel like I'm doing the same.

The 4.10s will be closest to putting it back to stock RPMs, slightly higher. But since you are towing you probably want a little more snap. Me personally would go 4.30s

Maybe people on here can document their RPMs @70mph (speedo needle or GPS) so we can get a comparison of what RPM we would arrive at before having the job done

This is the way Ive been leaning before I’ve done any real in depth research. I want to be pretty close to what the ratio was with stock size tires, with just a bit more “umph” to it since I do tow on a semi regular basis.

I know there are ratio calculators on line that you can plug in the different parameters to get an idea of what the RPM’s would be with different gears, so I’ll have to look at those a bit more.

Bottom line it sounds like either 4.30’s or 4.56’s would work and not necessarily be a bad choice. Just a matter of personal preference and how exactly each person uses their rig. I don’t think there is a huge difference between the two, and either one will be a pretty noticeable difference from 3.73’s.

It will come down to cost more than likely.
I thought I had read at some point that 4.30’s are very specific to Toyota. I’ll have to look into that more and go from there.

Took a look at this gear calculator:
Simple RPM Calculator | RANDYS Worldwide

Really just my own research written out here, but it might be helpful to anyone else looking into this stuff.

Stock- 265/65/17 (30.6”) w/ 3.73’s at 70 mph:
2,944 RPM’s (x.716 2,108 RPM’s)

Current setup- 255/75/17 (32.1”) w/ 3.73’s at 70 mph:
2,806 RPM’s (x.716 2,009 RPM’s)

Future tires (33”) w/ 3.73’s at 70 mph:
2,730 RPM’s (x.716 1,955 RPM’s)

33’s w/ 4.10’s at 70 mph:
3,000 RPM’s (x.716 2,148 RPM’s)

33’s w/ 4.30’s at 70 mph:
3,147 RPM’s (x.716 2,253 RPM’s)

33’s w/ 4.56’s at 70mph:
3,337 RPM’s (x.716 2,389 RPM’s)

It looks like @AceSpades is right that 4.10’s would get it back to almost exactly the stock RPM’s.
With that being said, I think 4.30’s would be the best bet to keep it close to stock gearing with just a bit more “umph” to it for when I do tow without going too extreme.

I still think 4.56’s would end up being just fine, but for me, I’m thinking 4.30’s will be the way to go.

Edit: added the RPM x .716 overdrive ratio as @techno mentioned below.

Don't forget to multiply those RPM values by the overdrive ratio of 0.716 to get the rpm's when in 5th gear.

If I have a V8 with 34s and I plan on running some armor (skids, sliders, possibly rear bump w/carrier, and front hybrid winch bumper). Should I go for 4.88s or 4.56s? My primary concern is on-road driveability as this is my daily driver. I don't tow often at all by the way. What do you guys think?

Also are there any cheap options for getting either of those gear sets? Can I retrofit from other models that came stock with those? I can install diffs all day long but setting up gears is a bit outside of my expertise.

Forgot about that, thanks.

The conclusion is still the same though, those numbers I listed show how the different gears will affect RPM’s. Even if it doesn’t take into account the OD. 4.10’s will get it back to near stock RPM’s and 4.30’s will be just a bit higher.

If $ is a factor; 4.10s can be done on the cheap using commonly available parts.

I currently run an e-locked 4.10 rear third, and a front clam shell from a 4x4 4cyl tacoma.

That ratio with 255/75/17 BFG K02's and minimal added weight works pretty well for me, and is just slightly lower than stock.

Schmabs do you have a write up or reference materials for these swaps? I'd love to do some reading.

Agreed, I’d like to know more about this too. I know I’ve heard that it can be done, just haven’t really looked into it too much yet.

I think 4.30’s would be ideal for me, but if 4.10’s are doable for a fraction of the cost, I’m certainly all ears. That would get it back to almost exactly stock gearing when running 33’s.