Just had 4.56 installed and Harrop front locker. I decided against upgrading CV axles. Curious if you've put more miles on/time on the trail?

SO, I thought I would pass on some of the things I have learned, and some “Real World” knowledge I have gained living with 4.88’s in a Daily Driver for the past 9 months.

This is in a 2019 TRD Pro with 285/70-17, E load range tires running 50psi in the front and 45 psi in the back. The truck weighs wet, 5740 lbs with no passengers or cargo. I, as a rule, run Shell E10/87 octane. I have been known to use Buckee’s Ethanol free fuel in 91 octane if the opportunity presents itself. NO, I cannot tell any statistical difference between them and the Buckee’s is .30 a gallon more expensive.

Let’s get this out of the way first…If fuel mileage is in the top 5 things your 4Runner just has to do well; DO NOT get 4.88’s. I haven’t seen the far side of 16 mpg in 9 months. 15.487mpg is the actual, calculated average, given where and how I drive over, about 6500 miles. Dallas Off Road did the conversion. $2500 TT&L out the door and was complete in 1 day.

However, before you decide that 4.88’s are not for you, consider this. The 4Runner now feels like it grew 2 cylinders and 50hp. THIS is how Toyota SHOULD have built the 4runner to respond. No Pedal Commander needed. 0-40, even with moderate acceleration comes up surprisingly quickly. Getting on the freeway is actually fun as the truck now pulls hard to 80+. The uninitiated might think it has a small V8 under the hood. Hunting/down shifting between 4th and 5th…essentially GONE. It is now a blast to drive.

Real World RPM. 65mph = about 2425rpm. 70pmh = about 2625rpm and 75mph = about 2825rpm. I say “about” because the Scan Gauge is so sensitive that an exact speed it hard to pin down. The gauge swings 30-40rpm either side even with the cruise control on. I personally consider 75 mph cruise as a usable max. 2825ish is just under half of what the engine is capable of spinning, and the truck will pull happily to 90+ if I need it to. 2825 also places the engine considerably farther up in the it’s torque band. Passing slower traffic is not an issue.

Would I do it all over again…YES! For me and how and where I drive this is a near perfect setup. One last thought. My wife and I are looking at overlanding campers. The leading contender weighs 2350 dry and has a 4800 GVWR. The 4.88’s will assist with this load. I am under no misconceptions about towing this much and road speed. 65-70 will be about it on the straight and level, 4th and 50-55 in the hills. If I’m lucky.
AMLOR

Thanks for the very in depth review with real world experiences over an extended period of time. In regard to cruising speed, it sounds like RPM change is significant. Would you say that it is not reasonable to cruise at 80-90 for a long period of time(hours) with 4.88? I am guessing high RPM and huge drop in mpg. In colorado, just driving outside the city warrants cruising speeds of 80-85 typically, not to mention speed driving between states.

What did you decided after reading about the new Tundra?

(got my 4.56's ordered last week I'll report once they are in).

drive in sport mode 4s for a few days (on your daily commute), to give you an idea of what regearing feels like and what your MPG will be. Although sport mode 4s is more like a 5.xx gear ratio. If you can tolerate driving in sport mode 4s, then you will like 4.56 or 4.88.

FYI, my vehicle is in the shop getting 4.88's. so i can only comment as to how I justified regearing. I can't comment on actual performance or why one gear ratio is better than the other.

Following

My thoughts are that is is not prudent to drive a lifted, 6000lb 4runner at 80-90mph period. Much less with a trailer. The aerodynamics alone are enough to destroy anything that looks like fuel economy. not ot mention emergency maneuvers or panic braking. But I do it from time to time anyway.

Once we add the trailer (3000ish loaded) we will NOT be running 85-90 anywhere. Here in TX there are many sections of Highway where 75 is a suggested starting point. I will just sit in the far right lane running between 60 and 75, and just follow all the F250 diesels pulling 40 fooy 5th wheel campers...
If we need to get somewhere in a hurry, we leave that to my wife's Benz E350 running Carbon Ceramic brakes and Michelin Pilot sports.

Are you saying “4s” because in Sport it doesn’t shift up to 5th?

yup.

4S will approximate 5th gear with the new gears.

So if you are already driving in 4s like many of us, then you will benefit from a regear.

anything over 80 mph, and my 4runner wants to vibrate itself to death...it can do it..it just doesnt like to.

FWIW - I live in DFW and my heavily built T4R is my daily driver. I use the hell of it off road when I can but mostly lives in the city where here highway travel is easily 90 MPH. I upgraded to the Magnuson SC with 4:56 gears. I could not possibly be happier. Pulls hard and quickly for a 4Runner. Feels exactly how I always wished it would. Don’t get me wrong. It’s still a pig. Just a quicker pig. Off-road it’s where it really shines. That’s where you’ll really appreciate the throttle peace travel on a stock vehicle. It is so easy to modulate power delivery. I’m running the largest tires I ever will at 285/75s on stock pro wheels. Lifted a little with slight wheel spacers. I’d say a swap to 4:56 is mandatory even without any other mods. Let’s be honest thatvour mpg stinks bone stock. I’m enjoying poor mileage day one. And not worse today. Sorry I don’t track the actual. But I wouldn’t change a thing. Joy of ownership is off the charts

Thanks for that info. I do think that 4.56 seems like it would be a good medium, but 4.88 would be optimal if its tolerable. I don't regularly drive that fast, only on camping trips outside of town which can vary from 1-8 hrs cruising at 80-85. Normal daily commute for me is 50-60mph for 40 minutes each way. i guess the realistic fact is that going up into the mountains it spends most of its time in 4th gear anyway trying to climb with the lack of power.

Optimally I think that regearing here at altitude would be better than a supercharger which is why I am considering it. Regearing would optimize the current power while supercharger would add power. At altitude the gains from the supercharger would diminish though because the pulley is a fixed size and can't just compensate by spooling faster like a turbo to hit a certain PSI. When I brought my supercharged G35 moving to Colorado from sea level, I went from dynoing 450whp to 380whp, but at least I had the option of changing pulleys to compensate. The 4runner unfortunately does not have any pulley upgrade options for the supercharger unfortunately. At least a regear is a regear, not something that would variably lose power. I am also guessing MPG loss between supercharger vs regear is similar. I am not trying to gain fuel efficiency for savings, but to try and maintain a decent mile range to go offroad if not close to gas stations etc.

So I just got back my vehicle with 4.88 on 285/70/17 an hour ago and i've been driving around surface streets and highways to do the break-in procedure. Mix freeway, and surface streets, and didn't go over 60 mph.

Initial impressions are:

1. No gear hunting at all. It will hold gear going up hill, no need to change your throttle position (right foot), and maintain your speed. On steep declines, the vehicle will hold speed and engine brake. I don't notice my transmission shifting anymore. IT seems like the vehicle likes to cruise in 5th, which makes sense, but this is also why it kinda sucks on the freeway (more on that later).

2. keeps my transmission temps below 200. It stayed between 160 to 190. This was the real reason why i got the regearing to take the stress off the transmission. My vehicle is fully armored and a heavy turtle.

3. A little bit of gear whine at deceleration but it got better the more i drove it.

4. day 2: 70mph got me 2600ish RPM. If you drive below 70 mph, vehicle drives and behaves normally. Going over 70mph, engine and drivetrain starts to feel as if it ran out of gearing and starts to feel a bit high strung I'm sure it will be fine, but it is definitely something i gotta get use to. I typically drive at or below 70 mph, so it doesn't bother me at all. However, if you like to drive faster than that.. I would probably consider 4.56. This is the biggest con of 4.88's and 33's.

5. Alot more torque of the line. I can take foot off brakes and it will creep at stop lights and inclines. This should be pretty awesome while offroading. Less brake/accelerator pedal modulation while on tricky obstacles, while in 4 low.

6. mpg didn't get better. It actually got worse, but thats because i've been mixing my driving habits up due to break in process. I doubt its going to get better after the break in period.

Verdict:
4.56 if you are sticking to 33's, commute alot on the freeway, like to cruise above 70. Doesn't matter on how heavy you are.

4.88 if you are going above 33's, don't care about cruising above 70, don't commute alot on the freeway. You go offroading alot, where you want engine braking and to be able to crawl a little.

While i didn't choose to listen to the majority of the forum members, their advice was pretty spot on...lol.

Now i need some 35's.

Nothing yet. It's ugly. I kinda knew that already. But no pricing and mpg info? Kinda weak release from Toyota. Those are probably the two most important details. How can Toyota not know?

I'm questioning if maybe Toyota really has lost its way... Honestly - Mike Sweers needs to go if he's really responsible for the new tundra. But I'm not sure how much control he has. What we know is a disappointment to me. It's the truck Toyota should have built around 2015. The 2022 should be offered as a PHEV, EV, and ICE from day 1. A mild hybrid isn't competitive. I don't really understand the nimh battery choice. It lacks basically all the great features of the f150 powerboost that lets you use the generator and battery system. Overall I'd say it's a pretty weak effort from the engineer and design team. If this truck is expected to compete for another 15 years, don't think there will be a fourth generation tundra. It's not good enough.

@dhatcher . I have a 2016 4Runner also and in the Bay Area. Did you end up regearing with 4.56 and find a shop in the Bay Area to do the work you can recommend?