t-rex grrr 2
Junior Member
Hi All,
As the title says, I went 4.88 over 4.56 and could not be happier. I just wish I had done this years ago!
Backstory...I've owned my 4runner since 2006. I live in CA and it usually takes a few hours of freeway driving to get to the mountains.
Throughout the years I've been building it up and it has not been my daily driver for a while now - currently at 130,000 miles. As the weight continued to grow, I finally added a Nguyen Works rear bumper in 2023. With all of the weight listed below, my 4runner was slow. It struggled to maintain speed on the freeway even with the slightest incline, and my transmission temp would creep to 200-205 F. While offroading on trails in California, I always had to drop it in 4L and drop a gear or two to keep the temps down and the momentum going.
So long story short, I did some research and honestly couldn't find the best answers. It basically came down to, "v8's = 4.56, v6's = 4.88". Then I found a thread where a user stated he went with 4.88's and didn't regret it. His reasoning was because he lived in the mountains and towed a lot.
I contacted East Coast Gears Supply and walked them through my build. Based on my type of driving and weight of the vehicle, we came to an agreement that 4.88's was the way to go. Plus over-gearing allowed more flexibility when it came to adding larger tires in the future.
Gears were ordered and locally installed. My initial thought was how the gears felt smooth like stock, but were now able to shift through gears one after another. Rpms run a little higher, but I don't notice any drone, and it's normal to me now. After the 500 mile break-in period, I changed my fluids and went on a trip. I drove on the freeway and was able to use my cruise control! I set it to 75 and the 4runner never hunted for gears. Just smooth sailing with an average transmission temp of 150 on the same freeway where I would hit 200 while fully loaded. Once in the mountains and on the trails, I only had to drop the gears and never had to drop it into 4L to get that extra power.
I don't plan on driving over 80 mph, so I'm glad I went with the 4.88s. It feels perfect for my needs and gives me some wiggle room to upgrade my tires. I hope this helps those on the fence between the two gear ratios.
Parts Lists
Icon suspension
SCS wheels w/ 295/70/17s + plus a spare
Shrockworks front bumper and sliders
Budbuild skids
Gobi roofrack
Nguyen Works rear bumper
Water and gas jerry cans
Camping gear, cooler, tools, etc
Passengers include myself and two kids
This video also helped to influence my decision - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIxvRAgydl4
Driving on the freeway. FYI the maintenance light is on b/c I forgot to reset it after my recent oil change.
How to the 4runner sits as of yesterday
As the title says, I went 4.88 over 4.56 and could not be happier. I just wish I had done this years ago!
Backstory...I've owned my 4runner since 2006. I live in CA and it usually takes a few hours of freeway driving to get to the mountains.
Throughout the years I've been building it up and it has not been my daily driver for a while now - currently at 130,000 miles. As the weight continued to grow, I finally added a Nguyen Works rear bumper in 2023. With all of the weight listed below, my 4runner was slow. It struggled to maintain speed on the freeway even with the slightest incline, and my transmission temp would creep to 200-205 F. While offroading on trails in California, I always had to drop it in 4L and drop a gear or two to keep the temps down and the momentum going.
So long story short, I did some research and honestly couldn't find the best answers. It basically came down to, "v8's = 4.56, v6's = 4.88". Then I found a thread where a user stated he went with 4.88's and didn't regret it. His reasoning was because he lived in the mountains and towed a lot.
I contacted East Coast Gears Supply and walked them through my build. Based on my type of driving and weight of the vehicle, we came to an agreement that 4.88's was the way to go. Plus over-gearing allowed more flexibility when it came to adding larger tires in the future.
Gears were ordered and locally installed. My initial thought was how the gears felt smooth like stock, but were now able to shift through gears one after another. Rpms run a little higher, but I don't notice any drone, and it's normal to me now. After the 500 mile break-in period, I changed my fluids and went on a trip. I drove on the freeway and was able to use my cruise control! I set it to 75 and the 4runner never hunted for gears. Just smooth sailing with an average transmission temp of 150 on the same freeway where I would hit 200 while fully loaded. Once in the mountains and on the trails, I only had to drop the gears and never had to drop it into 4L to get that extra power.
I don't plan on driving over 80 mph, so I'm glad I went with the 4.88s. It feels perfect for my needs and gives me some wiggle room to upgrade my tires. I hope this helps those on the fence between the two gear ratios.
Parts Lists
Icon suspension
SCS wheels w/ 295/70/17s + plus a spare
Shrockworks front bumper and sliders
Budbuild skids
Gobi roofrack
Nguyen Works rear bumper
Water and gas jerry cans
Camping gear, cooler, tools, etc
Passengers include myself and two kids
This video also helped to influence my decision - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIxvRAgydl4
Driving on the freeway. FYI the maintenance light is on b/c I forgot to reset it after my recent oil change.
How to the 4runner sits as of yesterday
Last edited:
