....another re-gear post. 4.56 vs 4.88 on 34s

[aaron_clt]

i know i know....have already read through others posts on the topic, there's not a ton of feedback/agreement though on which ratio for 34's. Everyone seems to think 4.88 for sure on 35s, runnin 33's then go 4.56 (or just stay stock).

looking for anyone with actual experience re-gearing on 34's. Currently running the Toyo R/T Trails in 285/75r17. Deff not stock weight, but I wouldn't call it heavy either since I try to keep weight to a minimum. I am running dual batteries/compressor/fridge/awning/shower enclosure/RTT (although its a GFC superlite), and then when underload waterports, rotopax, gazelle tent, etc. No steel bumpers, skids or anything that's adding a TON of weight.

I'm in the southeast, offroad is strictly mountains and alot of sand.....no rock climbing. daily drive is a mix of highway and local roads.

anyone here do 4.56 on 34s and really wish they had gone higher? anyone go 4.88 on 34's and hate life on the interstate?

 

[comtn4x4]

i know i know....have already read through others posts on the topic, there's not a ton of feedback/agreement though on which ratio for 34's. Everyone seems to think 4.88 for sure on 35s, runnin 33's then go 4.56 (or just stay stock).

looking for anyone with actual experience re-gearing on 34's. Currently running the Toyo R/T Trails in 285/75r17. Deff not stock weight, but I wouldn't call it heavy either since I try to keep weight to a minimum. I am running dual batteries/compressor/fridge/awning/shower enclosure/RTT (although its a GFC superlite), and then when underload waterports, rotopax, gazelle tent, etc. No steel bumpers, skids or anything that's adding a TON of weight.

I'm in the southeast, offroad is strictly mountains and alot of sand.....no rock climbing. daily drive is a mix of highway and local roads.

anyone here do 4.56 on 34s and really wish they had gone higher? anyone go 4.88 on 34's and hate life on the interstate?

I've posted quite a bit about my experience with 34's and 4.56 gears which you can look for or maybe already saw.
To give a brief summary
I live in Denver and wheel in the CO, NM, AZ, MT, UT Mountains
I've been on 285/75's (I also ran 305/70 Briefly) with 4.56 gears for about 6 years/80,000+ miles. Have run Ridge Grappler, KO2, ST Maxx, Falken AT3W
My rig is pretty heavy you can get an idea of everything in my signature
I don't have anything negative to say about the setup never wanted/needed 4.88's so far.
All the upside is off road, fantastic on trails. On Pavement runs good on the flat highway and surface streets. I get 17 MPG @ 75 MPH on the flat and 15.5 MPG in my regular rush hour commute/daily driving. On the mountain hill highways it still sucks wind and although improved over stock it's unsurprising. Only a supercharger will fix that and it's unlikely I'll go that route

My overall $.02 is that the additional performance/clearance (1/2") related to the work/cutting/cost of fitting 34's and regearing isn't worth it. Find a tall 33 and call it a day.

 

[Engineer]

TLDR: I have a similar set up, love it and have no regrets going with 4.88s however I am rarely on the highway and if I was on the highway a lot I think it would get annoying between the wind noise (snorkel + Roofrack+Baja lights), Mudd tires (KM3) and high RPMs (gears) its just not a pleasant highway cruiser - can you, sure, should you, thats up to you.

Not on the forum much these days but happen to be browsing till the sun comes up and I can start making noise without annoying the neighborhood.

I have 4.88s with 285/75R17 KM3s with likely around the same weight as you, no RTT but do have Alu. skids, sliders and a Gobi Rack, Steel Low Pro bumper +winch.

Overall no regrets for MY use in flat ground Michigan but its no highway cruiser and I am on the highway maybe 1x per month - she screams (does not hurt anything) at 80mph, IIRC its around 3000+rpm but drives fine, does not hunt for gears even with a headwind etc.

MPG is horrible but it's always bad, always going to be bad and driving 80mph with a brick isn't going to lend it self well to MPGs. I get around 14-15 on the highway and around 11-12 intown but nearly everything intown is short sub 5mile trips (we have a PHEV that I try to use when not making Home Depot runs)

No regrets for me but if I was needing to drive 75-80mph multiple times week I am not sure I would be happy but I also don't think I would be in a 4runner. If you are in the 60-70mph range it would be more tolerable imho.

Last bit - imho the 4runner is a bit underpowered from the factory for the crap we install that we don't really need. It really didn't like to hold 5th gear on the highway with any sort of incline/hill with the additional weight/drag. Because of that I wanted to "overgear" and not just get back to factory equivalent and since its a hefty investment ( good time to do a Front locker you likely don't need - hint hint wink wink ). I did the install myself from assembled 3rds sourced from EGCS and would do that route again, the front is a bit of a pain to get the Dif in and out but aside from that it was a fairly straightforward job.

You will be happy either way and I wish I had done the gears years sooner

 

[mrblah]

i have no regrets with 4.88s and 34's and its a armored turtle.

I don't drive much on the freeway and when i do, i stay around 70 to 75 mph in the slow or 2nd to slow lane which does fine. I can still do 80 mph if i have to, and will do it on long drives. However, with the weight and the re-gear, i try to avoid going 80 mph +.

No problems passing vehicles ever. I rarely have to go to 4th gear unless its some long freeway incline such as the grapevine.

MPG is horrible but it was horrible before regearing.

Transmission temps were much happier with a re-gear due to little or no gear hunting. I still had to add a tranny cooler for peace of mind.

with 34's you can't go wrong with either 4.56 or 4.88 so it seems.

My 4.88s is a little bit whiney.....i got a covid set apparently.

 

[Bandit Runner]

I went 4.56's with 34 inch tires. Its alright, but still downshifts occasionally when going up slight inclines at 75 MPH. If I had to do it again, I'd go with 4.88's.

 

[AMLOR]

happy with the 4.88...but

I went 4.56's with 34 inch tires. Its alright, but still downshifts occasionally when going up slight inclines at 75 MPH. If I had to do it again, I'd go with 4.88's.

Have been running 4.88's for 2+ years with 33's. I do it because I tow a 4800 pound, 9 foot tall, (loaded up for a week) Airstream Basecamp 20X. I want all of the mechanical advantage I can get. Happy with the combo overall.

Mileage sux...12-13 in town, smallish town outside the Dallas metro-mess.
I do average 10.25-10.75 while towing. I usually run around 3300-3500 in 4th at about 68-70 mph. This is pretty consistent, from trip to trip.

FWIW, I added a Underdog Racing Development Spec-U Exhaust recently. The mileage overall didn't really change, but hunting for a gear and downshifting on hills are now long gone.

I may try a set of 34x10.5 -17 next change...but quite happy with the 33x10.5's i'm running now.
AMLOR

 

[pancake_butt]

I'm running 4.88's with 35" Toyo Open Country RT Trail (actual diameter 34.6"). I know you're seeking opinions from those with 34's, but I would highly recommend 4.88. I have a steel back bumper and aluminum front, and after taking out both rows of seats I'm about 150 lbs heavier than stock. Re-gearing did not 100% make up for the larger tires, though it obviously helped a ton. It is very driveable, but I would still say that 4.88 is lower than the optimal gear ratio. Just like stock, climbing hills of nearly any grade, passing, etc. requires downshifting. More to your question specifically, there's never a time while highway driving where I feel like my rpm's are too high. Even driving at 80 (speedometer reads 75) it feels fine. Hope that helps.

 

[NorthPark]

Get 4.88