Regearing 02 Sport ?'s

[wyorunner]

Hey all, im looking at regearing my 4runner while i have the diff torn apart to put the locker in.

Does anybody have any place around Balitmore Maryland or Greensboro NC to get gears and locker installed?

Also where can i buy the gears ive only found a couple of options, www.marlincrawler.com, www.trail-gear.com. But trailgear sells something ive never heard of some trailcreeper or something? Anybody know any more about those.

Thanks for the information, and i have searched and wasnt very succesful. I try to find as much as possible before posting.

Thanks
Turner

 

[Rock Slide]

If it were me, I'd go with Precision Gears. They are top notch in my book. I ran a set of Precision 4.88s in an old '86 4Runner I once owned.

BTW, your sig says you're going with a 33" tire. If you want a gear ratio that brings you closer back to stock gearing, I'd recommend 4.56s. If you plan to run 35's instead, then I'd say go with 4.88s.

However, if you plan to off road a great deal with your 33's, tow or carry heavy loads quite often, then I'd go with 4.88s instead. They'll provide some extra muscle for the extra weight you may be hauling. Other than that, 4.88s are a bit overkill for 33s.

If I had the money, I'd step up to a 33" tire, have a set of Precision 4.56 gears installed front & rear and have an ARB air locker added in the rear while I was at it. I'm working on saving up for that goal, but the way that's going, it'll be years before it happens.

 

[wyorunner]

I was originally told to run 5.29s for 33s. After some a little more researching it seems as most people run between 33 and 35s on 4.88s. And i do hall a lot of crap, and seems im always moving. How much of a difference in MPGs do you think itll be with 33s and 4.88s compared to 33s with 4.56? What kind of milage are you getting with your 4.56 and 31s i believe is what you have? And where did you buy your precision gears? And its going to happen all at once new gears ARB locker in the rear, and 33" Nitto terra Grapplers.

 

[Rock Slide]

See comments below in red:

I was originally told to run 5.29s for 33s.
-Maybe if your 4Runner was going to be a straight trail rig, then I might consider that combo. Otherwise, I wouldn't. You'd loose a lot of top end speed doing that setup with a 3.4L Auto. That setup is usually more geared towards guys running a 5spd 4cyl.

After some a little more researching it seems as most people run between 33 and 35s on 4.88s. And i do hall a lot of crap, and seems im always moving. How much of a difference in MPGs do you think itll be with 33s and 4.88s compared to 33s with 4.56?
-I cannot prove this, but from what I've read, a good amount of it seems to depend on the elevation of where you live. Seems 4.88s & 33s are better suited for 3rd gens in higher elevation. While 4.56s & 33s are better suited for 3rd gens in lower elevation. Here's 2 examples:

I know a guy that lives in CO that runs 4.88s w/33s in his '99 Sport 3.4L Auto. He swears by this setup. Says this combo brings him closer back to stock than anything. He has no problem doing 75mph on the freeway. He said 4.56s would not have helped him in the least.

However, I know a guy who lives in FL and he's running 4.56s and 33s on his '02 Sport 3.4L Auto . He says he can still do 75mph on the freeway with no problems. He said 4.88s would be overkill for him.

Granted these are only 2 examples, but I've talked to other guys in these same respective regions and they both say the same thing. That leads me to believe that elevation somehow plays a role in gearing with these 4Runners. Granted, it could also be explained that the drivers stating these facts have a loose screw.

MPG wise, it's not a big difference. IMO, you're engine's going to rev higher with 4.88s & 33s than it would with 4.56s and 33s.

What kind of milage are you getting with your 4.56 and 31s i believe is what you have?
-I'm still at stock gearing...that being 4.10. I'm also running 32" Nitto TGs. With this setup, it's hard to say what I've lost. Granted at first, I did notice a slight drag in power with the heavier tires, but not anymore. I'm completely use to it now. I did lose some mpgs too. Before I could go 310 miles on a tank of gas. Now I get about 275 to a tank for the same driving. My speedo is only a hair off too. When it say's I'm doing 70mph, I'm really doing 72mph.

And where did you buy your precision gears?
-Granted that was 5 or 6 years ago, but I believe I got them here: http://www.precisiongear.com/. If not there, they can direct you to a distributor.

And its going to happen all at once new gears ARB locker in the rear, and 33" Nitto terra Grapplers.
-Nice. That'd be how I'd do it too.

 

[wyorunner]

im gladd someone is full of information, because id be up a creek if people werent. thanks for the info.

Turner

 

[wyorunner]

im gladd someone is full of information, because id be up a creek if people werent. thanks for the info.

Turner

 

[Rock Slide]

No problem, I've done a good bit of homework on the right combo for my situation. Although, I'm still a couple years out from doing it all...

 

[wyorunner]

this is something ive always wanted to do, and since im making some money, enough to pay my bills and buy new parts, i decided well ive only got one chance, might as well do it all. and thats what im doing. OH YEA, its gonna be fun. Ive got a lot of work for me when i get home. I think you should just go ahead and jump in head first ALL AT ONCE like i did. However, with the economy like it is, this is not at all easy to do, but i cant wait.

 

[Rock Slide]

Agreed. You're in a good situation to get the majority of your mods done in one fell swoop.

I would love to jump head first and finish all my mods...but that aint going to happen. I'm a banker and well, if you've been watching the news, you've seen what banks are going thru. I'm thankful everyday that I still have a job. I know a lot of great guys in the banking industry that have been laid off...some just last week.

Oh and did I mention, me and my wife are expecting our first child Feb '09...yeah, my money's about to disappear for good!

 

[Bowtie3]

Marlin is THE Toyota guy. His people are are the best when Toyota is topic. If you call them and ask what gear to run he'll tell you what your best choice is. He'll also say to run Yukon gears. I tell my customers that you get what you pay for.
Not bashing Precision Gears but I will not use them unless the customer wants them as is trying to save every penny. Yukon chryo treats the gears and others do not but say they do. If you look at them both side by side you will see the difference. It's more money but you get what you pay for.

 

[wyorunner]

Yukons are probably going to be what i end up buying, i found a shop that does gear work just north of where i kind of live, and that is what they sell.