Which gears - 4.56 or 4.88 for my situation (see description)

[Annolino122]

I think you got my context wrong.. I don't mean trailer brakes. What I mean is the 4runner brakes will be hurting if you run 35's plus pull a trailer.

OHH well the trailer i am looking at has electric trailer brakes and a wireless adapter, but you are correct - I plan on upgrading to stop Tech when i get the chance and before the trailer

 

[Annolino122]

Yeah, I agree. The more I look at the data, the more I lean towards 4.88 myself. Bottom end would be better on road for acceleration, better for towing and far better for crawling off road, especially considering how tall 1st gear is.

The only real draw back is top speed and fuel economy, but lets face it, with stock 3.73 gears and 33" tires i'm barely getting 15mpg highway in ideal situations and day to day it's closer to 8mpg. haha

Stock gears at 34" tires, we are lucky to see 12mpg lol on long trips with the RTT its like 16mpg if we are trying really hard. 4.88 will do fine!

 

[Annolino122]

I couldn't disagree more with you. I don't understand why you even asked for help when your telling me what I should have? I have the trailer setup with the weight you will probably be around. Im not driving it in Drive. I have to keep the RPM's up to create power. With 4.56 I would have less RPM's creating less hp/torque. Don't listen to the calculations that others are suppling without taking into account thinner air at higher elevations, when there is real world experience out there. I would bet most of these guys are not pulling trailers in high elevation, outside of a military style setup. Nitro Gears recommended that I go with 4.88 all day and I don't regret it, unless I were to add a supercharger.

This guy is sitting on same size tires and 4.88 gears: Flashback - Re-Gearing your 4Runner - Is it worth it? - YouTube

If you plan to go with 37" tires maybe call Chris Hefty at Hefty Fabworks he has 37"s or likely bigger now, but he may be of some help to you. He runs 4.56 with a supercharger.

Did not mean to sound like you did it wrong or didn't know what you were talking about. I guess i meant to say, as you mentioned, that per all the charts/suggestions that i would assume that the 4.56 with the smaller tire size would make more sense, then adding power to help with the trailer.

Where i have heard guys who have had 4.56 on 35's and gone to 4.88 and loved them, but you are correct, a trailer and higher altitude make a big difference.

Personal experience is definitely everything, appreciate the input.

 

[baldrik78]

I'm on 35s and 5700 lbs with me in the truck, but haven't regeared yet. I only drive in S4 - overdrive is basically useless unless I'm going down hill. In 4th at 75 mph, I run around 2700 RPM. Regearing to 4.88s should put me at about 2500 RPM at 75mph in 5th gear, which puts me pretty close to the where the power band starts. If I did 4.56 gears, I'd be more like 2200 RPM, which would have me downshifting a lot still.

 

[Annolino122]

I couldn't disagree more with you. I don't understand why you even asked for help when your telling me what I should have? I have the trailer setup with the weight you will probably be around. Im not driving it in Drive. I have to keep the RPM's up to create power. With 4.56 I would have less RPM's creating less hp/torque. Don't listen to the calculations that others are suppling without taking into account thinner air at higher elevations, when there is real world experience out there. I would bet most of these guys are not pulling trailers in high elevation, outside of a military style setup. Nitro Gears recommended that I go with 4.88 all day and I don't regret it, unless I were to add a supercharger.

This guy is sitting on same size tires and 4.88 gears: Flashback - Re-Gearing your 4Runner - Is it worth it? - YouTube

If you plan to go with 37" tires maybe call Chris Hefty at Hefty Fabworks he has 37"s or likely bigger now, but he may be of some help to you. He runs 4.56 with a supercharger.

Called and talked to Hefty Fabworks (thank you for the recommendation BTW), and he recommended 4.88 first, and that even a SC with 4.88 at elevation would allow you to be happy in 5th gear and not lug it down. So thank you for the recommendation! will be going with them