Who is running 33's with stock gears?

I am running stock gears on my 2002 with 285/75/16s. It's not that bad. I thought the larger tires would make my DD a real PITA, but it seems normal now. I suppose it helps that I don't think I am driving a sports car. It is an above average curb weight, with armor, rolling on over sized tires, so... there's that. I don't really drive fast. I think the faster you go, the less efficient your mileage will be anyway. I am fine taking my time.
 
I think the faster you go, the less efficient your mileage will be anyway. I am fine taking my time.

Time is money. So by going faster I get there faster. I also spend more money to get there because of the loss of fuel economy. It's a double edged sword. Pick the side you want to take the cut from and stick with it. I drive at 75 and stay there. It's right where CHP won't bother to pull you over. If I could go faster without a risk of a ticket I would. When I'm driving in AZ for instance, I keep it at 85.

I'm about to step up to the 285/70R17 Ridge Grappler. Once I do I plan on re-gearing within a few months. Could I run stock gearing and be happy? Probably. Since I'm ARBing it up I might as well go 4.88 get some of that power back.
 
Yes, the faster you go the less MPG you get according to scan gauge. at 85mph my truck is hauling ASS. Its screaming. I think these gears, well these trucks in general werent made to go fast lol
 
motor purrs like a baby kitten!

When your lifted on 33s fully armored and flying 85mph, my scan gauge reads about 10-12 mpg.

I was going 85mph, at roughly little over 3k rpms and it was 11.5mpg

It may purr, but something is wrong.
 
It may purr, but something is wrong.

I'm sorry. But I know my truck and how well I take care of it. There's nothing wrong with my engine. Go out and go 85mph and tell me your mpg reading.

If I'm driving let's say 65mph it reads about 14-17 mpg. I'm not talking average. Just what it's reading

Although I could use a new fuel filter. It's probably original with over 200k
 
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You upgraded your gears? How much did it cost ya? And what did you mean by sucking up hill?

Swapped in an e-locker axle and matching front diff from a 2000 Limited. Going over the mountain passes I now end up in 3rd gear. When I first got it I could stay in 4th (but I also had the tiny stock 225 - 15 tires)
 
I just put 255/80/17's on mine and it isn't as bad as I thought it would be honestly. If I do anything I may swap in 4.30's to replace my 4.10's. Or just run my OEM gears until something fails and then replace them with 4.56 or 4.88's and ARM lockers. Who knows...
 
I just put 255/80/17's on mine and it isn't as bad as I thought it would be honestly. If I do anything I may swap in 4.30's to replace my 4.10's. Or just run my OEM gears until something fails and then replace them with 4.56 or 4.88's and ARM lockers. Who knows...

You would not even feel the 430s if you put those in.
 
I've been running 33's and a lot of extra weight with stock gears for a while now with no issues. The only time I want lower gears is when crawling. I get roughly 17 mpg. This past weekend, I did a mountain biking trip with 4 guys, all of our bikes on a heavy bike rack, all of our gear, plus 250 lbs of plate steel I picked up along the way for some new projects. I figured it would have been about 1300lbs plus 500-600lbs from the armor already on my truck. The land cruiser coils in the rear were completely overworked, but the engine and trans all felt fine with the extra weight, even with the stock gears.

 
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I run 34 x 10.5 x 16 super swampers with stock 4.30 gears, I haven't calculated mileage but the 3.4 has no problem spinning them. I just do all my wheeling in 4lo...
 
I've been running 33's and a lot of extra weight with stock gears for a while now with no issues. The only time I want lower gears is when crawling. I get roughly 17 mpg. This past weekend, I did a mountain biking trip with 4 guys, all of our bikes on a heavy bike rack, all of our gear, plus 250 lbs of plate steel I picked up along the way for some new projects. I figured it would have been about 1300lbs plus 500-600lbs from the armor already on my truck. The land cruiser coils in the rear were completely overworked, but the engine and trans all felt fine with the extra weight, even with the stock gears.


its basically riding with 4-5 adults and stuff in the back.
 
285/70R17s (true 33") on stock 4.30 gears. I noticed hardly any change in the drive response or acceleration. Going to super light aftermarket wheels (FN Countersteer Type X) that weigh only 20 pounds a piece vs 30+ pounds for others certainly help. If you had 265/60R16s to begin with, the new tires are almost exactly 10% larger so you'll add 10% to your speedometer/odometer. I get roughly 17-19mpg HWY (70-80 mph) with my winch and lift.

Also, in your Original post you said lift + Body lift + trimming. If you are doing 33s with a 3" lift, you don't need a body lift. If you put legitimate wheels on it and not some super high offset late model OE wheels then you really shouldn't have much trimming to do. I trimmed the front bumper a little in the corner closest to the tire. Thats it. I wouldn't bother to regear if it were me.

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General rule of thumb . There is three reasons to regear , 33'' plus tires , a lot of extra weight or towing and high altitude . If you have two or more of these conditions then you will probably benefit from a regear . I had all three and going to 4:88 gears was a big improvement . By waiting for sales and group buys and craigslist it cost me about $650 . About $1600 all together for a open front diff with 4:88s ,4:88 ring and pinon for the rear , install kit with bearings , ARB locker and compressor .
 

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