4.88 Gear Package Kit

So any of the MT trucks come with the 8.75" rear axle just not locked is that correct?

 

How many of them have you seen blow up?

 

A few but we only have an 8" ring gear. Wondering if these will be stronger. There are several threads about ring gear failure in the 2nd gens.

 

That's likely due to a change in driving habits. With better response and acceleration people take more advantage of it than before so naturally they are more than likely driving more aggressive than before simply because the truck lets them.

 

How many are running 33's or bigger?

 

The 8.75 will be stronger but the 3rd gen weighs more so kind of an offset really. Many Jeeps run Ford 8.8s (which is very similar in size) because its practically a bolt on replacement for the Dana 35.

Honestly just have your 8" cryo'd and problem solved.

 

But this could be good good weight addition for the added strength

 

I would also like to know. Anyone have a preference?

 

Do you have a link for this? I would think 5.29's would be too short for freeway driving in Utah at 80+ MPH...

 

I believe all MT trucks have the 8.75 axle. I am ACLB Sport 6MT and I have 8.75 axle....

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-5-29-mega-thread.557305/

I'll have more info in a few weeks.

 

Both good points and what makes it hard to dial in. At the end of the day, many people would take a 3-5mpg hit for the power gains.

 

I read all 29 pages of the 4.88 thread and several guys saw MPG gains of 4+ MPG after installing 4.88's!

 

a few compared to the tens of thousands out there? Id be willing to bet....a lot was negligence on operator error or maintenance. Don't get me wrong...i'm sure they have some bad ones, but in the grand #'s...it won't compete. This motor and tranny combo doesnt make close to amount of power that would ever destroy the 8 or 8.75....Now.....once the supercharger and turbo set ups hit the road...that's a different story.
I opted for the Sport model, gladly running 285's and knowing I can go to 4.56 gears, that puts me almost exactly what stock is. Still saving $$ for that, hopefully by Dec I can do the swap

 

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Those are just the ones that I know of I am sure if I searched on here more then I'd find more. The ones I know of were not from the 3 reasons you think. Grant it those failures were from off pavement use. It's not all about power that destroys gears but the forces that are acted on them. Like bumping up rock ledges shock loading them. Plus I will be having quite a bit bigger tire wheel combo than I currently have and you are running right now.

 

I did this exact process of doing the OVTUNE first before I considered forking out $3K in gears. I'm running Nitto 33's with stock gears and I've been extremely happy with what the tune has done to wake this truck up. So much so, that I've pushed off the gear swap till next year when I can build more funds. The ONLY down side is when towing my Deere garden tractor and watching the MPG drop. BUT that is expected for any truck that is towing heavy equipment. My advice for those who are working with a budget:

- Tune first
- Gears second

You can't go wrong with either/both.. Tune is just a cheaper/easier goal to achieve.

 

Has anyone installed the gears themselves?

Ive never dropped my truck off at any shop or dealer to be worked on. Id much rather just order the 3rd member and front diff from ECGS and just ship mine back afterwards, just curious to what a shop would charge to swap the gears, if it would be any cheaper than just doing the ECGS way myself

 

Just order them preassembled from ECGS no shop can touch what they charge as far as labor if you add everything up. I use to install gears all the time when I turned wrenches for a living and you are looking at quite a bit of labor time. I use to get all my rebuild kits, gears, supplies from ECGS as they are local to me and have done business with them since they opened I can't recommend them more highly. If you have some patience and can read a dial indicator you can set them up yourself it really isn't that hard.

 

Been a mechanic for years and I would just rather leave gearing and bottom end work to the professionals. I can read a dial and i know how to use feeler gauges, I just figured the ECGS preassembled set was the way to go. Its hard for me to trust someone with my truck after Ive dumped so much money into it already lol

 

I'm just lazy and want it done lickety split and that's the fastest way to do it rather than removing everything then putting gears in and reassembling. Around here there were so few mechanics that would touch diff rebuilds, trans, etc. I just did whatever came in the shop. To me being a mechanic you should know how and be able to do all of that stuff and that is part of being a professional in the industry. But when I started out we were still rebuilding carburetors, alternators, starters, and the like. A lot less parts swapping than there is today.