Is an Axle Swap Possible?

I have an 07 Tacoma 5-lugger and I was thinking of swapping the axle for a six lugger axle that way i can have the axle under the leave springs, get a better gear ratio for my bigger tires and I think all i would need to do is get the proper ubolts and mounts as well as new shocks and just hook it up....

Has anyone tired this and is it even possible? It seems to be cheaper than me getting the rear diff re-geared

 

why not just regear to whatever you want. your 3.15 now just go up to 4.10 or 4.56

 

Plus theres a reason everybody converts to Spring under axle.... Just get a new leaf pack and stay that way.

 

Uh...if they're going LT. Some of us don't have the remotest interest in LT activities. What if the OP's a crawler?

 

but lets consider he has a 2wd 5 lug

 

yeah being that hes a 5 lug I doubt that he is a crawler. I first hand know that even if locked locked 2wd doesnt crawl well enough to build the truck to do that.

Other than LT the benefits of SUA include less axle wrap, who doesnt want that? Personally im not a fan of my rear end catching up with me after I come to a stop....

 

and I'm not a fan of hanging up my leafsprings on the rocks and shearing ubolts off

But yeah to the OP, it should work out to be cheaper to just do the re-gear unless you can pull an axle and rims off another truck for very cheap

 

This:

SUA has its advantages. So does SOA. Depends on what you want to do with your truck. Just pointing out that not "everyone" converts to SUA.

 

true its not for everybody but If you hang up your leafs on a 2wd chances are your gonna be stuck. Probably why ive never had a problem with my SUA, I dont drive it like a 4wd. I may be LT but mostly thats because I was sick of breaking the crappy 1st gen 5 lug suspension, not because I run the desert and not forest roads. In fact my truck sees far more trails than high speed stuff.

 

Thanks Guys! Im not a Crawler, I do a lot of off roading and Im tired of having a low stance and a cheap way to get some lift would be to go SUA plus the gearing would be better in a 6-Lug axle than mine. I was doing some research and found that most places wanted to charge me a minimum of $250 for the labor and another $300 for parts. I think this is too high and i could swap axles for cheaper im sure. But on the other hand swapping axles could run into some issues which would most likely cause me more money in the end....

Ill just do a re-gear... so would 4.30 be a good ratio?

 

What size tires?

 

30 x 9.5x 15 and im looking to upgrade in the future to 31's

 

it took me a few days but i found what i was looking for. if anyone's word is to be taken as gospel when it's 5luggers it would be neslerrah.

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/4-cylinder/115055-regearing-5-lug.html#post2233903

 

and he'll tell you just to regear.

 

what gear ratio and axle size did you choose? Can the install be done on your own?

 

so it'll cost $1,300 to re-gear and another how much to lock?

 

so our axle type is the last 8.4"?

and still, total is about $1200.

The total chaos LT kit is $707 but it doesn't include shocks.

 

i think it'll be more important to re-gear and lock first. I heard that the detroit true tracks is a better locker for street and off road use and only for a couple bucks more. And buying everything separate and using the old 3rd member saves money.