The 5.29 Mega Thread!!

Your both right. Seems that the Autos really shone once tuned with gears.

 

Hills will kill mpg, I think I get like 13 mpg going up the ike gauntlet but once i cruise down the other side to grand junction it rounds out to maybe 16-17.

I can drive from Colorado Springs to Grand Junction on a single tank which is about 310 miles and I think my max mileage per tank is about 350 but I would be nervous.

 

That sounds pretty darn similar to mine actually. I'm getting about 13 mpg around town, and honestly the truck feels pretty good around town here in the Springs. Where it doesn't feel great is 50+ mph and on the highway. I've read over and over that this truck makes its power at 4k+ rpms so I probably just have to get used to that. Just feels like I have to mash that skinny pedal pretty far while the truck is absolutely screaming at 4500 rpms to maintain 70mph on a slight incline, or go 50+ on any sort of uphill.

That being said I still love this truck and overall it feels pretty damn good to drive. It's just I saw so many people here acting like 5.29 gears turned it into a whole new truck and that's just not the case at all.

 

I wonder if it's just the weight. I just went 4.88 and it's a completely different truck. I'm an auto with no real weight except a shell and a plywood platform. I run the kdmax tune and am still on 265/65/17 tires right now

 

That was kind of my impression. To me it wasn’t a whole new truck but rather I brought it back to Normal or what I thought normal was.

You could look into a tune if you don’t have one. A lot of tunes adjust the tip-in or how quickly the vehicle responds to pedal input. That’s usually a nice touch. Can’t say I really like any of the tunes but you’ll notice a good tune over a bad one.

You’re welcome to drive my truck sometime

 

Wrapped up the 500 mile break in today. Just got home and changed the fluid. I fully intend to change it again at 2000 miles.

Pics of the color difference and the drain plug.

 

@MountainManGuy
@clayota

I'm having such a different experience during the break in. My mpg is up with stop & go and highway as well. On the highway I'm like 800 to 1000 rpms less as compared to stock. I'm used to sitting between 70 - 80 mph with the rpms in the low to mid threes and the trans shifting all over the place. Right now it's calm and steady. I wonder if it is the elevation, i'm in FL. I hope it works out for you.

 

Nice, glad things are going well for you. My truck definitely drives better than before...maybe I had unrealistic expectations for MPG improvements for the type of driving I do. I’m getting a tune next and really looking forward to seeing how the truck drives after

 

Yea I'm thinking a tune is in order at some point. Wish I could find someone local to the Springs that could do it. Although I've heard a couple people recently say the tune isn't all that great and that I shouldn't do it. Not sure why this stuff is so polarizing. It should be pretty cut and dry.

I might just take you up on that one day soon. You can try mine out as well and maybe tell me if I'm being dumb about this.

 

I have also been considering a tune even before the gears. I'm going to wait for another 2,000 miles or so. I'm interested in the KD Max Tune. Which one are planning on getting? Would you share your thoughts and impressions with us on the tune after a bit driving please. Thank you.

 

I just flashed the KDMax 6.0 tune last week and it’s definitely good enough that I have put off my re-gear until the winter. I am on 35’s and the truck drove like shit with the stock tune and even on stock tires. I tried a few other tunes prior and the KDMax is worth the money. Still planning on and looking forward to re-gearing but tuning the ECUs is a must and cheaper so it’s a good place to start before dropping the money on the re-gear.

 

I felt the same after my gears. I'm in Denver and spend the majority of my driving going up to the high country. People who say the tune doesn't help are totally wrong...they just have expectations that are out of proportion. I added the KDMax tune after getting gears and felt a ton of difference in Denver. For high country driving you'll still need to keep it in S mode and cap it at 4. You'll also be pleasantly surprised when you get down to Arkansas. The acceleration is much better at lower elevation.

 

soo I am getting to the point of needing gears.. currently running the below mods/weight adders... I really think I am near GVWR when all packed with gear and food, and my fat ass self.. and maybe one passenger... have'nt gone across a scale yet.. .. the CBI skids, ICECO VL60DZ fridge really pushed it over the edge in terms of weight. this truck is my DD at the moment, so maximizing fuel economy would be great.. although not a priority ( I only drive 8 miles one way to work & back, but would like the range for when out in the woods "overlanding")..... I do plan to get the KDmax tune.

my question is what gear set do I get? 4.88 or 5.29?

I've heard confusing information... saying 4.88's would be sufficient for my needs, and that would put me near stock specs as far as gearing, and a little head-room (slightly lower than stock ratio) for the added weight & size tires I run). and others have said that 5.29's with my 285/70/17 ATX (32.7") will rev the engine too high at highway speeds. currently the best MPG i get is around 17.6mpg summer fuel mix on 33's, and drops by at least 2MPG in the winter with colder intake temps (requires more fuel for denser air), and winter mix fuel (it really does decrease fuel mileage a bit). I dont see 6th gear at all unless the ground is level (not much of it around here in coastal/inland Maine) and I am keeping the truck at 68 mph.. which is not bad, but would like to get above 70-75 & move with traffic... so which? 4.88's or 5.29?

 

From your description I personally thing 4.88 and the KDmax tune would work perfectly fine for you. I wouldn't go with 5.29 unless your have larger tires than you have now AND have a lot of weight. If you plan on adding more weight then 5.29 would be the way to go.

 

I think so as well.. I literally just got these tires 3 weeks ago... so hopefully with 5 tire rotation it will last a while..... thinking I will get the KDMAX tune first.. as I can afford it sooner.. and save my pennies for the gearing....

 

Thank you for sharing, I think my mind is set on the KD tune. Gonna let the gears settle in a little before I get it tuned. I would like to do it right. I'm thinking about doing a dyno run before and after the tune to get legit numbers for my truck. Would be a sweet video for the channel. Time to start looking for a local shop that that has a dyno. Thanks again.

 

I felt the same as you, there is a ton of info that seems to contradict itself. I went 5.29 currently on 295 70 r17 so just a little larger than a 33. My stop & go driving and highway mpg have increased and my highway rpms are way down under similar conditions for my driving style. I'm in FL, so low country. I would go with 5.29. The large majority of gear charts on the web put the 5.29s on the more power /better towing side for the common sizes we can run on the taco. The pull to always run larger tires will get you at some point. I find it better to be prepared. I will have a follow up/review of the break in video soon of highway before and after the gears but I'm between 800 to 1000 rpms less on the highway.

 

I posted a couple pages back about my Nitro Gears breaking (no warranty) ... so I coughed up the $2500 and replaced the gears and all is well. After spending 5k on gears , Now I have gear failure paranoia.... Is this a real concern or can I expect my gears to last 100k miles. I’m running 35’ KM3’s with Fox Coilovers, SPC.s etc. etc. I’m having some regrets as I never had a repair like this in 3 Tacoma’s I have owned over the years ...resale is good right now, so seriously thinking of selling my truck and starting over and going 285/75/17’s as. I’m thinking 35’s are just not worth it....anyone else had gear nightmares?

 

What? Why weren’t they repaired under warranty?

 

I bought Yukons from ECGS. No issues yet. They are quite. Maybe it’s because I bought the complete units instead of having a shop install just the gears into my stock diffs.