4.88 vs 5.29

I currently ride on 275/70/R18 (33.2s) with engine, Transmission, Transfer Case, fuel tank, and Rear diff skids, rock sliders, bed rack, aftermarket front and rear steel bumpers, and 9.5k lbs winch on a 4" lift.
Now I know they say > 35s needs 5.29 although with all the weight I've added, are my 33.2s at that point where I need 5.29 or would 4.88 still work? It's a manual so I'm just sick of having to mash on the throttle just to get going but I don't want to overdo it because I don't see going past the current tire size.
Basically, what's the recommended weight vs tire vs gear size? The 5.29 Mega Thread is awesome but goes in depth about the different mpgs but there's no decision thread. Thanks!

 

MT's already have 4.3 gearing so is the $ worth it for 4.88 ? there was a chart showing the RMP difference at MPH and if I remember correctly I didn't think it was worth the $ to jump from 4.3 to 4.88 for the minor difference.id personally go to 5.29 but honestly I'm still running 4.3 with 33's and "mashing" the gas haha. you will be running at high RPM's cruising at higher highway speeds on 5.29.
but I have no personal experience just second hand. with your weight id go 5.29 personally

 

All the weight and 33s make me say 5.29

 

You can't go wrong with 5.29. 5.29 is barely too much for a stock automatic. 5.29 would be way too much for a stock manual, but with all the equipment you have, 5.29 would do you a world of good.

You'd be running 2700 RPM at 70 MPH in 6th and 3050 at 80. (Basically where my 2000 Tacoma is at with 31" tires and 4.3 gears with a 0.81 5th, and it feels perfect and still gets 21 MPG, although it's not quite apples to apples)

4.875 gears for reference would be 2450 at 70 in 6th and 2800 at 80.

 

For what it’s worth, I have the same mods as you and have a ton of extra weight (although I’m AT). At the time I was ready to regear, I called Nitro directly, told em what I had, and they recommended 4.88s. They recommended 5.29s with 35s or higher.

I’ve been happy with the performance although I do get a slight whine at certain speeds. Also all other factors being the same,
5.29s are weaker than 4.88's. Fewer teeth on pinion=more stress on each tooth.

 

The manual already has 4.30 gears. I feel going to 4.88 is not a big enough change in ratio for the investment.

 

Well I already run about 2500 RPMs at 70 mph at my stock 4.3 MT lol

 

I've read that before but people were going back and forth on the strength of the teeth because the 5.29s are made to be a harder material for strength so although there's more stress on one tooth, there's a higher yield strength. I'm not too worried about the stress portion of it

 

Well it's not so much the money for the jump in gears, its getting the perfectly matching gears for the rig setup... that's why 4.88 vs 5.29 are the same price. And if the gearing is overdone, such as getting a 5.29 for a stock rig, then it will significantly decrease gas mileage and tear apart tires. The weight and tire size is directly related to either 4.88 vs 5.29, the money doesn't really factor in

 

It’s interesting to me that Nitro basically says that regardless of other factors (such as weight) if you have smaller than 35s, you need 4.88 gears.

But there’s a pretty sizable group of people that wish they went to 5.29s and a smaller group that went 4.88 and then 5.29s after, much to the chagrin of their wallets.

 

That's true too and that's kinda why I made this thread. I don't see myself going to 35s, the truck is my daily/long travel vehicle and the wheelbase is just too long to really utilize 35s or bigger. But with the 33s and weight added, I was wondering if all of it summed up sort of equated to > 35s, otherwise known as the Nitro recommended 5.29. Just seeing if anyone else was in the same boat and had some insight

 

I know people IRL and on TW that run 5.29s with 33s and love it. I’m going to be switching over the 33s (255/80/17) to my new truck at some point and I want to run 5.29s. Unless someone can give me some concrete and specific reasoning why 4.88 is better for a heavy truck with 33s, that is.

 

My truck has less than 10k miles, do I need the whole kit with seals and bearings or just the ring a pinion? Do I need to do the front as well or just the rear diff?

 

Oh nice! I'll discuss some with my other Taco guys but it's nice to hear some IRL people loving their setup. Thanks

 

If it's 4x4 (which it is if you have a front diff) then you need a different gearing setup for both. And I'm not sure, I would look on nitro gears online because I'm pretty sure it's the whole kit but it only asks for 4.88 or 5.29 to be ordered

 

You need the whole kit and you have to do both front and rear.

Lol, there will never ever ever be a decision posted on this god-forsaken topic that will be accepted by everyone. Here's my advice...go lookup what your max speed will be between 4.88s and 5.29s with your largest intended tire size. If you can accept the speed with 5.29s, get them. Tires 33 inches and bigger with weight will benefit from them.

I have 33s and 4.88s with some weight. I live at altitude and 4.88 gears are not enough to push the truck consistently at highway speeds. At sea-level the extra power is considerable, however, when you hit any "adversity" (high winds, steep grades, towing, etc) the truck will struggle.

 

Thanks, I hear its about 3k so I'll wait for a while lol

 

It's the best thing you can do for your truck