The 5.29 Mega Thread!!

I once thought ECT was pretty good, but my mpg's were terrible. ECT seems to shift based off of speed only, more so than factoring in the load, etc. The KDmax pro gives the ECT feel but way better, with the ability to upshift when necessary for better mpg's. Also just has more useable low end torque which makes normal driving, normal lol. Best of both worlds really.

I've been wanting to try the ultimate tune, but it's been a good 2 years and I'm doubting it will be available in the next year. With gas prices, you'll probably make that money back from the tune within a year and also enjoy driving what feels like a completely new truck. Food for thought.

 

Hey all, I have ‘17 trd offrad 6spd manual. Regearing the truck as I write this post, the rear is done, now on to the front. Now I have 4.30 gears And will be throwing on 5.29’s plus an ARB. The ring gear will not fit no matter what I do. I got the rd111 locker. On the paper it says the locker would fit 3.90’s and up, I have 4.30’s so it should fit right? Or should
I have gotten the

$1,212 ARB RD121 Air Locking Differential

rd121? Any input would be appreciated. Did I get the wrong gears?
from right to left is my stock gear 4.30
And then middle is the new 5.29
Far left is stock fj cruiser

 

Go in to a little further detail on why your ring gear will not fit. What do you mean, won't fit?

 

When putting the ring gear on the ARB locker, it seems like the tolerance is too tight. And won’t go onto the locker itself. A couple guys have dm-Ed me to heat up the ring gear a bit so it’ll expand, but wanted to check in here if anyone’s had this with their ring gears. Double checked either ring and it is for my model 6spd off-road, and the locker is an rd111

 

If the tolerance is too tight wouldn't you want to freeze the ring gear?

 

I thought heat expands it because it’s too tight and not fitting on the locker. Freezing it would shrink it down

 

Roger that

 

ARB is a tight fit. If you heat the RG, make sure it's an even heat like in boiling water. What I do is get the holes lined up and press it on using wood blocks to protect the teeth. A little gear oil around the contact surface of the ring gear and carrier help.

 

Stick the locker in the freezer and it should slide on. Heating it to much can take the hardness out of the ring. If you need to heat the ring put it in the oven.

 

Bad part about freezing is the moisture will collect inside locker.

 

Question sorry if it's been asked, I see a lot about tires and gears. What will 5.29 do for towing ?? Does it help or hurt? I've always been given the impression that lower gears are better for towing?? Please help and advise, thank you

 

I bought a 2021 22’ Travel Trailer. My truck did not like towing it over Mountain Passes. I live in Salem Oregon. Elevation Approx. 500ft. My Passes go up to 4500-5000ft. I installed 5.29’s. I was really, really, really, expecting a huge difference. Especially since I did all the work myself and my truck is Tuned for the 5.29’s. Honestly………..I can not feel a difference from the stock gearing to 5.29’s. I’m a little bit dumb founded. It was a lot of money and I was expecting a significant difference. Like I said, I dumb founded. I’ve learned to deal with it but I sure wish it would have made towing over Mountain passes better.

 

Hate to say it but join the club. I said the exact same thing you did. Read countless pages of people praising the regear, only to find that it's a minimal difference. I actually got better MPG's on stock gearing than I do with the 5.29's. The initial pull off the line is better with 5.29's, and using 4 low on steep descents sure is nicer, but that's about it.

Now I'm getting the same thing all over again with tuning. Reading all these posts praising aftermarket tunes over factory, and then I spend all this money to do it and it's not all that great. Maybe a little bit better on certain aspects, but 0-60 is the same and the truck still has to downshift more often than it should.

It's all a LOT of money for minimal gains, if any.

 

If your having issues with your tune, try KDMAX-PRO Tune by @PapaRee

 

Well, I would but there are multiple people running the tune I'm on that came from KDmax and say this tune is better.

 

All the tunes out there are an improvement over the stock tune.
Having the truck shift when it is supposed to with the 5.29 gears and making it fun to drive is what is important.
I am glad that you are happy with your truck and I agree that anyone with 5.29 gears needs a tune for drivability.

 

JMTC….I believe that the largest benefits seen from the regear is to account for larger tire diameter vs the stock diam. 35” and up, to better utilize the power plant. And a proper tune of course. Gleaned from what I’ve seen here and other accounts, reviews and YouTube and such.

 

Well said. I actually agree. I love the 5.29s when I'm off-roading, feels great to have that low-end power. The hundreds of highway miles I drive to get to those off-road areas are another story though. I definitely hit 5th and 6th gear more smoothly and more often but the MPG hit I took first from re-gearing and then from the KDmax Pro tune kind of cancels out the benefits of hitting those higher highway gears. I'd almost rather go back to my previous ECU flash as the MPGs were better, but there was a 'dead-area' in 4th gear after regearing that required mashing on the pedal to accelerate out of. The Pro tune did fix that issue, but it also dropped my MPGs further. I'm kind of surprised because I have a moderately heavy truck with 33.5" tires, I expected a bit more after hearing all the hyperbole about regearing.

In the end, the re-gear to 5.29s didn't really solve any problems and I think the truck drove better beforehand. Will it help prevent wear on my drivetrain? Probably, but that's pretty intangible.

 

I regeared recently to 5.29s and im not sure if im really impressed either. Im on 285/75r16s and I almost cant tell a difference from my stock 4 30. I already had a Overland tune and that has been really good!

 

Hey man, have you finished the regear? If so, how does the regear ride in a Tacoma with manual transmission? Any info is appreciated!