5.29's on a Manual 3rd gen?

I'm torn between 4.88's and 5.29's myself. Currently running 255/85/r16's (33x10) with stock suspension. Did a trip to Moab last spring and found that I wanted more low end grunt in 1st gear, 4 Low, particularly when trying to climb stepped ledges like on Top of the World (killed it probably 6-7 times, should have used the clutch start cancel in hindsight). I have sliders and skid plates, eventually going with high clearance front and rear bumpers with a winch up front, a 1.5-2" lift and 34's, 35's are tempting but the step up in cutting/trimming seems like slightly more than I want to do to a truck I hope to keep for 10+ years and sees more daily duty than off road. Also eyeing that NW Fab crawl box but that would likely be the last step if I continue that occasional level of rock crawling, I like the idea of being able to crawl as slow as possible, especially with the manual making things slightly trickier off road. 4.88's with 34's would bring me closest to stock gearing, but I'm thinking I want some more oomph than that for the added armor weight, so leaning 5.29's at the moment.

 

Not mine, but a great friends, and I've driven it both on road and off road.

2017 TRDOR, 5.29's, 6-speed, first 34's and now skinny 35's.

Truck is very heavy. Very heavy.

It is a blast to drive. Even with a very skilled driver offroad, it still stalls out on serious obstacles.

If you just want to hit up the mall on 34's with no heavy gear or armor, go 4.88's.

If you ever want to hit any sort of trail, go 5.29's. Yes, gas mileage is affected (slightly), but you aren't driving a heavy, built Tacoma because of its full efficiency.

IMHO, 4.88's are a waste of money. I have friends with 31.5's that run 5.29's and they love it.

Obligatory pic of the goodness:

34's

DSC_2588 by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

35's

_MG_2908 by Brent Prater, on Flickr

 

Thanks for sharing man! I'm stoked you are happy with the 4.88's. I now suspect the 5.29's might be a little less comfortable for a daily... If so, I guess it gives me a good reason (and the wife motivation to let me) to go to 35's!

 

@MR E30 Thanks for the feedback! I've never actually offloaded before, so I'm certain my clutch will take a beating once all my armor is on and I start dipping my toes into off-roading. My truck is going to be medium weight. All my armor is powder coated aluminum from Greenlane Off-road in Victoria Canada. So it will be lighter than steel (and less strong, yes), but it won't rust - which is a HUGE issue in Canada. My tire/rim combo (295/75R16) is around 82lbs per tire, which isn't too bad. I have no intention to do a box rack or roof top tent. I'm thinking that the 5.29's will be a blast to drive, but perhaps not as comfy as the 4.88's would be for a daily.

@TacoGranny It sounds like my build is along the same lines as yours. Just a word of warning - I have 3" in front and 2" in back (give or take 0.5") and to fit 34's (295/75R16) my truck required a cab mount chop, liner tuck and trimming to avoid rubbing. The CMC, tuck & trimming cost me $1,100 CAD (ish) to get done professionally, so it made sense to me to just do it all from the start - plus I can now fit 35's in the future without any issues. I'm not a DIY guy though...

 

It took me a long time to decide what would be best for me..... And I'll be honest. The 4.30's were bearable while running 295 70 17's... It just wasn't ideal by any means... Especially if I was considering any "real" off-roading... I don't run too much additional weight, meaning roof rack, roof tents, roof roof.... A lot of people in the bay area have their full overland set-ups but have never even gone off-road? I didn't have the money to waste on stuff that I'd never use... Or use once to try and justify... Been there, done that.

I know this isn't the best way to help you decide, but my drive home from Riverside, 400 miles home, sealed the deal for me... 4.88's on the grape vine were amazing... 80 miles an hour with no issues, no struggling, 5th gear every once in a while... It was nice.

 

The stock gearing is totally bearable! I feel like I'm riding the clutch a little more than I'd like getting going, and in Canada 60kmh is awkwardly in between 2nd & 3rd, so around town is a bit of a pain. It seems to me like either option will be an improvement! Thanks for your input.

 

The deed is done! As promised, I'm following up here with my impressions of upgrading my gears to 5.29. I also did up a little video showing before and after RPM at highway speeds (and I show off my truck a little at the end).

https://youtu.be/E_FD6fB3T40

I hope this is helpful, and a gentle reminder that I'm not a big social media kind of guy (100% have no desire to be an "influencer") just saw a hole in the available information about this mod for MT owners, and thought it'd be a fun project. Anyone doesn't like it, don't let the door hit you on the way out!

 

Great video, thanks for posting it. Please keep us updated on your experience. I am especially interested in your rpms at high gear (75 - 80 mph)

 

Glad you liked it! Experience so far has been awesome. I daily drive my truck and I’ll admit there are a few times (whilst driving downtown for example) where the “get up and go” from a stop gets to become a little much (especially in high traffic, when I’m tired). But 99% of the time it’s a blast.
On the highway, at 80mph I’m cruising at 3,000rpm (you can see in the video). I haven’t been up in the mountains yet, but the hills I’ve driven around here (some pretty steep), I’m able to stay in 6th the whole time. On bigger hills it’ll eventually slow down (especially if using cruise control) and loose a bit of power, but it’s no where near as bad as it was. So far the only time I’ve dropped down to 5th at highway speeds has been when passing, which is no longer an ass clenching experience. I’d strongly recommend going 5.29 (even with 33’s). I was told by KRave automotive that the improvement gained by 4.88 will be nice, but for the money, it may be disappointing. They told me to go big, and I’m glad I did. Plus, in a sense it future proofs the truck in case you wake up and decide to go with 35’s and a gazillion pounds of accessories haha

 

I have a MT 2020, ARB front bumper with winch, lot of lights, roof rack, cap in the back and full spare. My stock gearing is becoming annoying. And I lost power off roading. I’m thinking just go to 5.29. When I’m loaded for a trip the truck is heavy and going up and down passes is a chore. Usually have to be in 3rd gear.
Would y’all recommend 5.29 over 4.88? I hardly use 6th gear now.

 

100%! Best mod I ever did to my MT. What size tires are you on?

 

Ok I am leaning towards the 5.29s. There’s so much debate on this forum lol. I’ll also see what my shop recommends but I will tell them I want the 5.29.
I’m on 285/75/16 duratracs so they’re just over 33”. I live at 7,000ft and drive over 9 all the time. Living in CO so the truck feels like a Prius getting up some of the hills.
How do you find the low range with 5.29?

 

Yeah, these forms had me convinced I’d want the 4.88’s, until my shop told me I’d regret not going all the way to 5.29’s. They were right. I’m on 295/75R16, so not too much bigger. Do it man. You’ll thank me later.
I haven’t used 4Low since I got the gears. I mostly stick to old logging roads, and haven’t needed it in my exploring so far.

 

Awesome thanks for the feedback. I’m gonna do it. Then I can also go to 35 later if I wanted to go wild.
I also want the better low range for some of the rockier trails here