Re-gearing advice for reliability

Hey tw! I have a 2005 taco running 35's on stock gear ratio. In summer of 2021 my ring gear blew and I bought a new 3rd member. Now a couple days ago pion blew up completely. Will I get better reliability off a higher gear ratio? Been hearing some mixed options from friends. Thanks in advance for any advice y'all give me

 

No drivetrain is indestructible. Depending on how you drive you could blow a built currie rear end. You broke your 15 year old rear gear which could have just happened. When you say you bought a new 3rd member, was a brand new or used? I could have also had problems.

The only think I think you'll get out of new gearing is,
1) new gears
2) potentially stronger materials (this could fix your problem)

If you have a 8" rear end, you could try sourcing a 8.8".

 

It was a used 3rd member, I believe he replaced the ring and pinion on it tho. In terms of getting re-gearing, I've heard that higher gear ratios are likely to be less reliable because of smaller teeth, and higher heat

 

unfortunatly 35's on a factory e locker 3rd is pushing it if you wheel a bit. Time for a full axle upgrade.

 

Not quite ready for an axle upgrade, need a short term fix as I've bought a daily, just need something for the snow for now. Would having a trusted person rebuild the diff be the best bet for a temporary fix you'd say?

 

I believe it's been debunked. If I remember right, the teeth are smaller but the smaller tooth has a reduced workload

 

If you need to get back on the road yeah that would be your best option. Use the elocker sparingly and before any major offroading consider a full axle upgrade.

 

that makes sense. like fine tooth vs course tooth bolts.

 

Why the hell would you want higher then stock if you run 35’s and off road it? Also you will have to have the same gearing in the front. If you exceed the acceptable range you will damage the transfer case and possibly other things in the drivetrain.

 

35s on stock axles is not a dumb idea.

A dumb idea is wheeling with the right foot and expecting to not break anything

 

All depends on your definition of wheeling. Some would say it’s a dumb idea to do any wheeling and expect not to break something. I just can’t figure out why he thinks higher gears would help.

 

Sad part of it all is both times this has happened, I was in a time period of like zero off-roading, all this happened with just highway miles. Almost like it preferred being beat

 

People told me it would , I'm 22 and new to working on vehicles, and just trying to figure out what works and doesn't. I've broken a lot of stuff in the truck, I know that's a part of it, and how I drive. Just looking for best option for my situation currently with the info some randoms have given prior

 

You should really consider re-gearing to a lower (numerically higher) gear ratio for 35's.

 

It blew apart just driving down the road? That’s kinda unusual.

 

You shouldn't be smoking parts that quickly even with 35s and stock gears. Im thinking you might have a leak in your housing somewhere and you're running dry. Have you been checking your diff oil?

EDIT: With the age of our trucks it's good to know what hot gear oil smells like.

 

this was my thought as well - maybe once the new diff is in verify the oil level ... and verify again on a regular cadence.

 

what suspension are you running?

 

There was zero leaks it was full, diff fluid had about 4000 miles on it maybe. And both times once I downshifted to first it blew up

 

What do you have for a rear lift? Are you running lift blocks?