regearing -need advice please

I looked for a sticky and did a search but couldn't find anything.

I was getting 19/20mpg consistently with my stock tires, just added 285/65-18's and i'm at about 15-16mpg now. I love the way my truck looks and sits now so nothing is going to change there, if that's what i get for mpg that's just fine but i am pretty sure i can regear and do better.

Thinking of re-gearing for better fuel mileage, i have no clue what i have in there stock and what i i should go to for better mpg. I drive highway daily for my work commute, at about 75-80mph

What would you guys recommend and what can i expect from re-gearing?
Thanks

 

I think with 33s, 4.56 gears puts you back to or close to stock. I'm not sure though.

 

that would be true if the truck comes stock with 4.10. Is that what my tacoma has?

 

Pretty sure 3.73 gears. This helped me:
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/119466-those-have-regeared.html

 

What exactly does over geared mean? More power than stock at low end and a decrease in top speed?

 

IMHO, Don't expect to get back to factory MPG with regearing. It might help some in some situations, but realistically you are still churning more rotational mass regardless of what your gearing is.

 

I'm not saying it wont improve, just saying you wont get back to stock. I got back a couple at freeway speeds and very little in town.

 

So if i go to 4.10 i'll be back at my stock power band and it should also decrease my rps at highway speeds of 75-80mph?

If i go to 4.30 i'll have more low end power than stock and even less rpm at highway speeds of 75-80mph?

And would i need to swap out the front as well since it's a 4x4? Will i run into any problems with my rear locker?

 

You will have to do the front too. The 2nd gens are limited to 2 gear choices due to limited manufacturers. For an automatic you can only go to 4:56 unless you change the carrier in the front to the carrier from a manual tacoma then you can go 4:88. you will be fine with locker.

 

so it's 4:56 only? or my option would be 4:10 or 4:56?

 

look, my 02 taco 2.7l had 4.20 stock gears by running on 33x12.50x15 Toyo M/t and it is not strong enough to pull the tires. so now regeared mine with 5.29 and from my 1st to 3rd gear i can zoom like a little car, remember you win some and you also lose some. you gain power and lose your top speed but when you think about your MPG- i recommend that you regear the bigger the better. bigger gears use less gas that all i can tell ya.

 

I'm going with 4:10's in my truck in a few months. They seem to bring the truck back to a closer stock ratio without raising your highway RPM too much. And others are correct that your MPG will improve but you will not get back to stock.

East Coast Gear Supply makes complete third members that you can order and then ship your old ones back. I think that's who I am going to go with as there are no 4X4 shops around here that I would trust to set gears right and ECGS guarantees their diffs for five years.

4.56's are slightly cheaper because the carrier does not have to be replaced in the front differential ~$300 for that.

If you want to go with 4:10's you might want to talk to local junkyards and try to find the diffs off of a 2.7L but that might be hard to find.