‘Dad Shred build thread’ double locked & 5:29’s SOLD, now 2014 tundra cm TRD OR

One thing I've learned is that higher rpms doesn't necessarily mean worse MPG. It's all about the engine load and how hard it's having to work. I'm in 6th gear cruising along at 70mph at 3,000 RPM and I average 15 mpg on the highway because my engine load is around 30%. That's an accurate calculation too because I have my speedo/odo corrected. All things considered, that's not bad for a heavy girl on 35s.

 

I see people say this and while theoretically it's true, it's not like you're seeing loads of people destroying ring gears. I know quite a few people with 5.29s in their I4's or older 4runners/tacomas who wheel hard with no issues at all.

 

I destroyed my R&P in the desert with 4.10 gears in my V6.

mit not only theoretically true. Also, practically

 

Then your reasoning of "less contact area" wasn't the case. Sounds like a case of driver error.

 

lol, whatever you say boss

 

So that’s not necessarily true, I spoke with Zuk (ken Francisco) gear legend here in phx az where I live & I asked him about this concern.. “smaller teeth more prone to breakage?” Ken assured me that is not the case, it comes down to what the quality of the gears is, WHO did the gear work, and the break-in process. I know several guys with true crawler toyotas who are running 5:29 without hesitation & it’s not an issue if done right.

also - I’m doing a REM/cryo treatment to the rear ring and pinion which further strengthens the teeth surfaces further reducing any changes of breakage. I’m hard on my truck but I’m not an idiot, I’m confident I’ll be ok. If not - it is what it is, all part of the game we play.

also - here are some screenshots of the Grimm keeper gear calculator of stock gears w 35’s vs 5:29 w 35’s for the 5spd AT and 4.0 v6.

 

Those are just mitigants. They may be enough. Not trying to talk you out of it.

 

2447 RPM at 70mph in 5th gear. That’s totally tolerable and reasonable for me. Check out the crawl speeds.

 

Yes & no, totally fine for anyone to tell me 5:29 is too overgeared for 35’s. I understand that argument and I chose to do it anyway for all my own reasons! Totally understand

 

Again, jealous!

 

I know @theesotericone is very knowledgeable and a big proponent of 5.29s.

 

Gear strength won't be an issue with how @singletrack_ftw wheels.

There will be issues with deflection with the stock housing, and if your not careful you can break gears when that happens. A truss would probably help eliminate this, but I've heard issues with warping when welding to our stock axles.

 

Yep. If someone starts making 5.71's for Toyota I would be one of the first running them. lol

I'm dreading going to 38's since I can't go deeper in the gears.

5.29's being a "weaker" gear set is an old wives tail. I've spoken with Nitro about it. They don't see any more warranty claims with 5.29 compared to 4.88, 4.56. Enjoy your new gears and don't worry about it. Mine aren't cryo'd and they look brand new every time I pull the diff. They also see tons of big rock use.

 

Excellent first hand experience and I appreciate your input! Again this is why I chose 5:29. They just make sense for someone like me. There are a few IG superhero overlander type that will say 4:88 is the only way to go, but 5:29 will reap me so many benefits. It will be a very powerful gear selection.

 

#regrets

First time I have ever hashtagged anything

Now I want 5.29s

 

Yep. Folks that claim the 4.88 is the best solution are folks that are scared of high RPM's. I'll let you in on a little secret. All Toyo motors make max HP in the 5K band and max torque in the 4.5K band. I don't mind for a second cruising down the highway at 2800-2900 RPM's at 75 MPH. I've been doing that for 20,000 miles with zero ill affects to performance of my motor. Hell, with my mud tires I can't even hear the motor when it drops out of OD into 3rd and hits 4000 RPM's. lol

 

True story. I’m at 3k rpm at 71 mph for hours on end on the highway. 4.88 with 6MT though

 

Manuals give you a lot more choice on where to be in the gearing. If I had a stick I might have considered 4.88's more but I still probably would have went 5.29s. It's funny. When I was young I used to think that manuals are the shit. If you weren't wheeling a manual you weren't a man. Then I got out of wheeling for a while. I picked up my current rig, 97 4Runner V6 Auto, and started wheeling it and building it up. Once the crawl box went in the amount of control on obstacles was truly impressive. Now, you couldn't pay me to wheel a manual. lol

 

this seriously makes me so happy to hear. There are VERY FEW taco dudes advocating for 5:29 for the wheeler/DD rigs out there.

ALSO - when I called ECGS a year ago to discuss gear selection for my needs/uses and with 35’s not planning to jump to 37’s. Even ECGS recommended 5:29 over 4:88

 

I wouldn’t change a thing, I love the challenge of it. It’s so much fun. I’d love a crawl box too but don’t see that happening anytime soon because $$$$