Installed 4.88 Gears in my 2016

What are your highway speeds? At 70 with a 4.88 and 285 you'd be at about 2000-2100 RPM Everyone attempting to calculate speed vs RPM seems to forget that 6th gear is NOT 1-1 it's roughly .53-1 We have a double overdrive which causes engine RPM to plummet in 6th. I'm sure 4.56 was a huge help over stock gears, 4.88 would have helped just a little more. I can't wait to get mine done so I can actually use 6th gear again.

 

I planed to keep the stock tires. I thought a 4.88 would be a little low for stock tires. Also, a 4.56:1 should be a stronger gear set. Last, if there was a Toyota 4.56:1 gear set, then I would prefer it. I don't know Nitro very well as far as their engineering and long term durability.

 

Thanks for the reply. Is there anyone on here that could attest for the long term reliability of the Nitro 4.88:1 gear sets (say 50k miles on a 2016 with the Nitro gears)?

 

Hey guys, I've chimed in on this thread before but not for a while. First thing I'd like to reiterate his changing gears does not affect your speedometer, so if you have a Hypertech calibrator do not put the new gear size in, it will throw it all out of whack! Number 2 is, 2000 RPMs = at about 68 miles per hour, I have 285 70 17 Toyo Open Country with a 6-inch Lift. Number three, if you have a headwind or are going uphill you will be sorry if you go with anything less than 4.88 gears in my opinion.

 

An update for those of you who know that I had issues with my gears. They got my third member today out at JT's, Murph gave me a call this afternoon and said they already checked it over and rebuilt it for me and it's on its way back to Wisconsin. They kind of concluded that the install looked like it was good and really aren't sure what caused the gear set to burn up. Asked me about my break in, which I did correctly so that shouldn't have been an issue. At this point we're going to chalk it up to possibly manufacturer defect I guess. He told me that the gear set was the very end of a lot, so possibly the gear set was defective, not really sure. Anyways he is pretty sure I won't have any more issues so that's what we are hoping. Two thumbs up to JT's for backing their product and in a very Swift manner!

 

Here is a pic of the speedo at 67 mph, the RPM's ate right about 2000, 6th gear! Any lower than that and it wouldn't hold 6th gear! Into a headwind it still can't hold 6th, so forget the 4.56 IMO!

 

I am surprised they did not find a improperly heat treated gear or something concrete wrong .
Since it was not the installers fault , who pays for the labor take them out and put them in again ? I hope it works out for you but it must be an uneasy feeling to be told they do not know why it happened.

 

I haven't talked to the guy at the shop who installed them yet. Don't know if they will comp him for his labor or not. If they really don't think he did anything wrong I think they should, but not involved in that part of it, just know that I'm not paying anymore. I guess my thought is if it was a bad gear set chances are pretty low that I get another one. And if it was something with the install, JT's installed it this time so hopefully it will be all good. I know it won't be the break-in, I took several weeks to break it in correctly just driving on weekends short distances until the 500-mile gear oil change. I do know it had a whining sound from the day I picked it up and I'm hoping it will be quiet this time.

 

You should be fine this time. I just bet Nitro knows what was wrong and does not want anyone else to know . I agree it should not be your fault it should all be on Nitro if they say the install was done right . Good luck .

 

I have a thousand on my Nitro's. so far so good. My 500 mile gear oil change was pretty clean. (No metal shavings)
Replaced it with 75-140 Royal Purple.

 

BTW, hyperTech discontinued their speed calibrator.

 

So correct me if I'm wrong... you're saying if my truck has less than 10k miles on it you can get the 4.88 nitro gears for less than $900? That beats my dealership who's getting me them at their cost. If this is true we need to talk and order me a set.

 

Hi. Do you know if anyone has put over 50k miles on these gears with a 2016 Tacoma?

 

I highly doubt it. there are only a hand full of 2016s with that many miles in a year. Doubtful that someone who drives 50000 a year will be running 4.88 gears.

 

I doubt anybody's got any where near that kind of mileage on new gears on a 3rd gen., but what they told me was these are the same gears other than the bearing being different that have been being used in all Tacoma's since 2005. At least in the rear end. I think the front one is somewhat different. Side note to that I believe if you have a TRD sport like I do anyway the offroad might be different.

 

Thanks! ok so I may have under-shot what I could have put in there, especially with the loads I'm carrying. But it does work just fine, it stays in 6th, better acceleration, etc. I guess if there's any upside is that it sounds like as long as I can hold 6th in lower rpm than 4.88s I should be getting better mpg?

 

Just added the nitro 4.88's. On break in now...feels much better but will have to get through break in to really tell the difference. Just did gears, no bearings at 8000M.

 

Whats your reported mpgs. Tire size etc?

 

BTW..... Mine seems to shift better after I disconnect the battery for 3hrs to reset trans memory.

 

Im seeing a 3 mpg raise in mpg on 1st full tank. Truck runs perfect up to 65 mph. Starts shifting more after that.