Re-gear for 33s? (3:58 gears currently)

Hi all, i have a 1999 Xtra-Cab 2.7l 5spd. 4x4. i recently looked up the code on the door and found that my truck has a 3:58 gear ratio. This explains so much as right now i'm only running 31x10.5 tires yet 4th and 5th are basically useless until well into the suggested speed range. i was hoping to eventually upgrade to 33" tires so this throws a pretty large wrench in my plans. i am debating whether to re-gear the truck or whether to sit on it as is. however, if i can get 33s without a re-gear, that would be ideal. also, if you have any suggestions as for inexpensive and good quality parts that would be appreciated too.

FYI, i'm sure that this thread has been done before, however, i havent been able to find one with good info to save my life.

thanks!

 

Definitely gonna want to regear, you don't know just how peppy your truck can be with 4.10s and 31s let alone maybe some 4.30 or 4.56 and some 33s. I had 3.58 and it was drivable but miserable and I had 31.5s.

 

Yikes, 3.58’s with a 4 cylinder, yeah, 33’s would suck. I’d personally do 4.30’s minimum, probably 4.56’s

 

Look around for a 2.7 4x4 auto at the junkyard. It should have 4.56s from the factory.

 

If you think it's bad now with 31s then don't bother with 33s unless you regear. Only being able to use 1-3 sucks and your clutch will hate you too

 

If you went with 33x10's or 33x10.50's, you could get away with 4.30's. If you're trying to push 33x12.50's I'd go up to 4.56's. I've got that combo and its still a boat with the 2.7 Auto...

 

yeah I feel like 33s with my 4.10 gears is pushing it...3.58 is going to suck with 33s. I'd see if you can find some 4.10s off of another 1st gen or some 4.30s off of a 3rd gen 4runner. I think 4.30s would be perfect

 

I'm running 4.10 and 33s. You have to prep for hills and your still losing speed like crazy. Any sort of wind and your in 4th at 60. Cant pass anyone ever. I did run 33s with my 3.58s and 5th was useless and 1st was huge. 4.10 made my speedometer basicly bang on again with the 33s.

I guess one benefit is you'll never get a speeding ticket again.

 

So one practical question that comes to mind is 'do you need 33's'? Or is it more because the cool kids have them?

If you go with them there is clearly a price to be paid, as folks talk about above. Is the change worth the price to you? Only you can decide.

While not mutually exclusive, that is a rare combo. Not to mention the set up labor cost.

@pairodice has a good suggestion; finding compatible OE parts that you can PnP yourself.

 

ok, basically what i figured, i'll probably either end up re-gearing or, as much as i hate to say it, sell the truck and buy basically the exact same thing with better gearing and maybe a V6, the little I4 is great until you realize that the benefits are not as pronounced as you'd think (keep in mind that i already get about 15 mpg so it's hard to get worse). i think that i'll probably end up sitting on it for a while without any more mods though as most of my driving is city and it doesn't do too badly in gears 1-3. i'm planning on taking a road trip to see family for thanksgiving though so that'll be a big tell as to whether it's as bad as i remember on rolling, highway, hills. if this thread is still in play once i get back i'll let y'all know.

yeah, i know right, most of the time Toyota does pretty well but this is one of those times where i just gotta wonder, "jesus what were you guys thinking?" i mean, i know that manufacturers don't build their vehicles to be modified but that just still seems real short sided.

yup, that sounds about like me now, i can only imagine how bad it'd be with 33s and my current gears. i can pass loaded semis but that's about it.

that's a real good idea, my only concern would be about condition, is there anything i should look for specifically and avoid if i do go this route? i can check the door code or check manually but i'd hate to get a bad set and have 'em grenade in my differentials.

yeah, admittedly i probably don't really need 33s. i don't wheel it too much and when i do it's not like i'm doing real extreme stuff or anything. The thing is though that my grand plan for the rig (even when i bought it) was to eventually get to 33s, rear locker, front and rear bumper, etc. the works. basically something similar to the Expedition overland 1st gen that they had for a while. but yeah. i just wish that i'd known enough to check the door codes when i bought it. oh well... time to move on from that mistake.

would you guys say that re-gearing is worth it?

 

It could be worth double checking what you have now too, rather than just relying on the sticker. It's easy to do.

http://www.how-to-build-hotrods.com/gear-ratio.html

While they look cool, most Overland builds are overbuilt and underutilized. Not all, but many.

Maybe use the truck as is until you find you can't accomplish something that you want it to do, then deal with what's holding you back?

 

Very sound advice, that’s kind of how my truck ended up where it is-

Guy I bought it from put T100 rear springs in back for weight, rode like a funny car so I had to lift the front to get it so I could properly adjust headlights, brakes, etc, everything evolved based on what I was asking from the truck from there-

keep that in mind, bigger tires, now you need to upgrade brakes, so on and so on

 

Re gearing is worth it if you find a known good used elocker rear and front that matches. I bought a friend's truck he rolled swapped all the components myself and wired it all up.

It cost significantly lower than a re gear kit for front and back.

No I didn't end up with the perfect ratio but it was also a locker.

 

yeah with 33s and the weight I usually carry on camping trips, if I hit a steep grade on a freeway headed into the mountains I have to hit it above the speed limit to keep from dropping below the speed limit half way up, lol. If I have to accelerate up a grade at freeway speeds I absolutely have to downshift into 4th gear to do so...accelerating in 5th at 65-70mph on a grade with the supercharger is ping-city (lean out) for me. 4th and 3k RPMs will make it pull pretty hard, but I'm limited to about 70mph in 4th gear...and probably getting 5mpg while doing so lol

 

How is that? My truck would have to go over 80mph on third gear before it hits the red line. Actually when merging into highway from clover leaf on-ramp I had to push on 3rd gear until I get right lane highway traffic speed (that is 75mph on the right lane). Clover leaf here is ugly as the circle is tight so can't be driven faster than 25mph and then you have not long straight to merge in. Good thing is that big trucks are governed to 67mph so normal traffic running 85mph+ (often 100mph and more) is on the left lane only.

So driving uphill on 4th or third at highway speed is quite doable. Unless you do it on 4L, then it is correct.

 

ok, i'll do that, i don't know when i'll have the chance but i'll find a time and make sure it's done before i make a final decision.
as for the overland build comment, that's very true as most overland builds that i see haven't got any scratches or pin striping but being honest, most of what i have done has been for cosmetic reasons, there isn't that much of a difference between what i could have done on my stock setup and what i've got now capability wise. the other thing is that having a heavy leaf pack will be real beneficial because when i carry heavy loads, especially when hauling stuff or when on long trips, i find that it's a while before i get the chance to take the stuff out of the bed while that's just one example of where building an overland style rig or at least using parts designed with that kind of thing in mind will have benefits beyond just wheeling and overlanding. to provide a better example, when going camping i often carry all the group's gear(i've got the only canopy and i'm one of the only friends with a truck), i haven't totaled it all up weight wise but if memory serves me right, it was squatting a decent amount once it was all loaded. so that's part of it.

ok, thanks for the advice, i'll look in to finding that the next chance i get to go to a salvage yard. one question though, doesn't the TRD E-Locker require a special rear axle?

 

It's still a ways away from redline at 70mph and 4th gear...like around 3200. Just don't really want to hold it/cruise at higher RPMs than that if I can help it

 

It is a 8" rear axle instead of your 8.4" they look similar but you will see the elocker ACTUATOR! on the drivers side of the pinion. You can get 8" non locking but I think they were only in 4runners. (Could be wrong)

 

ok, any issue with having the locker on the outside of the differential? seems like a bad idea when considering off-road applications.

 

Locker is inside the diff. Elock Motor is mounted externally.