Regear or Lift?

So I currently have enough money saved up for either a lift or a regear. I am leaning towards the regear but want to hear what folks that have done it have to say

 

Regear for sure. If i were to do it over again I would prioritize things a little different.

 

That’s the feedback I was hoping to get. Right now premier west gears has a promotion going on. Was quoted 2300 for the install for 4.88 gears.

 

Depends on how big you want to go. If you can fit the tires in the fenders without a lift you don't need to re-gear.

 

Regear for stock setup ? Are u planning to do more or just one or the other . Basic lift with slightly bigger tires u don’t need a regear .i would go for the lift

 

The question is what are you trying to accomplish with either project?

Or what are you trying to 'fix'?

 

A lift doesn't allow any bigger tires...and you can fit 35's without a lift (need to pound out the firewall, cut the fender flare and relocate the cab mount) and definitely need a re-gear with 35's.

 

Lots and lots of folks run around on stock gears. It really depends on your build situation and your goals. I ran stock gears on 35s for a couple years. I have a 6MT so gears mattered more to me then an auto.

 

I run 35s with practically zero lift, maybe an inch. It's hard to measure hub to fender height because I cut 3" out of them.

Truck rides amazing and my CV angles are great.

 

Exactly! Careful saying that around here though...many will say you are wrong and you can't do it.

 

What’s your end goal for the truck? What tires do you want to run in the future? I wouldn’t say regearing is absolutely necessary, but it makes a very big difference, especially with a tune. I’m running 4.88’s with OTT on 265/70R17’s (barely bigger than stock) and it is honestly how I think the truck should have come. Way less gear hunting, much more fun to drive.

 

Just because you can do something doesn't mean it's a good idea. I have a 2" lift with 265/75/16 tires. The tires need somewhere to go when articulating. I'd rather have several inches between the tires and fenders even with smaller tires.

 

If your staying stock to 33" in tire size the 4.88 would be a good bet on an auto. Are you currently running a tune? If your not mucking with tire size much a tune could be enough change to skip the re gear. But really these trucks were geared to high from the factory i rarely if ever saw 6th gear in stock trim now with thr mods I basically have a 5 speed.

 

If you do it right the tires have places to go at full lock and articulation. I also run 35s on about 2" of lift and can run hard trails with virtually no rubbing. It's just a matter of cutting and tubbing and maybe LCAs that advance the LBJ forward.

 

OP asks a question with zero context about his build goals or current setup.
Now here we are debating an entirely different question he didn't ask, go figure..

 

Back on track - OP if you have an automatic just go ahead and get 5.29s, skip the 4.88s. I've run 5.29s for the last 4 years from 32s to 35s and they're just right in my opinion.

@Offroad Taco 2022 it would be really helpful to understand what your intended use case is and what goals you have in mind for your build over the longer term.

 

Unless you are putting a 2" bump stop extension on the front or choose to put a spacer lift on, you will have the EXACT same suspension up-travel with almost all lifts.

 

haha, sure.

IFS does not increase its travel if you lift. You just change ride height. I have very little rubbing at full compression due to creative alignments with SPC uppers, proper backspacing/spacers and BMC.

my truck rides like a cloud and wheels with the best of them. My truck is not a bargain overlander build.

You could argue I am missing out on some travel in the rear since I have shock relocation and 12” of shock travel, but it’s not hurting my overall capability.

 

(Total travel)

lifts do increase up travel at the expense of down travel. This is the reason lots of trucks ride like crap. Very harsh when you run out of down travel.

 

Sorry for not putting a little more info. So at the moment, I’m fairly stock with just a roof rack holding 2 roam cases and camping gear, rock sliders and I have Falken 265/70/R17 wildpeaks. Now the reason why I’m considering a regear is for the overall build I have planned. I am planning on adding a bed rack with a rooftop tent in the near future. I’m also adding a BA front bumper and winch setup. Now I know the added weight strains the engine, transmission, etc with the stock gears, not to mention the annoying gear hunting that goes with the stock gears when carrying any weight especially when going up hills and the gas guzzler it becomes. From everything I’ve looked at, regearing addresses that issue but I wanted to get first hand experience as to how big of a difference does it make and prioritize my modifications based on overall improvement