Gearing Question for 2.7 5spd Tacoma

[trump]

4:88's it is!! With ARB lockers:drool:

So now, am I better off sending my diffs to Marlin Crawler or Inchworm to set up the gears and lockers?, or should I try it myself? I'm not very comfortable with any shops here doing the work.

I've never set up gears or installed lockers, but I am thoughtful and meticulous. Is this a job that requires experience? If not, I may be able to save about $800 on labor & shipping. If These guys can decrease my chance of mechanical failure, I'll probably just send it off.

Certainly there's a reputable diff and transmission shop you could bring it into... That was my choice. Make sure you find a shop that is an authorized ARB installer and you should have no worries. Swapping gears yourself isn't rocket science, but far from a job to tackle without someone experienced helping and teaching IMO. Just remember, a failed diff is one of the few things on a vehicle that can send you out of control and possibly at freeway speeds. That's of course a worst case scenario, but damaging a R&P because you got the spacing wrong ain't fun or cheap either. I'd just about pay any price to have someone else deal with the gear oil any way... can't stand that stuff. Gears are one of the very few things I leave to the pros.

 

[TangoBlue]

4:88's it is!! With ARB lockers:drool:

So now, am I better off sending my diffs to Marlin Crawler or Inchworm to set up the gears and lockers?, or should I try it myself? I'm not very comfortable with any shops here doing the work.

I've never set up gears or installed lockers, but I am thoughtful and meticulous. Is this a job that requires experience? If not, I may be able to save about $800 on labor & shipping. If These guys can decrease my chance of mechanical failure, I'll probably just send it off.

You're doing selectable lockers front and rear? If so I'd go with someone you trust and if they're not in Helena, so be it. Another vendor with a good rep, reasonable prices, and a lot of experience is East Coast Gear Supply. You want that experience, trust me... just today we were installing new gears and an ARB and found a defect in the locker -- extremely rare -- but only a skilled experienced wrench would have detected that inconspicuous defect. Could you do it? Yeah, you could but would the juice be worth the squeeze? And nobody enjoys setting up gears or a locker on a Toyota front clamshell diff.

If you do a front locker I'd be very cognizant of your application of it with the IFS. The axles can be the weak link if you approach at an angle and get it bound up, but you know what you're doing, just keep it in mind. When I had IFS I didn't have an ARB up front just because I know I would end up busting an axle.

 

[2strokeTRush]

I also have the 2.7 5speed but mine is a 97. My fuel milage is 17-19 and im running 31X10. Duratrac Wranglers. My power is awful and hills are a joke. Mods are ARB bull Bar trail gear tube bumber and a camper shell with roof lights. Should i re-gear? help me out here guys.

 

[Scott Brady]

I would really consider the 5.29s. I had those in my (very) heavy 2004 V6 truck and they were great. The truck performed better in nearly every scenario and I suspect the 4cyl would like those gears even more. It also held up to some serious use, crossing the Rubicon and even pre-running the Baja 500 with it, towing a trailer, etc.

 

[Revco]

Let us know how the 4.88s work for you. I have the twin to your truck...'01 Reg Cab 2.7 W59 4.30's and I'm running 265/75/16's. I figured I'll be running 255/85's or 285/75's in the future and was considering 4.88's as well. We don't have many big hills around here, but it'd be nice to have a little more pep on the highway.