Gear Ratios

knoxswift

Active member
I don't think you are at all correct in any of these statements, unless you're maybe starting with a 3.73 gear ratio. Just take a look at the charts I posted above... And you're ignoring weight additions, height, rolling resistance, etc...

Yes 3.73 starting point on 2nd gen 4.0.
4.30s take into account weight increases.
The 2nd gen stock transmissions is the RA60 and then after 2010 I think the RA60F.
Actually the truck should have been built stock with 4.10s but I'm sure epa/economy was a major factor.
 
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bkg

Explorer
Yes 3.73 starting point on 2nd gen 4.0.
4.30s take into account weight increases.
The 2nd gen stock transmissions is the RA60 and then after 2010 I think the RA60F.
Actually the truck should have been built stock with 4.10s but I'm sure epa/economy was a major factor.

So it should be 410’s stock but you’d not run anything lower than 4.30’s for larger tires and added weight? That’s not even a 5% lower gear.

I’m just not following the thought process, i guess.
 

knoxswift

Active member
That's why I posted the gears link.

It should have been 4.10s but Toyota chose 3.73s which a lot looking at gear forget the 6cyl vs 4cyl use different gearing. All 2nd gen v6 have 3.73 to start.

I'm just pointing out that one shouldn't jump into tall gears without other considerations and some in depth thought. Which is in agreement with you.

You don't have to agree with me I simply wanted to show successful results with lower gears. And point out to those with the DC there is a 4.30 option. I guarantee that on the 4.0 6cyl running high rpms highway will be a big hit on gas mileage.
 
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tacollie

Glamper
You guys are talking about different trucks. You have to consider the motor and tranny. The 3.4 does better with higher revs than the 4.0. The 4.0 with the manual is not a great combination IMO. 1st is high and 6th low. 4.0 with the manual will probably be great with stock gearing and a crawl box on 33s. 4.0 with the auto would be better with lower gearing. 3.4 and auto and 33s I say 4.88s. 3.4 with a manual 4.56s.
 

DaveInDenver

Middle Income Semi-Redneck
The 3.4 does better with higher revs than the 4.0. The 4.0 with the manual is not a great combination IMO. 1st is high and 6th low. 4.0 with the manual will probably be great with stock gearing and a crawl box on 33s. 4.0 with the auto would be better with lower gearing. 3.4 and auto and 33s I say 4.88s. 3.4 with a manual 4.56s.
The problem isn't the 1GR, it's the RA60 ratios are too close. It's better suited for a road car. The 1GR I think would do much better mated to a more truck geared transmission. Like the RC62 they put in the 3rd gen. Which is ironic since they bolt that on to an engine better suited for a car. Toyota can't seem to get it right.

I will also make this observation. Toyota didn't settle on 4.10 at first. Some early years had 3.90 gears with a 20R and 4 speed transmission even. The R motors definitely needed to be up in RPM and did not like to be asked to make power under 2,500 RPM. Toyota obviously was after mileage and the 3.73 I think was best for the automatic. Stick shifts on V6 trucks were an afterthought. The 4 cylinder/R155 2nd gens still got 4.10 like they were supposed to.
 

bkg

Explorer
You guys are talking about different trucks. You have to consider the motor and tranny. The 3.4 does better with higher revs than the 4.0. The 4.0 with the manual is not a great combination IMO. 1st is high and 6th low. 4.0 with the manual will probably be great with stock gearing and a crawl box on 33s. 4.0 with the auto would be better with lower gearing. 3.4 and auto and 33s I say 4.88s. 3.4 with a manual 4.56s.

In part we are talking different trucks. I’m still scratching my head on the no lower than 4.30’s comment.
 

knoxswift

Active member
You guys are talking about different trucks. You have to consider the motor and tranny. The 3.4 does better with higher revs than the 4.0. The 4.0 with the manual is not a great combination IMO. 1st is high and 6th low. 4.0 with the manual will probably be great with stock gearing and a crawl box on 33s. 4.0 with the auto would be better with lower gearing. 3.4 and auto and 33s I say 4.88s. 3.4 with a manual 4.56s.

Yes, there were some people posting about the 4.0, I wanted to be sure that other posters out there know there are other options than really tall gears. This is because both on this site and TW there are always post about why bad gas mileage with xxx gear setup...
 

knoxswift

Active member
The problem isn't the 1GR, it's the RA60 ratios are too close. It's better suited for a road car. The 1GR I think would do much better mated to a more truck geared transmission. Like the RC62 they put in the 3rd gen. Which is ironic since they bolt that on to an engine better suited for a car. Toyota can't seem to get it right.

I will also make this observation. Toyota didn't settle on 4.10 at first. Some early years had 3.90 gears with a 20R and 4 speed transmission even. The R motors definitely needed to be up in RPM and did not like to be asked to make power under 2,500 RPM. Toyota obviously was after mileage and the 3.73 I think was best for the automatic. Stick shifts on V6 trucks were an afterthought. The 4 cylinder/R155 2nd gens still got 4.10 like they were supposed to.

I agree with this.
 

knoxswift

Active member
Yes, there were some people posting about the 4.0, I wanted to be sure that other posters out there know there are other options than really tall gears. This is because both on this site and TW there are always post about why bad gas mileage with xxx gear setup...

Comment is based on Gas Mileage and what there is to work with in the 4.0 2nd Gen.
 

TernOverland

Active member
Nomenclature in this thread seems to be sideways too.

Tall gears, AKA high gears = low numerical gearing. Ex: 3.73:1 is taller / higher than 4.56:1
Short gears, AKA low gears = high numerical gearing. Ex: 4.56:1 is shorter / lower than 3.73:1

I agree with everything Dave said. With my manual (Gen II) Tacoma), I have found that 4:56 is the best option. To operate well with bigger tires, more weight, and higher profile, you need to operate higher on the power curve, because the truck requires it. It is not enough to simply match or approximate stock gearing. As it is, I have to shift to 5th on any moderate grade. 6th gear will not sustain 65-70 highway speed, except on mostly flat ground. If I had higher gears, I would virtually never use 6th gear unless I was going down hill. You can get gearing that drops your RPM to 2000, but if 2000 won't move the truck, then you end up down a gear and you have gained nothing. Choosing higher gears also takes a bite out of the truck's crawl ability, which isn't great to begin with. 4.30:1 would be a better choice for 235/85-16, which I ran for a long time. It is both a shorter and lighter tire. All of the modifications that we make to these trucks to make them more capable, also impact fuel economy. There is really no way around it.
 
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bkg

Explorer
Comment is based on Gas Mileage and what there is to work with in the 4.0 2nd Gen.

And this is where we part ways... there's more to mileage than gear ratio. People adding 1k+ pounds to the truck, rolling resistance, height, etc... making a blanket statement that gearing is the impact on mileage is... well... not correct.
 

Clutch

<---Pass
Seems like an awful lot of fuss for minuscule off-pavement performance.

You can put a truck with 31's anywhere one with 33's can go...

Remember doing a somewhat gnarly trail, where I had to climb over a VW beetle sized boulder in my bone stock Tacoma, while a guy in a lifted Chevy Blazer sitting on 37's made fun of me. Shut him up real quick...
 

bkg

Explorer
Seems like an awful lot of fuss for minuscule off-pavement performance.

You can put a truck with 31's anywhere one with 33's can go...

Remember doing a somewhat gnarly trail, where I had to climb over a VW beetle sized boulder in my bone stock Tacoma, while a guy in a lifted Chevy Blazer sitting on 37's made fun of me. Shut him up real quick...

this isn't your Deep Thoughts thread. :p
 

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