gear selection
- Thread starter jjamesyj
- Start date
tanglefoot
ExPoseur
Are your new tires 285/75R16? That's close to the height of a 33" tire (actually a little taller than most 33s). Does the 4runner have the 3.4L? If so, some 4.56 gears would maintain a similar ratio as the 265/75R16s and 4.10s. If you wanted to do a bigger step, or if you have the 2.7L, some 4.88s might work well.
JasonRedwood
Explorer
Some limited automatic 3rd gens came with 4.30's. Not sure if any came with 4.56s
4.56 will bring you above stock= feels like more power than you had stock. You can also purchase 4.56 gear sets from several gear manufacturers. 4.88's will be nice offroad, but unlikely to be worth the extra RPMs for most onroad driving, IMO. However, that is TOTALLY driver dependent. Also, you will definitely like the deeper gears towing, so you'll have to weigh the benefits of the extra gearing when you are towing vs not based on how often you tow.
I will point out that you likely had 265/70 R16 stock, not 75's, but I could be wrong. Every third gen I've ever seen (lots) with 16" wheels from the factory had 265/70R16's as the factory size. Check your door sticker. Certainly yours could be different. It would just surprise me.
I went to 4.30's in my 99 to bring me back to stockish feel. I ran 265/75's for a year or two with 4.10's, so the 4.30's with the 285/75's was actually slightly better than with the 265/75's, until I added bumpers. 4.30's are just a tad under the stock ratio of 4.10's with 265/70's, but I also have a supercharger, so to me, the extra RPMs of the 4.56 gears was not worth it, as I have plenty of power. That, and I was able to swap diffs in very quickly without any set up time as I picked up a set from an auto equipped 4Runner.
Without the SC, I would probably go with the 4.56's, especially if you plan to add bumpers and other constant weight to the vehicle (sliders, drawers, fridge, roof rack, etc....)
Cheers!
I will point out that you likely had 265/70 R16 stock, not 75's, but I could be wrong. Every third gen I've ever seen (lots) with 16" wheels from the factory had 265/70R16's as the factory size. Check your door sticker. Certainly yours could be different. It would just surprise me.
I went to 4.30's in my 99 to bring me back to stockish feel. I ran 265/75's for a year or two with 4.10's, so the 4.30's with the 285/75's was actually slightly better than with the 265/75's, until I added bumpers. 4.30's are just a tad under the stock ratio of 4.10's with 265/70's, but I also have a supercharger, so to me, the extra RPMs of the 4.56 gears was not worth it, as I have plenty of power. That, and I was able to swap diffs in very quickly without any set up time as I picked up a set from an auto equipped 4Runner.
Without the SC, I would probably go with the 4.56's, especially if you plan to add bumpers and other constant weight to the vehicle (sliders, drawers, fridge, roof rack, etc....)
Cheers!
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Perhaps some of the 4cyl runners? Not sure. I was kinda under the impression that they stopped putting 4.56 or 4.88's into 4Runners after the model change in 96. But I have nothing other than a foggy memory of something someone said one time to base that on.
It had more to do with the transmission. My 99 with a 5 speed and elocker had 4.10's. Most auto's had 4.30's elocked or not. Again, not a hard and fast rule, just the most common.
austintaco
Explorer
IIRC, and this is based off my Tacoma knowledge, you'll always be slightly over geared or undergeared when you step up in tire size and then try to match the gearing. However, you are probably going to be adding some weight to your rig with bumpers, racks, winches, camping gear, family members, etc... so I would go with being slightly over geared when unloaded. In your case, I think 4.56's would be perfect.
bronconite
Observer
According to this http://4lo.com/calc/geartable.php you would need 4.27s