Would you?

[Sloan]

I am not happy with my FJ40, it currently has 4.88s and 35s, ARBs front and rear and is a dog on the freeway. My question is would you a) re-gear the truck to 4.56s and that should do the trick with 35s b) get new tires and run 37s which I fear will only start a new series of issues or c) re-gear the truck to 4.11s and run 33s to make it even more drivable? I also considered selling my 40 and starting over with a stocker.

The re-gear is going to cost $1700 FWIW.

Or do you have any other thoughts?

 

[IronSmiles]

I am not happy with my FJ40, it currently has 4.88s and 35s, ARBs front and rear and is a dog on the freeway. My question is would you a) re-gear the truck to 4.56s and that should do the trick with 35s b) get new tires and run 37s which I fear will only start a new series of issues or c) re-gear the truck to 4.11s and run 33s to make it even more drivable? I also considered selling my 40 and starting over with a stocker.

The re-gear is going to cost $1700 FWIW.

Or do you have any other thoughts?

I guess the real question is how often do you actually trail it? Lockers front and rear like you have and 33"s I really dont think theres anywhere you couldnt go that 35"s could. And the cost is pretty steep, but if your's is like mine where your trail rig is also your DD, maybe the savings in gas mileage will help out in the long run?

 

[Sloan]

I am pretty done with rock crawling and we have a 16 month old daughter so realistically it will be awhile before there is anything more than dirt tracks and camping. The 40 isn't my daily driver but I do have to drive it to wherever I am wheeling it.

 

[7wt]

My vote is the 33's. Cheaper and more practical all the way around.

 

[Schattenjager]

:iagree:

Ditto to 7wt's wise words.

I just moved to 33's and while there is a bit of a lag going up I-70 from Denver to the mountains, that is the only place I notice the need to stick it in 4th and leave it for a while.

 

[Jacket]

That's a tough call. If you were starting at or near stock, I'd definitely think the 33's/4.11 combo would be great (that's my general plan for my 40). But going from where you are now to 33's could leave you disappointed the next time you're on the trail, as is often the case when people downsize. But 33's would definitely improve your off-trail performance. 37's would pretty much make it a trail truck/occasional pavement pounder.

I don't think selling it and starting over is a bad thought (35's and lockers would generate much interest), although it would mean getting to know a new 40 and all its idiosyncrasies.

 

[ntsqd]

It's a dog how? Revs too high to drive far at freeway speeds, or is slow to accelerate? What engine? What trans?

Generally my thinking is to find the most efficient engine speed (which happens to be the RPM of it's torque peak), choose the tire size, and then gear it to operate at that engine speed or a little under it while driving at the highway speed desired.

 

[Sloan]

It's a dog how? Revs too high to drive far at freeway speeds, or is slow to accelerate? What engine? What trans?

Generally my thinking is to find the most efficient engine speed (which happens to be the RPM of it's torque peak), choose the tire size, and then gear it to operate at that engine speed or a little under it while driving at the highway speed desired.

Sorry, it has the 2F and stock drivetrain. My main issue is that to travel at 55-60 I have to run it a higher rpm that I feel is good for any long period of time.

 

[ntsqd]

As a rough guess then I'd be looking at taller axle gears combined with more or lower low range options if you need to keep the stupid low that low.

What vehicle speed makes the engine happy, and what RPM is that?

 

[IH8RDS]

If you really like the ARB's, I would regear for 33" tires. Or trade your axles with someone who has what you want. Just dont let them know you want them :bike_rider:

 

[Mike S]

Myself, I would go back to stock 4:11 gearing and 31" or 33" tires.

I put about 150,000 miles on my old FJ40 with stock gears, wheels and tire sizes. Never got stuck or wished for something diiferent.

Best thing you could do for your truck and your self is an H55F tranny. I had one in my FJ60 and it made it much better on the road, plus it had a lower first gear. I would upgrade to a later style split Tcase if you don't have one now.

M

 

[Jonathan Hanson]

I have 4.11s and 33s (255/85/16), and I can drive at 65 with the rpms below the 3,000 mark that most agree is the upper end for long-distance F engine health. Plus it's easier on the steering, the brakes, and everything else too.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

The best option IMO, the H55F, it has dramatically improved the streetability of my FJ40. However its going to be the most expensive option too, ~$2000-3000 depending on your particular setup and the amount of labor you can do.

A regear shouldn't cost $1700, parts are more like $600-800 and your existing 4.88's have some retained value... Sell them as complete units and buy new complete 4.56 or 4.11 3rds if thats your preference. If you can pull the 3rds yourself, the cost should only be ~$1k including parts, mabey ~$1500 if your paying someone to do ALL of the labor, but again your 4.88's already setup have some value to someone.

 

[Sloan]

Selling the complete 3rds would be much easier but I'd like to keep my ARBs.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Selling the complete 3rds would be much easier but I'd like to keep my ARBs.

They made more than two of them

Say you could get $1500 for your built 3rds w/ARB's... you can buy two new drop in 3rds for ~$2750, net difference of just $1250, assuming you can do the 3rd member R&R yourself. Best deal is to just regear your current 3rds. Again, assuming you can do the R&R, it should only be ~$1000 for the regear. However, I'd rather pony up the extra $250 and have brand new lockers (the latest generation ARB's have some nice upgrades). That is of course assuming you can get $750/3rd out of your setup. I've sold used ARB 3rds for that in the past pretty quickly, in fact for a bit more if I know the history on the parts.