Contemplating a re-gear...

[oly884]

It's been a while since I've really done much work with the truck, so I'm posting this in hopes someone can tell me if I'm thinking about this right.

Since I just have the stock engine, 33" tall tires, and a 700-800 lb camper on it most of the time, I'm seeing that to get rolling forward, I'm having to let the clutch slip obviously more than normal.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but if I were to re-gear, or throw on a supercharger, I'd see an improvement in lower end power and as a result, not have to ride the clutch near as much to get going, right?

Obviously the supercharger is out of the question given the price of gas, so that has me now looking at re-gearing the truck with some 4.88's. Anyone see anything wrong with this logic?

[Seanz0rz]

im in the same position. i have 4.10's and its great for cruising on the interstate, but nothing else.

my delima is between 4.88 and 4.56

4.56 will take me back to stock.

4.88 will be lower than stock.

im not sure what i want. and this indecision is pretty much the sole reason i havent done a swap yet.

otherwise, your reasoning is sound.

why are you choosing 4.88 over 4.56?

[YotaFun]

4.56 isn't the biggest jump imho.
I have 4.30 and the ride is great, yet I am not hauling the the same amount of weight you two are.

I personally will be going to 4.88 next.
I consider that would be more then enough for what I do and what I will haul.

Also think about it this way
The expedition west Double Cab was running 5.29 with a N/A motor and hauling all that stuff, figure you have a little less then what they did, you should be good with 4.88.

[Robinhood4x4]

I can't say anything about slipping the clutch as I've only had autos off road, but I can say I could feel the difference in the torque at idle. I had to hit the brakes a little harder to keep the truck from moving.

And if I remember right, back in the 4x4wire days, I think schaefer proclaimed that after he swapped gears he saw no reason to do dual transfer cases. Of course, that was a looong time ago when we were all just getting into off roading.

[oly884]

Right on, glad to hear that's about what everyone is thinking.

I'll probably end up pulling the diffs myself and use my other DD to get around while they work on them. Figure it's worth it for the install.

Now the question is, whether I should get the ARB/detriot/etc. There have been a few times where it would have been nice, but to be honest, there's not much in WA that suits my needs. Most fire roads are closed, and any off road area is a bit much for the truck. While it's apart, it's the best time, but even for just the cost of the ARB/etc it'd be hard to justify.

[oly884]

im in the same position. i have 4.10's and its great for cruising on the interstate, but nothing else.

my delima is between 4.88 and 4.56

4.56 will take me back to stock.

4.88 will be lower than stock.

im not sure what i want. and this indecision is pretty much the sole reason i havent done a swap yet.

otherwise, your reasoning is sound.

why are you choosing 4.88 over 4.56?

I'm going with 4.88's because I just don't need the top end anymore. It's nice, but with the wind resistance from the camper, doing 80 through Montana just doesn't make sense with the struggle for the engine, and the loss in mileage.

On top of that, the gain in low end, as well as my truck having even lower gearing in 4-low, would benefit me far more.

Plus, my clutch. For the weight, size of my tires, and power of the engine, it is harder than normal on it to get going, as I stated, I have to slip the clutch far more than when the camper is off since i just don't have the power to get it going. I'm at least hoping that a re-gear will help somewhat with starting from dead stops, as well as just making it easier to accelerate.

[Crinale]

4.88's should definitely help you with your low end and accel issues. Should also still be good for cruising once in 5th gear.

If you want a locker for a low price while you have the diffs apart, i highly recommend the Aussie locker, minimally invasive, and awesome when off road

[oly884]

I've thought about one of those lockers. How do you like it on the road? Any experience with it in the snow? My only hesitation is that I really don't go off road all that much anymore (sadly) and even when I do, I've not really needed a locker too bad. If the on-road characteristics are really good, then I'd consider it for the price.

[oly884]

Ok, so I just got quoted between $1,700 and $1,900 for getting Yukon 4.88's + $466 if I wanted to get a Truetrac thrown in.

So on the order of $2500 for the whole package or so.

Does this seem like a good price?

FWIW, it was Randy's Ring and Pinion

Edit: They also said I'd save $300 if I pulled both diffs and brought them in. So in the big picture, insignificant savings.

[MTL_4runner]

Randy's is about the best place around to get gears done (not cheap but they do a good job).

You can also try these guys: www.justdifferentials.com