Alright guys. Here's the sitcheation. I run 35x12.50 Baja Claw Radials on the road and around the tri-county area. They are on steel 15x10s. So they're right girthy. I'm going to regear and planning on going to 5.29s. That should be pretty close to stock with these tires.

The dilemma/question: I run mud bogs quite often and run 34x9.50 TSLs on 15x7 aluminum wheels. These are LIGHT. About half as much as a claw on a steel 15x10. 5.29s I know will be way lower than stock when considering the light weight of these. Right now in mud bogs I start in 2nd gear in low range. If it's a really fast pit, I can shift up to 3rd. (I'm not trying to start a discussion about whether I should shift or not. I only do it when the pit really opens up, and it IS faster.) If I were to get 5.29s I could definitely start in 3rd, and maybe shift to 4th. Is there anything wrong with using these higher gears? Are they weaker than 1st and 2nd? I don't want to gear too low to be able to use a high enough gear to get some wheel speed in mud bogs. If there is a problem with using the higher gears in the pit, should I go with 4.88s for a better balance between the road and mud and mud bogs with my lighter tires?

 

I am not an expert at mud bogs but I would say that 4th gear is the strongest gear in the tran. Torque is transmitted straight through the main shaft 1:1 so you are not loading up the driven shaft bearings in the trans. You will destroy 5th though as it has the most leverage on it in the trans.

 

I'd say if you were running down a fire road at high speeds for a while it might be an issue but for a short run get some. Depending on your power you might even be able to swing 1st gear high range grab second for a little more tire speed.

 

I like the feedback I'm getting so far. I think with 5.29s I'd probably be using 3rd and 4th in low range or 1st and 2nd in high. The only thing about using high range is if I start bogging down for whatever reason I don't have as many downshift choices. In low range I always have a gear to shift down to.

But yeah I never ever go over maybe 30 in 4 wheel drive. The lockright in the front could get a little freaky at high speeds. I do have my fun though going fast in 2 wheel drive. Locked rears make corners so much more fun.

 

ahh a fellow mud dragger.. we use 35x10.50 boggers to race with. with 5:29's we still start out in second. but usually end up in 4th gear by the end of the track(pending how thick/deep it is). never had any trouble with hurting the gears while racing. we have a tendency to break the shifting forks from shifting to hard(we get excited lol). i personally like racing with the 4:10's, start in 1st then snag second. i have one many trophies with that setup.

where you located?

 

Eastern Virginia. I do pretty well with the 4.10s. Especially in digging pits. But in speed pits where most everyone gets through I can't hang with all the V8 guys. I mean at the local level it's actually pretty close. But I want more torque to wind up through the gears faster so I can shift and be faster. the 4.10s are alright, it's just that I'm pretty much stuck in 2nd except for the really fast pits. And even then I may have to slam it back down in 2nd if I come up on a hill. I won my first trophy (1st place 4 and 6 Cylinder class) last saturday with my current setup. But I want more power. I'm hoping my R151 will hold up. I've mastered shifting fast, but not so fast that the tranny hates me.

 

I'm pretty sure that the R151 tranny is stronger than the W56 tranny. I don't know squat about racin' mud pits, but I was always told that wheel speed was your friend!!

 

Nobody else? The more positive feedback I get the better I'll feel about ordering 5.29s. I'm hoping to order them tonight. Anybody else use the upper gears in low range?

 

i wouldn't run fifth. it is too high and not the strongest gear in the box. Toyota doesn't recommend towing in fifth because of the high load, so I feel that it would transfer over to mud resistance as well. if i am accelerating hard out of low range i hit 4th gear low and then pull both sticks down with one hand into 2 gear high range which is just about right for a good power shift.

 

ahh they stuff you with the 6cyl's too

theres nothing like blowing the doors off a v6 rig with a lil oll 22re. heck in the powder puff clas they stick everybody together, v8 v6 4cyl. my lady has still come out with a few powder puff trophies the last prize i got was a screwdriver set and a 2nd place plaq that had a bogger lug attached to it (the event owner's leftovers from grooving his tires)..

go here http://www.coosbayspeedway.us/ and look for mud drag videos. theres some footage of are 4cyl class.

ohh and about your tranny, like i said before, i am hard as can be on my rig and i have broke like 3 trannys. shifting forks and the reverse gear is all you need to worry about

 

5.29's! You will be able to go through the gears alot easier. You would be surprized what gearing will do to your little yota

 

he knows that jay

hes worried about the strength of the higher gears(4th,5th) in the tranny

 

aww I fail.