3.73 Gear Trouble
#1
3.73 Gear Trouble
Hello all,
I'm new here and I need some advice. I have a '96 4runner 2WD 3.4 V6 with auto trans, which means tiny little 225 75R 15 tires. The tires don't fill the wheel wells, they look awful, and are terrible off-road (yes, i know it's only 2WD but it's only intended for light trail use - camping, getting through the snow to the cabin, a little fun...).
I would upgrade to bigger tires (30x9.5 15 or 31x10.5 15) but the rear differential ratio is only 3.73 and it's an automatic which means I'm a gear shorter than manual 5 speeds. I'm afraid that either the motor won't have enough power to get to highway speed or that the auto-trans will give out.
I've been thinking about swapping the rear axle for a 4x4 4runner axle (with 4.10,4.30, or 4.56 rear diff) to get the tires taller without losing performance.
Any recommendations that don't involve over a grand in cash?
I'm new here and I need some advice. I have a '96 4runner 2WD 3.4 V6 with auto trans, which means tiny little 225 75R 15 tires. The tires don't fill the wheel wells, they look awful, and are terrible off-road (yes, i know it's only 2WD but it's only intended for light trail use - camping, getting through the snow to the cabin, a little fun...).
I would upgrade to bigger tires (30x9.5 15 or 31x10.5 15) but the rear differential ratio is only 3.73 and it's an automatic which means I'm a gear shorter than manual 5 speeds. I'm afraid that either the motor won't have enough power to get to highway speed or that the auto-trans will give out.
I've been thinking about swapping the rear axle for a 4x4 4runner axle (with 4.10,4.30, or 4.56 rear diff) to get the tires taller without losing performance.
Any recommendations that don't involve over a grand in cash?
#2
Registered User
#4
Registered User
#5
Yeah, that's what I thought. I really didn't want to do a gear swap just to get the thing to look and run like the Limited (I have the SR5). I don't know how much it's going to cost but I would like to swap in a used 4.56 axle w/ e-locker (the whole axle so I don't have to deal with going to a gear shop). Any experience with putting a locker into a 2WD Auto?
#6
Registered User
I was in the same boat until recently...
You could get away with 235/75s, which is not that much bigger than stock but will give you a slightly bigger footprint. Otherwise, you should look around for someone who can do the regear. There might be a rear axle 4.30 lying around with a locker in it, but it could take some searching. You might be better off just using the same axle and new gears and locker... might be quicker.
You could get away with 235/75s, which is not that much bigger than stock but will give you a slightly bigger footprint. Otherwise, you should look around for someone who can do the regear. There might be a rear axle 4.30 lying around with a locker in it, but it could take some searching. You might be better off just using the same axle and new gears and locker... might be quicker.
#7
I can't find a 4.30 or a 4.56 with or without locker, at least in the greater L.A. area. The dismantler wants $1000 for a used 4.10 rear axle (w/ gears, no locker, + the original axle as a "core charge/ trade in") which is the least desirable of my options as I may want to go bigger than the stock (265 75 16s/ 31" tall tire). I pulled the trigger on some 30x9.5 15 Treadwright Puma's to suit me for now. I've read nothing but good reviews AND they are half the price of BFG A/T KO's (AND they have a 24,000 mile warranty where the BFG's have no warranty at all)!!! I'll do some power mods to make up for the taller tire and have to use the O/D and ECT/PWR a little more aggressively with the auto-trans...
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