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?

 

My recommendation...

 

Thanks scuba. Is anyone out there running 31" tires with a 3.73 rear diff on a 3rd Gen 4Runner (V6 Auto)? How does it do performance and maintenance wise?

 

I'd say 4.10's minimum. But I know how you feel. My dads 99 2wd 2.7 5Speed has 3.73's (we think)and it was a turd with 31's. Hell it's a turd with the stock size tires.

 

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?

 

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.

 

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...