Ordered my gears a while back and was shooting for 5.29's but after talking to the dealer he suggested that the 4.88's were stronger and since Im only running 33's I would be happier. 4.88's with 33's put my truck back to factory gear ratio but, they arent allowing for the excess weight of the 33's from factory size tires and wheels.
Im dismayed.... I wish I would have went with my gut feelings and ordered the 5.29's. I live in a very hilly location and Im finding myself short on power driving down city streets. Just the hill leading to my home challenges my truck every day and I cant take a run at it due to a turn at the bottom of the hill. 3rd gear has to be taken only after rapping the motor up to 3k rpm in second gear and I dont like doing that in a residential neighborhood. After Im in third gear I can mash it to the floor and the hill is steep enough that I dont gain speed.
I told the gentleman on the phone that I pulled a small trailer (4wheeler) regularly and I live in a hilly location plus, I have a different vehicle for highway use but he insisted that 4.88's would be perfect. Anyhow, if your planning gears and live in a geological area like mine, dont make my mistake, get the 5.29's. 4.88's are acceptable if you spend your time on highways and dont have +10* hills to negotiate all day long. Just my opinion.

 

You can throw all the gearing you want at these trucks, but the real limiting factor is the engine. At the elevations in Wyoming, the truck just doesn't have the power to race up and down hills.

I was in the same boat. I thought having lower gearing, a built 22re, fiberglass bed, and gearing would solve my power issues at high elevation. NOPE. Truck just looses too much power in the thin air.

Just take your time and enjoy the scenery...patience is the be best mod for you.

 

There are literally hundreds of threads on here debating the best gear ratios for whatever size tire. The most common is debating the correct ratio for 33" tires. A majority say 4.88s are the best, others say 5.29s, and some say 4.56 are best.

It's a never ending debate...

 

Well, 4.88 should be plenty for a 33 inch tire.

It's the elevation that robs the power, not the tire or gearing.

This is lost on many who do not experience the elevation change. Totally different ball game...

 

Snobdds is right on the elevation. I had 33's and 5:29's going over lookout and Fourth of July passes heading to Montana with a small trailer behind me. Leaving seattle Snoqualime pass was a piece of cake at 3200 ft but look out and Fourth of July I thought I had dropped a cylinder with how dramatic the power difference was. Just run what she will let you and enjoy the scenery.

 

uummmm... Hogwash
My father has an 87 pickup with a new motor and everything is factory including exhaust carb and 4.10. he is running 265's and goes up redgrade hill pulling a small trailer at an easy 45 in 4th gear (my father never pushes his equipment and doesnt care if he slows other drivers down)

My truck has a new motor, LCE pro head, Pro torquer cam, dual port intake, 32/36 carb, LCE headers with 2.25" free flow exhaust, 35lb flywheel. 4.88 gears and 33x10.50 BFG's. (just to name a few performance upgrades)
I just went up redgrade a few minutes ago and the best I could do was 45 and I was pinned to the floor in 4th without any trailers.

4.88's might bring you back to factory gear ratio but it doesnt account for extra tire weight and extra wind resistance and whatever increase in resistance larger wider tires add. It brings the spedo back to correct.
Im considering putting my 31" hancooks back on. I was able to get 45mph on the same hill with 4.10"s and pinned.
Im not a speed demon, quite the opposite actually but, I dont like having to go up a 10* 3 mile long hill at 45 when the speed limit is 65. Plus, after that 3 miles of grade, the grade changes to closer to 30-35* on gravel and I cant even keep the 25mph speed limit there.

Wish I would have gotten the 5.29's

 

I can't imagine pulling a super steep hill at 45 in 4th gear with this motor. Mine is pretty young, and built, and I would probably be in 2nd on that hill. Climbing steep hills at 3k rpm (at elevation) just isn't happening with a 22re. Why aren't you revving it out? These motors can take it.

I've been climbing the i70 passes in Colorado for years with 22re's and 4.5k rpm in 3rd is the way to go. 5k in second if I have to. At that point it's making power and wants to rev higher but I'm scared to go over 5k, haha.

That said, my truck is most certainly not quiet while climbing like that. If that's your worry I'm not sure what to tell you... Nature of the beast with open exhaust

 

Holy cr@p! Really?
That must be my problem then? My motor hasn't seen 3500rpm yet, close but not.
My buddy is hard on his truck ( high revs) and took the #4 rod bearing out of his truck about a month ago. We put my old motor in his truck and now he rolled the truck over on the same hill less then a week ago so dont know how it would have held up?
What is everyone else running for rpm's?

 

If I need the power I will run 4k rpm's. but I don't seem to develop any power past that. In just know just because it will take it doesn't mean it's good for it all the time. A hill here and there fine. But driving it like its a sports car all the time is probably not the best for it. How many miles on your motor again. Make sure if its new to do the full break in period on it

 

1031 miles since rebuild. Yeah, its been fairly easy miles so far and even when I have gotten to 3500 rpm my clutch foot was going down. It hasn't been sustained at that rpm.

 

OK buddy.

Lug that thing around in 4th gear, if it makes you happy.

 

I will but, my point..... 4.88's dont bring it back to factory power/ratio. If my 69 year old father can lug up a hill pulling a trailer in 4th and I cant, The gear ratio is not low enough to be considered factory ratio.

 

I've always been under the impression that lugging the motor is bad for it. It makes sense if you think about it. The motor is putting a lot of force into components that aren't moving. That has to accelerate wear. Plus at lower rpms you are getting less oil flow.

I'm currently on my 4th truck with a 22RE, and never had to replace a motor. (A prettier truck comes along eventually and I'm a sucker for it, haha.) I70 pass climbing is often 20 mins at a time of 4k rpms and higher. Engine is smooth, doesn't overheat, and is very responsive at that rpm, which tells me it's happy. FYI I snowboard like crazy and go to Moab a few times a year so I'm climbing eisenhower and vail passes maybe 50 times each a year.

My current truck has a comp cams 252s which adds a little HP at every RPM, but my other trucks were stock cams, and all were happy to rev up to 5k.

FWIW I have a few friends out here with 22REs and we all drive them like this. Fuel cut is at 6200 rpm. My opinion - if toyota didn't want you driving them that high that cut would be lower, and the red line on the tach would be lower. I don't know of any failures completely related to high rpm, but I'd be curious to know!

If course, this is just all my experience with the 22RE. YMMV

 

Also, I'm not advocating driving high RPM all the time. This is for hill climbing duty only. Around town I'm rarely past 3k before I shift. Unless I want that magnaflow to scream at someone, haha

 

So what rpm is considered "lugging"
In 4th at 45 im running about 2200rpm.
I was under the understanding that 1500 rpm or less was lugging. Shifting to 3rd would put my Rpm's to 3200. Im ok with that but... for 3 miles?

 

Lugging isn't tied to a specific rpm, but rather when your engine won't accelerate no matter how hard you step on the gas.

I don't know if I'm in the minority here but I'm doing 4k climbs for 10-15 miles. And at 10k feet or higher. That's 65-70 in third gear. Sounds kinda crazy when I type that out... but like I said, been driving hard like that for 10 years and never had problems. Just keep up in the maintenance!

I think 3 miles at 3200 rpm won't hurt a thing.

 

I also am not afraid to run the engine at 4-4500 rpm all day long. If the motor is strong, it will handle it.

I don't get why your so concerned about making it up a hill in 4th gear. You do realize that is a direct drive gear (1:1), right? It is absurd to think a truck with any gearing will pull a hill in 4th gear maintaining 65. That is just plain physics and opinion does not trump it. Your lugging the motor in 4th trying to pull a hill. Third gear is your friend...I would make friends back...

 

Back to my point!
If I cant run a hill at 45 pulling a trailer and a factory truck can, My gear ratio is not "putting me back to factory power ratio" like I was trying to do when I purchased the gears. I spent a few nickles over two grand trying to get my factory power ratio back and was advised that 4.88's were what I wanted. Thats wrong!
All Im saying is that if someone out there is making a decision on gear ratio's for their truck, "dont make my mistake". Now, I'll be putting nickles together to put 5.29's in my truck because Im not happy with the 4.88's.
Its not about rapping my truck out, its not about my driving techniques, its not about my 69 year old father having more power.... Its about "me" wanting my truck back to factory power ratio (or better) so I can ....pull trailers up grades, have better power for mountain rock crawling, having slower speeds and better power when bouncing over rocks and ruts. Its about me wanting to reduce strain on my motor when pulling trailers and carrying camping gear. I could care less about speed, Im only using that as a comparison to show that 4.88's arent low enough to get factory power curve back. Forget the fact that I cant go faster than 45, the fact is, a factory truck can and.... it can do pulling a trailer (without rapping and specialized driving techniques). My dear old father cant ford the cricks and mud holes that I can either but Im not talking about that, Im talking about 4.88's putting me back to factory power curve, huh? It does not!

 

These little engines really can use all the help you can give them . if i could do it over 529's would go in . the extra weight of the larger tires is a very good point . heck ive got 31's when i pull 2 bikes on a small trailer it sucks . went up the in the mountains yesterday actually went into first at a hairpin no trailer !

 

Its not about speed, like I said in my first post, I have a 2014 tacoma that cant take the hill at +90 (on a bad day).
Its not about speed, its about comparison!