So I'm looking at a 98 4runner. It has a 3" lift on it, along with 31 or 32 inch tires. It is a manual so it has the 4.10 gearing (right?). The elocker came on a 4.3 geared and 4.1 geared runners, so if I were to put one in, would it be better to keep it 4.10 geared, or work to put in 4.30 gears? I want to use it as a daily driver with minor offroading for fun. Nothing too serious.

I figure the 4.30 gears will make the speedo closer to normal but I'll loose some on the fuel economy, right?

 

Does the 4runner have the 8" or 8.4" rearend?

 

if youre not wanting to go bigger than the 32's that are on there already...the 4.30's will be fine and will get you back to your stock power band. anything lower (4.56, 4.88, 5.29) running on anything smaller than 32's will probably be a bit overgeared. great for power and torque, but not so much on highway cruisability. unless you like buzzing at 3000rpm in 5th gear on the highway. mileage shouldnt be too much of a loss, could even be better in certain driving situations.

you didnt mention what motor you had in it?

 

3rd gen runners have the regular 8" V6/turbo rear

 

Then that should be fairly easy... just have to mod the housing or find a junk yard elocker housing..


If you decide to keep 4.10's it will be easier, and maybe cheaper to go ARB

 

So go with the 4.30 gears then? How much work is it to change the front diff?

 

Oh and yes, it is a v6 3.4 liter. I don't know the size of the rear end, and I'm guessing it is 4.10 since I hear all the manuals got that.

 

If you want to swap for OEM parts you will need to get the complete rear axle and complete front diff from a junk yard.... it will probally not be a big enough difference for the cost....

If it were mine and I was keeping 31's, maybe 32's I would stay with 4.10's and get an ARB.. easier and probably cheaper.... 4.1 to 4.3 will be barely noticible.. at 80 mph its only 150rpms, 120 at 65.... and at 3K in 1st (where you would see the biggest difference) its only 1 mph...

 

Wow, that does put a good perspective on things. Thanks. The arb locker will require modification to the housings for the differentials, right?

Also, just for info sake, the 4.10 elocker equipped rear diff will use the same axles a 4.10 non elocker equipped rear diff uses right? The only difference is abs vs non abs?

 

The ARB will require no mods to the housing. The installer will drill a hole in the 3rd for the airline.

The elocker and non elocker use the same size R&P in the 4runner, but the housing is different. It would require some modding to the housing to use your OEM housing, which is why it would be easiest to get an junkyard elocker axle.

 

getting an arb w/o regearing is the cheapest route. generally...people regear once they've got the carrier apart, since its already out in the open. unless of course..youre happy with the 410's.

it just so happens that i've got my stock 4.30 diffs from when i regeared & went front arb up for grabs. 4.30 front diff & rear 4.30 elocked diff + wiring harness. im hoping to keep em as a set...so if you want a slightly lower (but perfect for 31/32" tires) gearing AND rear locker..this is the setup. lemme know if youre interested...im still wanting to sell em as a pair rather than separate.

 

Hmm, I may take you up on that. I need to actually get a hold of the 4runner first and see if it is partially wired for the elocker and all that. I'll definately be thinking about the arb locker as well.

I'm having a mechanic look over the 4runner tomarrow, and hopefully then I should know pretty much whether I'll be buying it or not.

 

Sorry to hi-jack, but are you going to have to worry about shimming if the same RP combo is left in? I only ask cuz I might be getting an 85 runner with F/R lockers, and I'd prefer an LSD and I want to do the job myself.

 

Why would you prefer a LSD over a locker?

 

Sorry, I'm not sure what you mean by RP combo. What do you mean by that? Rack and Pinion?

Your in Sac, eh Kevin? Same here.

 

Ring and Pinon, two parts that make up a diff gearset.

 

Well, to be honest, I've never driven a locked truck on the street, and they sound harsh. I am going to be doing a bit more street than trail and when on the trail, it won't be heavy rocks, just loose traction ie: wet, dusty, steep hills, off camber. The LSD seems like it'd be much smoother on the street, and a little better on MPG (we're at $3.20 a gallon and rising...) Plus, I don't want to have to worry about snapping axles. The LSD just seems to be a lot less hardcore, but still good for what I want to do.

I call it Suckramento... But the nice thing, is we are near a lot of great places, but Sac itself doesn't seem all that great. Maybe it'll improve when I turn 21...

 

Hmm, the locker shouldn't be used on the street anyway. I have an LSD in my subaru, and it is great for snow, ice, and rain. I sappose it would be good for wheeling, but I never thought of it as a good wheeling option, just a good traction/offroad helper.

Suckramento, yeah, I kinda feel the same. I've always said it wasn't great itself, but it has great location. Just about 2 hours from almost anything you'd want to do: SF, beach/ocean, Tahoe/boarding/mountain biking, caving, Yosemite, etc.

 

My thoughts exactly.

 

To simply put it LSD's are junk offroad. I have had them in many rigs and will never run one again. They dont work when you want them to, i.e. offroad, and work when you dont what them to, i.e. snow/ice. They are unpredictible and have gotten me into more trouble than they have gotten me out of. If your buying an 85 with lockers f/r its an offroad toy, not a street rig... maybe you should look for a different truck.