I'll do a search for this later but wanted to ask, how much does gearing affect acceleration?

I only ask becausemy parents 01 4runner is kind of a slug when it comes to acceleration - v6, auto and 2wd. My 4wd 96 4runner is alot quicker to accelerate up to speed. Is that just do to the gearing that these two vehicles have? Both have had regular maintenance done to them (plugs and wires are new on both, maf/pvc valve/throttle body have been cleaned).

Just wondering, time to search.

 

Quick answer is yes. your automatic may have slightly different gearing, or more likely your differentials may have different gear ratios between the two 4runners. Tire size also affects how fast you can accelerate. The larger you go the harder it is to get them rolling.