in the 4runner (see sig) I've been getting horrible gas mileage, and now i think i have the cash so 4.56 gears or 4.88s?? i mostly drive street (90% street, 10% off road) and I'm looking to bring power and mpg up. i don't tow and i know this has been beat to death sorry

 

Whats your mpg? With 33's its not worth re-gearing IMO.

You may look elsewhere for your MPG loss!

 

i'm gettin like 12 14 when i stay outta it but there are so many hills around here i want it, i could pull about 16 before, but now it chugs gas even tryin to stay off it

 

Well, if you're set on staying with 33's, I think the 4.56 are the best. However if you're doing a lot of hills, you may want to drop down to 4.88's then.

Yes, everyone has their opinion on this...

It just is personal preference...

 

well poo haha whats the best way to determine which to get?? and if i get 4.88's will speedo be off?? if i get 4.56 is it accurate?

 

For the money you'll spend on regearing, it will take a long time to make it up in fuel mileage savings. If you're only getting 12-14, you need to look elseware. Are you a leadfoot? How many PSI are you running in your tires? Is your engine running well? When was the last time you replaced your spark plugs/wires?

My 97 with 285's (granted it's a 5 speed) gets 21 on a really hilly highway and 24 on nice flat land. Even in stop and go traffic it gets 17-18.

 

Is your tranny having to downshift alot? 4.56's may be just enough to keep your tranny from having to downshift as much on the hills and would save you some mileage, I live in Colorado and have a standard but I still have to downshift between 5th and 4th alot driving in the mountains and it kills my mileage. I'm going to be bumping up to 33's and i'll be doing 4.88's very soon after.

 

tires stay at 32.5psi checked often, plugs and wires were maybe like 10k ago? like a year maybe? and running well ya i think so, and most of the time to get it to go needs more gas than before....ya the auto makes it a little harder idk....o and most of my driving is city too, i live in a small town not a big place so thats part too but i want my 16mpg back....

 

You want your 16 back? What did you change on your truck since it was last getting 16?

 

265s to 285s

 

Well I think the fix is obvious.....


I'd have a set of 265/70s for around town, and a set of 33s for offroad. It only takes like 5 minutes to change em out.

 

well if i could afford another set of tires.....

 

You may want to run a can of sea foam in the gas tank and through the PCV valve. Clean your air filter, clean the TB, etc. Then change your spark plugs. Up your tires to 35-40 psi. I ran my tires at 50psi for a year or two without problems since I was driving 500 miles a week.

Also, Im getting better MPG than you with 35's. You should try changing/cleaning some easy parts in the engine.

 

A used set of 265s with wheels is not that pricey... far cheaper than regearing. And with the money you save in gas, it wouldn't be too many weeks before they paid for themselves. This is the route I plan to take.