I havent heard much, but how are the 5.71 gears for an 8" toyota? havent heard alot on them just curious?

 

There is alot of controvery over that gear. Some say they are weak, others say they are no different. I tend to agree with the latter.

Many people, including me, consider ZUK to be one of the greatest sources for toyota gear info and installation. Here is what he has to say about it

http://www.gearinstalls.com/410suck.htm

 

X2 on gearinstall.com

 

I run them. I have 500(ish) miles and one decent wheeling trip on them and, thus far, I love them. I will report back when I have more miles on them, but so far, they are great.

 

The problems with the 5.71's are the pinion gets real small due to the ratio and tends to break. Some people have ran them no problem, and some say they will never run them again. Some people wont even run 5.29's for the same reason. I think thats a bit extreme though.

 

The pinion is the same size on the 5.29 and 5.71. The ring gear just has a couple more teeth.

 

Hayes how do you like the 5.71s with the auto?

 

I like them so far. I am going to try and upgrade to 35's this summer. That's as big as I want to go, so I think I should be okay.

 

If you were sticking with 33s would you go 5.29?

 

^^^^ The "myth" in question.

 

The truth. Well close - there is a slight difference in size, but they both have 7 teeth, which is what really makes a significant difference in size. I DO agree with bruzer's statement that if you are concerned about the pinion size/strength, you need to go to 4.88 so you go up to 8 teeth and a significantly larger pinion.

The fact is that the lower the ratio (higher numerically), the more critical the install becomes. With 5.71, they have to be done pretty much perfectly, where you could probably get away with a bit more if you had, say, 4.56. I would be willing to bet that the people who complain about the strength of 5.71 Toyota gears fall in one of the following categories:
- Poor install, and they would have failed regardless of ratio
- Big tires/lots of torque/hard on equipment driving - failure is not necessarily "unexpected"

 

If I were sticking with 33s I would maybe go 4.88. As of now my highway cruising is around 3000-3500. With 5.29s it would only be 2800-3300... A little high for cruising comfort.

 

I am running 36" tires with a built 22R. what would be better, 5.29s or 5.71s?

 

Great thanks for the replies

 

I agree the sound is more than I like to hear, but there is a HUGE HUGE power difference between 2750 and 3000 RPM. Best mileage and performance is had by keeping over 3000 RPM so you can be light on the throttle and not downshifting constantly. YMMV at lower altitudes.

You will be about stock with 5.71. (Assuming you're running a Super Swamper or other "true" 36")