expeditionswest

I am attempting to make the final decision on gearing for my Tacoma, and am looking for some feedback. How do the 5.29 gears in the front axle fair? The gearing results in a very small pinion, etc.

Any feedback regarding breakage would be great!

Any feedback on who makes the best quality gearset would be great!

I am also open to opinions of 4.88 vs. 5.29, though for me the greatest concern with the 5.29 is breakage.

Details on the vehicle:

2004 Tacoma Double Cab, NOT a daily driver. Only driven on trails and expeditions.

I don't drive faster than legal speeds, so RPM at 85 mph is not a concern. (no swaybars, very heavy vehicle as outfitted).

I am not an aggressive driver off-road, I stay well out of the throttle, and am happy to pull a winch cable as opposed to spinning my way through an obstacle.

ARB locker will be fitted at time of gear swap, Diff will not be lowered.

33.1" tires (255/85 R16)



If you want more details and pictures of the truck, go here http://www.expeditionswest.com/vehic...oma/index.html

Thanks so much for the help

FilthyRich

get in touch with steve s. he has an ARB w/ 5.29s for sale. i believe he ran them for awhile.

Scottiac

I'm just playing yotatech parrot here, but 5.29 seems pretty high for 33.1's. Most people reserve those for 35+ tires.

expeditionswest

5.29's are higher than typically used for 33" tires.

Let me explain the reason why I am considering the ratio in more detail.

1. The Tacoma is not a daily driver (so fuel economy, interior noise and the ability to drive at higher speeds is not a factor)
2. The Tacoma is typically driven very loaded. For most expeditions the vehicle runs with a 6-800lb payload, plus modifications (bumpers, sliders, fridge, et. all), plus the aux. fuel tank which weighs over 220 lbs when full. Add occupants and our trailer and this truck is maxed out. Lower gearing is needed to overcome the weight.
3. Slow speeds and mountain grades. Since the truck is only used on trail runs and expeditions, that gives me the luxury of driving slower, and typically in the mountains and at high elevation. All of which support the requirement for lower gearing.

2,600 RPM's at 70 doesnt seem that bad to me...

Flygtenstein

I have been running 5.29's with 33's and a 3.4 for a couple months now and was using them with a stock 3.0 before then without issue.

You have a high pinion, so it should be stronger still.

How many pinion teeth are on a 5.29 compared to 4.88? Most people read on the net that they are weaker, but that is only in extreme applications.

Get a good gear, like Precision or Yukon and break it in properly.

expeditionswest

Great feedback, thanks so much!

expeditionswest

Does highway driving in the 70-75 mph range seem unreasonable Flygtenstein? I have attempted to simulate the RPM's, etc. by shifting out of overdrive and matching the calculated engine speeds. It does not apear to be extreme (IMO).

With 5.29 in overdrive
75 MPH= 2,831 rpm

With 4.1 in third gear
75 MPH= 3,121 rpm

Flygtenstein

I have no idea. Because of the engine swap, I have no tach.

All I can tell you is that with real 33's, I can cruise comfortably at 85 and still get decent mileage, around 22 or so.

Red_Chili

Not the same vehicle, but it did start with the same gears: my son's 88 pickup rides on 33s with 5.29s, a 22RE. He finds it a little buzzy at highway speed but acceptable. Lots of passing power!

I run 5.29s with 35s and would gear no higher. I will soon be running a 5VZ-FE and would expect it to be a tad buzzy with that combo and powerband. Guess I'll just have to put 37s on it then...

Use Precision or US Gear only. Yukons are rebranded US Gear, available from Randy's Ring-n-Pinion. The ring gear bolts are not exactly like Toyota, but I would use the ones they supply because sometimes the threads are SAE (extremely close to metric and will work, but .... use the ones that match exactly and torque to their values. Sometimes the companion flange the pinion wants varies from what you may have so prefit a used one from the boneyard to be sure you have the parts you need. Toyota used several varieties and its sometimes tough for vendors to keep up with each and every one. A local Toy shop should be able to help you out.)

Love your vehicles BTW. More expedition-oriented is my cup O' tea.

expeditionswest

Thanks Bill for the feedback and the kind words on the truck

I also have a soft spot for 1st gen 4runners and 84-85 Pickups. I have had both and loved-em!

crawler#976

Scott,

I've had my best success with U.S. Gear or Prescision r/p sets. Nothin' but problems with Superior Axle

Ratio R/P Teeth
4.11 37-9
4.56 41-9
4.88 39-8
5.29 37-7
5.71 40-7

If I had the coin to do mine over, I'd go with lower axle ratios. I'd prolly go w/ 4.56's or 4.88's and run dual cases w/ deeper crawler gears to make up the difference. The pinion head is much larger on either of those to ratios than the 5.29's

So far I've trashed both front and rear 5.29's w/ a mild crawler setup (109:1). I've broken a front pinion (I thought I'd blown up a Detroit, but 2 of 7 teeth were gone), and had 3 sets of rear 5.29's fail. With Toy's, it seems like the setup is extremely critical, more so than very similar rearends (an 8" toy is almost a direct copy of a Ford 9") My first two rear thirds were setup by a reputable 4x4 shop, both failed after extended hyw trips. Mark Mason, former owner of Kong's in Phx, set up my third third, it went almost 30,000 miles before the Hammer's took care of it. Currently, I have another V6 housing and spool from West Coast Diff. It's doing fine so far...

Later

Red_Chili

Wow. I'm running the 5.29 V6 third from my old 1990 4Runner (I4 gearset with a shim, no less, from back in the day), US Gear from Randy's. 22RE, Dual crawler, R151 tranny, I do tend to be easy on equipment and light on the go pedal. Never a failure, never a noise, 80K miles or so.

YET.

The first time I did have a J**p shop set it up, then had it rechecked when it went into service in the Red Chili and the backlash was a tad loose, easily fixed. Used a solid sleeve.

I know lots of folks who run 5.29s hard with no failures. But stories of failures are not unheard of.

At my altitude, 22RE engine for now, and weight of my flying brick, I would not gear anything other than 5.29s, but that might be a bit short for a 5VZ-FE.

ZUK

iTrader: (1)

sounds like you have an automatic? ...automatics are very forgiving on all driveline parts including the r+p....529s will live many years with a good install. Good luck finding a good shop. US GEAR is right near the top in after-market quality.....PRECISION is good......I like the way MOTIVE sets up too. Unsure of SUPERIOR as I don't have any hands on experience with them. GENUINE is a jjoke.

AJ3

I ran a 92 xcab with 35s and dual cases. It was a v6 and manual transmission.

Since you have an auto tranny it is a tough call.....

You have to ask yourself these questions:

Am i gonna run larger tires ever?
Am I gonna invest more money into a crawler or not?

If you think you are gonna run larger tires then i would go with the 5.29s because of the auto tranny and tires size. This would be a wiser choice especially if you are not investing in a crawler.

If you are gonna get a crawler and stay with 33s then go with 4.88s or even 4.56s for strength.

I ran my setup up over the rubicon and dusy several times back and forth with no issues with my 5.29's. Detroit in the rear and lockrite up front. I am easy on the gas pedal.

I had no issues with richmond gears. Great product! Sean at River City Differentials set me up.

Any more questions just ask!

art

expeditionswest

Thanks so much!

The truck is more of an exploration rig then a rock crawler, so I am not likely to install a crawler box (though it would still be nice). The real world feedback on brands and durability is appreciated. I will let everyone know what I decide in the next few weeks although I am pretty settled on the 5.29's now...