On my 82 I am running 33s, i was wondering what would be the best gears for daily driving. I have heard that 4:88s are the best, I would like better gas mileage. What all would i need to gear up, and would i need to do both the front and back at the same time, or can i just do the back for now?

 

4.88s is closest to stock gearing, 5.29 may give better MPG and more torque to the road. Do both axles unless you never use 4WD.

 

To maintain your driveability, 4.88's are pretty much the standard choice for 33's. If you ever plan to go with bigger tires don't do like I did and pay to regear again to 5.29's (my old '84) 9 months later.

Mileage with bigger tires is never going to be great, but I have found my mileage was better after the gear change, remember too that you need to figure out how far off your odometer is off because your rolling diameter is different from the stock pizza cutters This link is pretty cool for that: http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

Yes you can regear just the rear first, a lot of people do that. Just keep in mind that you cannot use 4WD. Some folks take out the front driveshaft just in case they have a brain fart...

 

only re-gear the rear? seriously c'mon

do it right the first time and gear front and back. whats the point of having the truck and larger tires if you cant use 4wd? look cool?

id reccomend going with the 5.29s for 33+

 

probably because he cant afford to do both at the same time.