i have recently checked the gear listing on my factory tag in the door jam of my 90 4runner and discovered that i have stock 4.56 gears. i am running 33" x 12.5" rubber and i was informed i should be running 4.88 gears to maintain closer to stock power. i was also told by an un-named parts guy that there is not a big enough difference between the gearings to bother swapping... how true is this? i have already purchased a ifs front diff with 4.88 so i would be pretty disapointed to if it was a pointless buy.

 

its not a big jump, but ill bet you will notice the difference.

33's+4:88's= perfect!

 

There really isn't enough difference between 4.56 and 4.88 to justify spending the money. Many times, gear swaps are online created hype. I am still running 4.10 gearing on 33" tires with no problems.

If you really want to better your situation, get a set of 5.29 gears. Or, just leave alone what you have. Its not worth the money or time to swap out for .32:1 more ratio

 

I'm with DeathCougar, i ran 35's on 4.10's no problem.. not worth your time/money

 

actually if he played his cards right he could sell the 4:56's to compensate for the price of the 4:88's. even a .10:1 jump would help the 3 slow.

but DC does have a point.

 

5.29's are considerably more expensive and tougher to come by, right? would they not also bring my rpm quite a bit higher? i have found that the 4.56 with 33's have basically eliminated the use of 5th gear and towing seems like a big strain on my lil 3.0.

maybe 5.29s are the answer?

on a side note, if i do a 3.4 swap what gearing is best in that situation?

 

If the 4.56's aren't causing you any real grief I wouldn't bother changing them. The speedo error isn't that much but you might want to clock your speed with a GPS so you know how far it's off (to avoid any popo issues). If you do change them out, do like DC said and get something a little more worth your while.
Since you're having top gear and towing issues then maybe a swap would be advised though.

 

I'd just run them for now, but keep an eye out for a used set of 4.88 thirds. Sometimes you can get lucky and get them pretty cheap. You can occasionally come across someone on craigslist who is parting out a 4runner or pickup with factory 4.88s and doesn't even know they have the 4.88 ratio.

So if you find a set of 4.88s for a good price, then can sell your 4.56s for a similar price, you can potentially upgrade for very little, if any, cost. Just throwing another option out there. If it were me, I wouldn't bother

 

i'd had the same thought. the thing is, i already have the ifs 4.88 front sitting in my garage so i am just waiting for a rear third. but at the same time if its a waste of effort perhaps i should pursue 5.29's to compensate for my lost power.

 

Sorry for a little highjack.....but...
Would I notice a difference from 4:10 to 4:56? I run 31's and don't plan to go any bigger but thought it might help when pulling my ATV and wood. I have a full set from a 4runner that I am scraping but it is a bit of work to change the front diff.
I do commute with it though so I don't want to be revving to the moon.

 

same here i have a 22r 4.10's and 33's would 4356 be worth spending $.

 

How about me and my 3.9's on an Auto going to 31's. I am trying to find a factory 4.88 third if not gonna suck it up and go 5.29 gears and lockrite installed at the same time.

 

i am going to go ahead and swap.
once i find a rear 4.88 for a good price i will be selling my 4.56's

i am still curious to what the best ratio for a 3.4?
would it be the same as a 3.0?

 

Those who say it isn't a significant difference for the money have never done it.

For me, 4.56 and 33's was OK, but changing to 4.88 was NIGHT AND DAY. All that said, now that I live at altitude, I wish I had 5.29

 

lol i drive in 5th gear around town with 33 swampers and it was fine until there was a bigger incline

 

I agree. It's pretty cool driving something with 35s on steel wheels that feels like it did when it was stock. It's not just the power you get back...the comfort level increases.