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Let's talk about re-gearing

Discussion in '1st Gen Tundras (2000-2006)' started by FirstGenVol, Jul 22, 2019.

  1. Jul 22, 2019 at 10:34 AM
    #1
    FirstGenVol

    FirstGenVol [OP] Brake Czar

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    Since moving to 285's my truck has lost a noticeable amount of low end pep. On top of that, I've dropped to only 13 mpg.

    • my tires are technically 32.8. Would I even see enough benefit to make it worth it? I could see it being more beneficial for the person running 35's
    • is an increase in MPG a guarantee? I know @Brown Bear mentioned getting decent MPG numbers.
    • I would like to eventually go to 34's. Does it make more sense to over-gear to compensate for future changes?
    • Is Nitro the only reputable company to choose from?
    • Do most people add a locker at this time?
     
  2. Jul 22, 2019 at 10:58 AM
    #2
    SCRunner12

    SCRunner12 New Member

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    Here's my research on regearing.

    • my tires are technically 32.8. Would I even see enough benefit to make it worth it? I could see it being more beneficial for the person running 35's You will definitely notice a difference. May not be profound, but it will add "power" that you've lost with the larger tires.
    • is an increase in MPG a guarantee? I know @Brown Bear mentioned getting decent MPG numbers. Most likely it will be minimal at best. Don't expect to gain all the MPG's you lost. You still have to move the bigger heavier tires, just will be easier on the truck to do so.
    • I would like to eventually go to 34's. Does it make more sense to over-gear to compensate for future changes? I wouldn't go too high. 34's aren't that much bigger than 33's (same width unless you go 295's). When I regear I'm going to stick with 4.56's. I don't want to be too high of RPM on the freeway since it's a DD and I just want to get back to stock powerband.
    • Is Nitro the only reputable company to choose from? Not sure about this one, but I'm going to go with EastCoastGearSupply when I do regear. Great customer service, warranty and pricing. I believe they use Nitro.
    • Do most people add a locker at this time? This is the best time to do since you don't have to pay for labor twice.
     
    bmf4069 and FirstGenVol[OP] like this.
  3. Jul 22, 2019 at 11:00 AM
    #3
    HappyGilmore

    HappyGilmore Ex 1st Gen Member

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    I put 4.88s in my 1st Gen and it really helped with towing. I had 33x12.50s. Around town felt a lot better too. I never calculated MPG because my speedo was off.

    My 2018 is the first truck ive owned that I haven't changed gearing (I probably will eventually). Ive always used G2 gears with good luck. I didn't even have to re-shim anything on my 1st Gen.
     
    FirstGenVol[OP] likes this.
  4. Jul 22, 2019 at 12:00 PM
    #4
    Darkness

    Darkness Allergic to white

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    If you regear, don't do it expecting the savings on gas to recoup the expense of gears. You will get better MPG but not life changing, you will get that low end torque back for sure and feel even more torque if you go beyond stock-like gearing. If you decide to do that and want a locker, do it at the same time and do a full bearing kit and solid collar while at it.

    When I regeared the options I saw were Yukon, Nitro or Toyota (4.30). I heard mixed reviews on Yukon and wasn't gonna pay triple for Toyota. I heard nothing but good about Nitro and decided to slightly overgear at 4.56, glad I did.

    If long term goal is 34s I would regear, probably to 4.88s.
     
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  5. Jul 22, 2019 at 12:19 PM
    #5
    FirstGenVol

    FirstGenVol [OP] Brake Czar

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    Do you mind sharing what labor cost on that job?
     
  6. Jul 22, 2019 at 1:57 PM
    #6
    Darkness

    Darkness Allergic to white

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    Mine was 2wd so keep that in mind. Straight labor I paid $350 to drop the truck off with a new LSD, new gears, new bearings/shims/collar and oil. It was done 3 days later.

    The shop I took it to belongs to my buddy's uncle. He let his guys pull the 3rd member out and he picked it up to do the gears personally, then dropped it off. Otherwise it would be a one day job. He said normally he charges about 450 labor for that, or 250 if it's just the 3rd member (no install in vehicle).
     
    revtune and FirstGenVol[OP] like this.
  7. Jul 22, 2019 at 3:47 PM
    #7
    turboser91

    turboser91 New Member

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    You can't go wrong with Nitro or Yukon. Both are great companies. I'm running 4.88 Yukon gears in my 06. I didn't notice any difference in mpg. When cruising on the highway at 70mph my rpm is at 2500.
     
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  8. Jul 22, 2019 at 4:08 PM
    #8
    Casper421

    Casper421 Toyota RidgeTrac driver!

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    What size tires are you running?
     
  9. Jul 22, 2019 at 4:10 PM
    #9
    turboser91

    turboser91 New Member

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  10. Jul 22, 2019 at 4:13 PM
    #10
    Casper421

    Casper421 Toyota RidgeTrac driver!

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    Any regrets running 4.88’s instead of 4.56’s
     
  11. Jul 22, 2019 at 4:19 PM
    #11
    turboser91

    turboser91 New Member

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    I never had 4.56, I'll have to see how it runs after all my parts are put on. I'll be putting on a metal bumper, winch and sliders. For now I'm happy how it runs.
     
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  12. Jul 22, 2019 at 4:24 PM
    #12
    Casper421

    Casper421 Toyota RidgeTrac driver!

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    Please keep us posted. The 4.56’s vs 4.88’s dilemma is keeping me up at night. :mad:
     
  13. Jul 23, 2019 at 6:09 AM
    #13
    bajaphile

    bajaphile New Member

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    It really comes down to what you want to do with your truck. If you're driving a lot in town, or planning on wheeling a lot or towing, you'll obviously want the regear.

    That being said... My only experience with regearing is with my Land Cruiser. 2 years ago I went from stock 4.10s to Nitro 4.88s (Using Zuk). I run 35s and it's essentially a road trip / camp car only. To be honest, I barely noticed the difference in the low end and now my RPMs are pretty high when cruising 75. It's gone back to stock gearing essentially with 35s. No change in MPGs and marginally better in the mountains. For the cost of the regear and the time it took to remove and replace the 3rds, it wasn't worth it in my mind.
     
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  14. Jul 23, 2019 at 6:12 AM
    #14
    FirstGenVol

    FirstGenVol [OP] Brake Czar

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    My truck is my daily driver with 50/50 city/highway driving but I'd like to eventually make it my weekend warrior. I think I'll move this way down in the priority list for now. The drop in MPG bothers me more than the low end power loss so this likely wouldn't move the needle that much.
     
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  15. Jul 23, 2019 at 6:25 AM
    #15
    Sas

    Sas Humor is everywhere

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    Lost track after #1.
    This is probably the most useful answer here. It absolutely depends on what you're doing with it. If your off-roading is weekend warrior at most then I wouldn't bother. Even in town (which is probably 90% of my driving now) I wouldn't bother. I run 35's w/stock gearing and just hit the tow/haul button when I head out.

    Good choice. I want to say the quote I got for just labor was $1k. It's not a small investment. Try running around w/the tow/haul button on and see what you think. I honestly didn't notice any difference when I jumped up to 35's and did a speedo correction.
     
  16. Jul 23, 2019 at 6:28 AM
    #16
    FirstGenVol

    FirstGenVol [OP] Brake Czar

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    We don't have a tow/haul unfortunately. All we can do is lockout overdrive which takes us from a 4 speed to 3. I wish I had a fancy 6 speed auto. But I see your point. It is a big investment and I'm not sure there are enough benefits for me as I'm only running 33's.
     
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  17. Jul 23, 2019 at 6:42 AM
    #17
    Sas

    Sas Humor is everywhere

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    Lost track after #1.
    Bummer. I just noticed in your tag that you have an '02. But yeah, either way I'd still wait and see if it's something you'll need. Just for reference, I'll consider jumping to 4.56 (if they're available) or 4.88 only if I go 37's or higher, or when a bunch more weight gets added to my 35's (full skids, sliders, toolbox, additional gear, etc).
     
  18. Jul 23, 2019 at 7:05 AM
    #18
    Darkness

    Darkness Allergic to white

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    Trade me wheels and tires and you'll be fine with 4.56
    Just trying to help :D
     
  19. Jul 23, 2019 at 7:25 AM
    #19
    HappyGilmore

    HappyGilmore Ex 1st Gen Member

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    I had 4.88s on 33" General Grabber Red Labels (heavy) and it was great around town. I think my highway RPMs were about 2100 or 2200. It was perfect in my opinion.

    Probably the right move for your situation. I was complete opposite. I needed the power for towing, and MPG we all know is crap when towing no matter what.
     
  20. Jul 24, 2019 at 9:22 AM
    #20
    Professional Hand Model

    Professional Hand Model A.K.A ‘Golden Hands’

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    Try manually shifting on the stalk. You’ll be surprised at how good your 3.91 gears are when you control the shift points versus letting the ECU do it for you. This will yield your best results. Not a glamorous thing, but it will save you a ton of money. Shifting on the stalk works well off roading as well.

    Another trick is to tighten your throttle control cable to its optimum tightness. This helps maximize/optimize your shift points via the sensor (when driving in ‘D’).

    One more trick is to put a zip tie in between the throttle cable bracket (on top manifold) and one of the wire nuts to eliminate any play in the cable after its adjusted at the throttle body. I posted a pic last month on the spot and maybe got a few chuckles? Seems innocuous, but the better you fine tune your truck the better results you’ll achieve. The cable and the sensor work together and the ECU makes sense of it all.
     
  21. Jul 25, 2019 at 8:39 PM
    #21
    MookTastic

    MookTastic Because I was inverted!

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    You raise a question I never thought of. If I just out on taller tires, knowing my speedo is now slightly off, does this affect my MPG display? Does it go off the speedo? AND does this affect my odometer? So many questions I never had...this is what happens when I stay up late looking at this forum.
     
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  22. Jul 25, 2019 at 8:49 PM
    #22
    HappyGilmore

    HappyGilmore Ex 1st Gen Member

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    I assume it does. I guess it could measure from GPS if you have navigation. But I doubt it since alot of Tundras don't have navigation.

    Bigger tires make your mpg worse and make your speedometer slower. So your mpg would get actually worse, and seemingly worse with less miles shown on the odometer. The only way to tell would be to take the exact route of your (phone, any?) GPS and use that in your calculation.
     
  23. Jul 25, 2019 at 9:27 PM
    #23
    Darkness

    Darkness Allergic to white

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  24. Jul 26, 2019 at 6:07 AM
    #24
    HappyGilmore

    HappyGilmore Ex 1st Gen Member

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    All experiences I have posted here were from my 1st gen I had before this. :hattip:
     
  25. Jul 26, 2019 at 6:38 AM
    #25
    bajaphile

    bajaphile New Member

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    The odometer and speedometer are reading less mileage than actual with larger tires. From stock to 285's for example your difference is: 1 - 30.6/32.8 = 0.07 ; or 7%. You can simply multiply your speed by 1.07 to get actual speed. Your MPG gauge will also be showing 7% less than actual.
     
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  26. Jul 26, 2019 at 7:02 AM
    #26
    Professional Hand Model

    Professional Hand Model A.K.A ‘Golden Hands’

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    Good math here. I have been rounding up to 8% just to be safe. You could correct the problem using @Darkness O.D. corrector technique, if one so desired.
     
  27. Jul 26, 2019 at 7:08 AM
    #27
    Professional Hand Model

    Professional Hand Model A.K.A ‘Golden Hands’

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    We thank you for this. Do you lament your decision selling the 1st Gen? Reason for asking is I almost did what you did last year and did not.
     
  28. Jul 26, 2019 at 8:11 AM
    #28
    Darkness

    Darkness Allergic to white

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    Yup, 04 and earlier can install a yellrbox and get the correction dialed. I run 285/75/16 tires with 4.56 gears but now my speedo and odometer are perfectly accurate. If interested I made a thread somewhere here, 4wd models need some extra harness length but good news is they don't charge extra for that.
     
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  29. Jul 26, 2019 at 8:26 AM
    #29
    FirstGenVol

    FirstGenVol [OP] Brake Czar

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    I have it bookmarked for future use. :thumbsup: Still not sure I completely understand where it plugs in but I'll send for help when I get to that point.

    https://www.tundras.com/threads/yellow-box-speedo-calibrator.31996/
     
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  30. Jul 26, 2019 at 5:22 PM
    #30
    HappyGilmore

    HappyGilmore Ex 1st Gen Member

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    Short answer is no. Long answer: I really liked my '03, alot. Like most of you say, it's the best balance of size and power. It was pristine and never had to be repaired once in 200k miles and 10 years. I told myself I'd keep it because I had never had a car payment and didn't want one. But the decision kind if snowballed.

    Im a huge river rat. I had a go fast jet boat that I always tweaked on to race my buddies for fun. I knew it wouldn't be a good boat when I had kids. So I bought a bigger family boat when we decided to start trying for kids. Took that to the river when she was pregnant and quickly realized there is no room for a kid in the backseat of my access cab with all of our stuff etc. (The reason I geared was for towing this bigger boat). Combo that necessity with a bigger boat and a new truck sounded like the best decision. If it was a 1st gen double cab 5 speed vvti, I would have kept it no question.

    I feel like I'm pretty smart with my money for a young dude, and never made an impulse (or any) purchase on a new vehicle before so I had some money saved and went for it. I keep my vehicles for a long time so I knew I'd get my value out of it.

    Sold my 03 for 8k and bought it for 9k 10 years prior with 60k miles. (I'm sure you know I've bragged about this before haha)
     
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