Getting gears in this next week.. LSD or not?

Gained a solid 2mpg towing my sxs going from stock 4.30 to 5.29’s. Before I couldn’t hold 5th gear and had to run in s4 to maintain 65 on flat ground. Now I set the cruise at 70 in s5 and it just does its thing.

 

Be mindful that there are the first 500 miles break-in procedures, then there is a separate break-in procedure for towing. It's about an hour or two total, but I can't recall if it required a fluid change.

 

I drove 300 miles around town, drained and filled, and then hooked up the trailer and sxs and did a 200 mile trip, drained and filled, then did another 200 mile trip. Still going strong several months later. Shop nor supplier said anything special about a towing break in procedure. If things are going to go wrong with gears, it’s not going to be in a 1000 miles. It’ll be within the first 100 miles or less.

 

I plan on putting on 275/70-18 vs the stock 275/65-18. I don't think I'd go any bigger than that, since I don't want to lift it. Probably no need to regear right?

What size tires are you guys putting on for 5.29 gears?

 

I’m on 34’s.

 

I'm on 275/70/18s. I did it for towing. Being able to go up in size is just an added benefit in my situation.

 

May be a difference in brand and requirements, but here is the wording direct from Nitro.

 

It makes sense if you tow often. How much MPG did you lose going to that combo?

 

I can't stress enough that these are only my numbers, with my payload, my driving habits and my scenery. YMMV

Loss was overall negligible when considering the performance increase. Combined (Falken Wildpeaks and regear), daily driving in town went from 15'ish to 13.5'ish. All highway went from 16/17 to right around 15.

 

I had those before tall skinny 35’s.. wasn’t much power loss and towing. Once I broke the 35 mark it did change things

 

What size are tall skinny 35's? How much lift did you get to fit them?

I run 255/85-16 on my Tacoma. I love tall skinny tires. I did regear that Tacoma to 4.88's though.

 

285/75/18 had bilstein 6112 but switched to dobinson

 

So what drives the need for a "break in" period with new gears? I don't hear anyone talking about breaking in brand new trucks this way, and they've got new gears in them, right?

I hear guys talk about elaborate "break in" procedures for all sorts of shit (rifle barrels, for instance) but there seem to be differing opinions. Does it really matter?

 

Heat cycles and bedding the gears. I’ve never broken in factory gears but always aftermarket. Not certain they have the same qc as oem. Although technically you are supposed to break in new vehicles for 500 miles or so. I never have and have never had an issue.

 

I'm not an expert, but at 2500-5000 bucks, I'll follow the manufacturers procedures.

I agree with @centex on his recent posts, both about heat and an earlier one about likely failure windows.

Don't pick up your rig and go ripping at 80mph in the event they bind or disintegrate. Don't tow heavy in the event the pattern is garbage and they disintegrate. There's also the idea that any ridges will wear down quickly and therefore make catastrophic failure less likely (insert previous comments about getting them rem polished).

It all makes sense, but again, I'm not an expert and only speculating. Aftermarket gear manufacturers also can't trust the installers, so I'm sure there's some liability concerns baked into their procedures.

My .02

 

200 miles in.. off the line acceleration is day and night. Can also pass again quickly

 

Hey @Marshwalker,

I think 2025 might be the year for my 5.29's. I was planning to call the guys at CO axle and gear to get a quote. Couple questions for you:

- Would you still recommend them for the work? Any issues with the install now that you've had them a while?
- Would you still do the powertrax LSD?

 

Do it!!! You’re going to love your truck so much more with the lower gears. I’m still very happy with my Powertrax, FWIW. Zero issues, totally streetable, and hooks up nice when you want to party.

 

Powertrax is definitely worth it. Helps in town iyn wet roads too.

 

I’m having my 5.29’s installed as we speak. Ended up with a grip pro in the rear and an Eaton e locker up front. Nobody needs a traction device until you do!