Re-gearing to 5:29

OK... SO I PICKED UP BIG BERTHA FROM PREMIER WEST GEAR IN RIVERSIDE TODAY AFTER THE 5.29 NITRO GEARS HAVE BEEN INSTALLED.
IT'S HARD TO SAY IF I CAN FEEL THE DIFFERENCE AS OF YET?!? IT FELT LIKE IT HAD A LITTLE BIT MORE PICK UP FROM A COMPLETE STAND STILL BUT HARD TO TELL OF ITS FULL POTENTIAL DUE TO THE BREAK IN PERIOD. SEEMS THAT I MUST DRIVE THE NEXT 500 MILES IN 30 MINUTE INTERVALS, STOP FOR 30 MINUTES, ALLOW THE GEAR OIL TO COOL DOWN THEN REPEAT UNTIL I REACH A TOTAL OF 500 MILES. I GUESS I WILL BE DOING A LOT OF CITY DRIVING FOR A WHILE. I'LL KEEP YOU ALL UPDATED ON THE FEEL, POWER, ACCELERATION AND ALL AROUND EXPERIENCE. I'M HOPEFUL THAT THIS MODIFICATION WILL BE MONEY WELL SPENT AND NOT A DISAPPOINTMENT. I RESET MY ODOMETER TO ZERO AS WELL AS MY DIGITAL MPG GAUGE FOR NEW UPDATED DATA. THE MGP GAUGE WAS READING 9 MILES PER GALLON BEFORE THE RE-GEAR SO I'M INTERESTED AND EXCITED TO WATCH THAT IMPROVE WITH THE 5.29's. FINGERS CROSSED!!

 

You don’t need to do the whole 500 miles in 30 minute intervals. I would do 3 20 miles heat cycles and then just drive easy till you hit 500. Change the fluid too at 500. I disconnected my battery for approximately 30 minutes to reset the ecm.

 

DISCONNECT THE BATTERY TO RESET THE ECM HUH?? GOOD IDEA, THANK YOU.

 

Mine seemed to shift smoother after I unplugged it.

 

10 day report. I now have 165 miles under my belt and 335 miles to go to complete the 500 mile break in period of the 5.29 regear. Hard to tell what I think thus far?!? I do feel like the truck isn't working as hard to move forward from a complete stand still and my fuel average has increased from 9 mpg to 11.7 mpg but that could also have something to do with the fact that I've been driving it softly and under 60 mph. I'm not going to say I'm super excited as of yet but there is an improvement overall. $1880 however is a hard pill to swallow just to justify the power one feels (under 60 mph). If anything else, 3 mpg average increase x 30 gallons= 90 mile gain per tank. So if my rough calculations are correct this regear will have paid itself off in the next 21 fill ups. Since I have no intentions of selling BIG BERTHA until my 25th fill up or more, I guess it's not a bad investment in the long run, lol. Truth be told, I really thought that with the 5.29 (and people talking so highly of it) I would feel like Wylie Coyote riding the ACME rocket in the cartons. I had a 4cyl truck way back in my days and I can still remember the way the truck just took off when I stepped on the gas. That pick up truck responsiveness is what really encouraged me to regear in the first place. I thought that regearing high at 5.29 I would definitely feel the difference and I can't say that I do. It does feels better but still feels heavy to drive. One thing I can add for sure, I'm definitely glad I didn't go with the 4.88's!! If I can feel a slight improvement with the 5.29, I would have been really upset and disappointed with anything lower. Think about it, stock gears are 4.30 right? That means the tire turns one full revolution and the gears spin 4.3 times. With 4.88's you are getting less than a quarter turn on your tires for the gears to reach an additional .58. At least with the 5.29 your tire turns a little bit more than a quarter turn. So the difference really isn't than significant but it does make a difference when you multiply it as you are driving 65-85 mph. All those quarter turns add up fast. Anyways, I'll keep you all posted on my results and when I finally reach my 500 mile stone finish line when I can drive it like I normally do and I'll have better news for you all at that time. But as it stands weighing in the total cost of regearing vs. satisfied driving experience and results... I'm at a 33% satisfaction rate. Hopefully that will improve along with my MPG's soon. I'll send a new update on the 26th.

 

Im really surprised you can’t feel it more. Aside from motor effort, you should feel like the transmission is shifting like it did when stock. Without gears and big tires, it shifts too soon under normal driving causing the lugging feeling

 

It does shift better. That was part of my 33% satisfaction rate. I was hoping to accomplish a 4 part satisfaction chart in my head.
1st- Responsiveness. Quick pick up with smooth gear shifts.
2nd- MPG. I was hoping to get my 15 mpg overall back. Stock is 15 city/ 18 hwy (that I never really got in the first place)
3rd- Power! I was really excited to feel that muscle on a 5.7L V-8 Tundra with a high rear ratio. Like getting new running shoes when you're eight years old and you can jump and run so fast that you feel like you could actually fly.
4th- Satisfaction. The feeling you get when you got more than you asked for. Like the lady running from an IKEA store after finding out she paid less for her items and her husband is driving the getaway car because she just got a steal. Whooooo-Hoooooo over satisfied feeling ya know?!?

 

I hear ya. Even with perfect gears you can’t make up for the reduction of aerodynamics. Just lifting my front end 2 inches with my stock tires i could tell a slight loss in mpg

 

This and all the weight we add to our trucks without thought.

 

500 miles completed ✔️
Change differential oil completed ✔️
Driving this truck on 37” tires with the new Nitro 5.23 has been a life changer. At first I was a little disappointed and growing a temper tantrum because I didn’t feel it right away like I had hoped. I was inpatient and wanted to burn rubber on day one. But now that I’m back to driving normal, I love it! The truck shifts smoother, runs lighter and feels better. So glad I opted out last minute on the 4.88 with my set up. When you include a 6” bulletproof lift, 37x13.5x20R wheels and tires, custom front and rear bumpers, bed cover, power step rails and an old school tree air freshener, you really pack on the pounds and also loose major aerodynamics as you’re cruising down the road.

 

@hcbigchamp Any mpg gains? do you have any tune as well like dap or ovtune?

 

I regeared to 5.29s and now I can't drive over 95 mph. Is this normal?

 

Tire size?

You shouldnt be driving 95 anyways on big tires, bad idea

 

I'm running 37s but was testing out the truck after the re-gearing break in period was over. I don't expect to drive that fast but just wanted to understand if that was normal with 5.29s.

 

maybe you’re speedo is reading low?

37/5.29 isn’t the exact same ratio of 32/4.30 like stock so the rpm to mph will be confusing the computer slightly at high speeds like that

 

Yeah I know with bigger tires and regearing the speedo is off anywhere between 7-10 mph. I used a gps to calculated my speed.

 

Maybe the trucks ecu thought it was higher based on gear and rpm?

 

Hey all, I just got done reinstalling my Hypertech Speedometer Calibrator. I recently regeared to 4.88s and my speed was off around +3 mph at 70mph so I reinstalled it.
If a person wanted to you can use there program to calculate your tire size/gear ratio with it.

 

Ok rarce19 just as curiosity killed the cat, I couldn’t help but test out how fast my truck could go running 37’s with 5.29’s after reading your post. To my surprise it seems that the truck’s governor hits at 99mph on Big Bertha. I was driving on a non busy freeway at 10pm Christmas Eve when I decided to open her up. She got to 99mph pretty quick and had good power and momentum to keep going until the governor slowed her down. I’ll admit, I wasn’t comfortable driving that fast due to the height, speed and tip over possibilities and I probably wouldn’t attempt it again, but for the sake of knowledge the test was successful. While driving on freeways I usually keep her at 75-80mph max and she’s happy there around 2200rpm’s. Exhilarating test though.

P.S. I did reprogram my speedometer with the Hypertech Module after regearing so that could’ve made the calibrated difference in the speedometer results?!?

 

Not to derail the the convo here but I just regeared my tundra to Nitro 5:29’s and they make a lot of noise. Just curious if anyone else has experienced the same thing? It’s sounds like a loud whistle after I let off the gas around 40 and coast. I can hear a slight noise who’ll accelerating too.
The shop I too it too has high rating and all they do is regear vehicles. The mechanic said he put it in 3 different times to see what sounded the quietest. He wasn’t happy about their product I think. They shouldn’t be this loud.

 

Mine have a slight noise and more noticeable around 60-65 mph (indicated by the speedometer) under acceleration but no noise at no load. I'm using Lucas synthetic gear oil 75-140.

 

Soooooo after a some time now, money well spent? I'm in a '14 stock 4.10 with 35's and pull 7k+ toy hauler and not my DD. Thinking I really should spend the money to get 5.29's, Just unsure if it's worth it as I think it's done really well so far in my longer drives. Problem is that this truck is all I've ever known in terms of pulling.

 

Do it. I am an advocate of the 5.29s, just passed 10k miles with my set that I got installed in March, just did 1000 miles with a cab over camper last week and 1000 miles towing a FJ40 to California two weeks before. The torque of the 5.29s makes a huge difference, the truck is way happier towing and not towing. At 80mph (indicated) the engines running 2650rpm, but it's essentially idling and running a lot of timing versus working hard at a lower rpm. My gas mileage has not changed at all. The only "downside" is your top speed is theoretically lower, but you can still hit 100mph easy. Some people argue 4.88s are better, which I've never run, but can honestly say I've experienced zero downsides to 5.29s and am benefitting from even more wheel torque than the 4.88 guys. If you can justify the cost, you'll be stoked; I also did a powertrax grip pro LSD in the rear when I got my gears done, and have nothing bad to say about that too.

 

What exactly is the powertrax grip pro LSD and it's benefits? I'm in Eastvale so your Riverside location really has me intrigued. Got my lift done in Ontario at Transonic and I know they do re gearing.... Just not totally happy with their original job

 

It's a limited slip that uses gears versus the more traditional clutches/cone washers that may potentially wear down. If you're getting it regeared, that's the time to install a locker or limited slip (LSD)

 

If I'm only 4x2 does it really matter?

 

Totally your call, if it was me I would do it moreso because of that. Mainly just something to look into and consider.

 

agree with snivilous, for the amount of work you put in, go 5.29s, I love how it pulls when I give it on the on-ramps.

For those with hypertech, can you fool the ecu to change of top speed? I can't go past 91mph right now and it's a bit annoying,