Axle code is on the vin tag under the hood.
22R and 33s... Regear? Marlin Crawler? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Manhattan
- Start date
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I used the Marlin Crawler link below to figure out which gear ratio best suited my needs. The RPM calculator is about halfway down the page.
www.marlincrawler.com
Complete | Marlin Crawler, Inc.
Marlin Crawler: The World's First Rock Crawling Company (since 1994)
I would highly recommend 4.88s over 4.56s...
- Thread starter
- #24
Hmmm... well, I thought I had a plan. I know I'm jaded by my previous builds - torquey inline 6s, V8s, etc., where 4.56s are for 35s and 38s. My last build - a CJ8 on 35s with a 5.7L and SM456 (granny 1st - effectively a 3-speed with a 1:1 4th) - had 4.56s and almost seemed over-geared. I know... apples and oranges (where oranges have 4x the horsepower and torque of apples).
I keep thinking 4.56s with the "little" 33s and that .85:1 5th gear will make 70 mph (2,775 RPM) the right balance.
4.88s huh.
I keep thinking 4.56s with the "little" 33s and that .85:1 5th gear will make 70 mph (2,775 RPM) the right balance.
4.88s huh.
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ntsqd
technerd
Well like I said earlier my truck's speedometer was uncorrected and read nearly perfect with 4.88's and 33's. Which tells me that this combo put the overall gearing (tire size + gear ratio) back to pretty close to stock. That was my first hint that these engines are OK with rev'ing more than domestic engines.
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My speedometer in the 87 is also dead nuts with the 4.88 gearing and the 22RE.
You won't regret putting in 4.88's trust me. If you do 4.56 third members are easy enough to find.
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I had 4.88s, 33s and a 3vze/5speed in my first truck (2nd gen 4Runner) and the most noticeable modification i ever did to that thing was IFS manual hubs and F&R Aussie Lockers. The gearing made no difference, I still couldn't make it up a hill at freeway speeds without dropping down to 4th or even 3rd gear.
Even now i have 5.29s, 35s and a 3vze/5speed in my 1st gen 4Runner and it's the same scoop.
Even now i have 5.29s, 35s and a 3vze/5speed in my 1st gen 4Runner and it's the same scoop.
ntsqd
technerd
A good part of the reason that these engines need to spin is that they don't make V8-like low end torque. So down shift, it's not a big deal. I can recall a couple passes where it felt like I was spinning 4k or more for 1/2 an hour or longer. Unlike a V8, the engine didn't care.
This was my daily in college:
1985 4Runner, 22RE, 5-spd, 4.88 gears, Loc-Rite rear, 33x10.50 BFGs... I used to drive that from Portland, OR down to Los Angeles for school. It would cruise down I-5 at 75 - 80 mph and never felt like you were working it too hard.
Damn I miss that truck!
1985 4Runner, 22RE, 5-spd, 4.88 gears, Loc-Rite rear, 33x10.50 BFGs... I used to drive that from Portland, OR down to Los Angeles for school. It would cruise down I-5 at 75 - 80 mph and never felt like you were working it too hard.
Damn I miss that truck!
This was my daily in college:
1985 4Runner, 22RE, 5-spd, 4.88 gears, Loc-Rite rear, 33x10.50 BFGs... I used to drive that from Portland, OR down to Los Angeles for school. It would cruise down I-5 at 75 - 80 mph and never felt like you were working it too hard.
Damn I miss that truck!
Awh man Chad! That thing is BEAUTIFUL. How could you get rid of that?!
Even with 4.88's you will still have to drop a gear or two. These are 4 cylinders putting up slightly north of 100 HP. It'll never cruise up a hill in 5th gear...at least none of mine have. I usually stay in 3rd or 2nd.
Either way 4.88's will still climb better than the 4.56s.
Expecting to climb a hill in any car without down shifting is an unrealistic expectation. Heck, my 182hp car will shift from 6th to 4th on a hill.
- Thread starter
- #33
Damn @CreeperSleeper - those are 33s?! I'd have guessed 35s. I do love 33s on 15s on these little trucks.
ntsqd
technerd
IMO 33-10.50's are the perfect size tire for these trucks if you aren't a dedicated rock-beater. 'Patch' on that size:
It WAS beautiful... I was a dumb kid and beat on her pretty good. I ended up hydro-locking the engine and bending a rod. I drove it everyday for 13 months before it finally let go. I didn't have the money to replace the engine, so I sold it off for cheap.
Oh you would still have to downshift for major hills, but I5 is mostly flat. LOL! It would pull the Grapevine in 4th, though.
Yep! 33x10.50r15 BFG KM2s and a 4WPs cheap-ass "Genuine Suspension" 4" lift. LOL
86-95 IFS can run 33x10.50R15 BFG tires on stock height with a slight torsion crank.
- Thread starter
- #37
"Patty" is on OME 2" springs. Sitting a little high now. Once the bed, doors, glass, bumper, etc are back in place, guessing she'll settle down 1/2" or so in the front, 1" in the rear.
ntsqd
technerd
OME fronts in stock mounts & shackle and GM 63's on WFO mounts & shackles is what Patch, an '84, rode on. I consider the GM 63's to be one of the top 3 suspension mods that I made to that truck. Bils 7100 RR's are also in that list.
I would agree on the 63" Chevy springs. I had those on my 1980 crawler and boy did it make a difference.
- Thread starter
- #40
Y'all are killin me! My list of "Phase 2" mods grows every time I check this forum.
