3.1:1 T-case gears ARE available! (1 Viewer)
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Absolutely. Having way more crawling control dramatically increases the chance of breakage
Tapage
Club 4X4 Panamá
sorry dude .. my bad ..
In my 60 split case BF1A that I was only can talk about noisy reference.
I was just talking about the smaller pinion being more prone to being broken. I wouldn't run 5.29s in my 4runner, and it's not nearly as heavy or torquey as the LC. 5.13s would be pushing the envelope for me in the 4runner. I would think 4.88s would be the lowest gear for my comfort level in the 80.
I've heard this alot from guys who have been doing gears for years. So either there's some truth to it or there used to be some truth to it. I've also read of people having little to no problems running 5.29's. If I had my choice, and no fear of breakage, I'd choose 5.29's for my rig. Since the guy who will be giving me a hand with mine, and has done hundreds of gear sets says not to go higher than 4.88's, I'll be doing 4.88's
Doesn't all this talk of high ratio pinions breaking make these t-case gears look better?
4.88's have been on the long-term mod list for a while now. Wondering if modding the t-case is a better approach.
What are the downsides, besides possible noise?
4.88's have been on the long-term mod list for a while now. Wondering if modding the t-case is a better approach.
What are the downsides, besides possible noise?
Waggoner5
SILVER Star
I was a little leary before doing the 5.29s in my 45, but after looking a little deaper I found that VERY few people have ever broken them. At least not in the recreational 4 wheeling that 99% of us do. I run them and would not hesitate to do it again although a more street driven rig than mine, tcase gears and 4.88s would be more than enough to tackle the hard stuff and get you back home.
Slomo
It's Complicated
There is no disputing that 5.29's are weaker than 4.88's all other things being equal. There are many variables but has anyone acutally broken a set. I have almost never heard a first hand account of such and have seen 5.29's run on many albeit smaller rigs but with 40"+ rubber on trails like the Hammers in Johnson Valley. If you drive with your brain acutally connected to your right foot, you can probably make them survive just fine.
all i know is that I have 4.88s on my 4runner, and i had a buddy in colorado w/ 5.29s set up exactly the same. he was hot s#!t until he broke his rear pinion on a trail and i made it up and helped him over. Also, I have a buddy in Houston that builds buggies, and he keeps stock gears in the axles and compensates w/ double t-cases, lower gears, or both just to keep from chancing a costly (and debilitating) mishap on the trail. I'd have much more faith in lower t-case gears than 5.29s w/ 6000+ pounds of vehicle on a tight trail.
I guess what I'm saying is, gimme 4.88 (hell, even 4.56s or *gasp* stock gears) in the diff and new t-case gears any day.
sleeoffroad
Supporting Vendor
I have never heard of a 80 series front or back pinion break. I have 5.29's in the Shortbus since day one and have not broken the pinion. Right now I believe I have a broken front ring gear due to pulling a broken Tacoma (input shaft) up the trail. I was going in reverse with both lockers on and in crawler gear. Not the 5.29's fault since I have done the same thing with 4.88's.
Snapping pinions is not common in 80's. I have seen other trucks do it, but not a 80.
Snapping pinions is not common in 80's. I have seen other trucks do it, but not a 80.
yeah, I was talking about 4runners, but I would still rather be safe than sorry on a trail w/ a rig this heavy. Is the short bus the one you have now, w/ half a truck left on the frame, or was it the one that you had previously and sold?
Slomo
It's Complicated
I ran 4.88's in my 4Runner with 35's for years as well and never broke a set. I do know of a firsthand story of someone breaking a set of 5.29's now.
Your point that running stock or close to stock gears and gearing down the transfer case is overall less likely to greanade a ring and pinion set is very true. It is a personal choice. I have to admit that I don't plan to run 5.29's in my 80 even though they are bigger than the 4Runner/Mini Truck sets but I still think they would do good if you drive reasonably smart. If Christo can't break them under "normal" use then...
It can be disputed, if you search there is a link on here somewhere where someone ran through all the 'weak' points, and was actually saying 5.29's are stronger. I'm not saying he's right or wrong, but he disputed it.
No, the lower the gear ratio, the less metal is in the tooth of the gear... However, when I do my gear swap, I will have 5.29s. My wifes 4Runner has 5.29s. Most of my Toyota buddies run 5.29s... I agree that they are weaker, but if you take a bucket of water out of the ocean, who's gonna notice?
It can be disputed, if you search there is a link on here somewhere where someone ran through all the 'weak' points, and was actually saying 5.29's are stronger. I'm not saying he's right or wrong, but he disputed it.
Is this the link you are referring to?
http://www.gearinstalls.com/410suck.htm
-B-
I haven't seen a comparison with 5.29s, but the this link to Zuk's comparison of 4.10s v. 5.71s indicates that this is not always true. I think that the true difference in strength lies in the setup.
Christo, Give us some details already!
Ya', that's the one I was thinking of. Not saying he's right or wrong, just that it can be disputed. He makes alot of good points, and backs it up with real measurements. Gotta wonder though how many of the bad 5.XX experiences are from bad installs. That and not many people run little tires with 5+ gears. So if a gearset breaks, is it bad set-up, is it the 44's instead of 33's, is it a cheap gearset, or is it the inherient weakness of larger gearsets? Not claiming one way or another, just thinking outloud.
in my experiences, the 5.13s are okay but pushing the limit on a light rig, like a 4runner, but the 5.29s tend to break more. And that's running 35s or 36s. The people I know that have broken have almost ALL been running 5.29s, properly installed, and not cheap gears. I'm not saying I'm the end all be all of gears, I'm just saying what I've personally seen and stating what I personally feel.
Slomo
It's Complicated
Good link, I wonder if the two gearsets are made by the same manufacturer. If the 4.10's are OEM on the Sami's not likely. The fact that the physical size of the 5.71's is so similar to the 4.10's is interesting. I would love to see an actual duplicable (word?) comparison of some gear sets made by the same manufacturer, via the same process, with the same steel composition on a jig that can replicate the same force and measure the force exerted at failure. Not sure if that is possible though. It has been officially disputed though.
