3-FE 4.88 re-gearing highway travel questions (1 Viewer)

[91cruisin]

I’m thinking of upgrading my 91 3-fe to 33’s or 35’s and am curious as to what would be the best setup for highway travel + overlanding.

if I get 33x10.5’s will I be able to hold 75-80 mph on the highway and still be set for getting off the highway to hit the trails? I live around 2-3 hours away from the good camping spots/trails and need to hold at least the speed limits (100-110 kmh) on the highways to get to them so that’s why I ask.

thank you all for your time.

 

[91cruisin]

I’m thinking of upgrading my 91 3-fe to 33’s or 35’s and am curious as to what would be the best setup for highway travel + overlanding.

if I get 33x10.5’s will I be able to hold 75-80 mph on the highway and still be set for getting off the highway to hit the trails? I live around 2-3 hours away from the good camping spots/trails and need to hold at least the speed limits (100-110 kmh) on the highways to get to them so that’s why I ask.

thank you all for your time.

also forgot to mention that I live in a place with many hills (which will always be a pain) and need it to be at least a little less s***ty than normal

 

[Railwelder93]

I’ve had 4:88 with 33s and now 35s. The gears were aggressive with 33s and feel just right on 35s.

fwiw I have a 1fz truck, but I’d still say 4:88 minimum if you re-gear in my opinion. 4:56s are not enough difference to be with the effort and $.

t-case gears also a good option, but I have no experience with that.

 

[NeilC]

I have a 91 and I am also considering going to 4.88s. I pull a boat a good bit and most of the time it will shift in and out of overdrive any faster than 65 mph. I have 295/70/17s which are a little bigger than regular 33s. Without the boat it has no problem maintaining 75 or so comfortably. Going to 35s with the current 4.11s would probably feel like having the boat behind me on the 33s. My thought is that the 4.88s probably make up for the realized effective gear change of the taller 35 inch tire so highway driving shouldnt be too much different than 4.11 with the stock sized tire which is a 31. The tire is considerably heavier though which makes the truck feel sluggish getting up to that speed. Ultimately 3fe owners just have to realize that they are driving an old slow vehicle and adjust their expectations or upgrade. I personally enjoy the simplicity of the 3fe so it is worth the slowness to me.

 

[jonheld]

I ran 33x10.50 BFG ATs with 4.88 gears for years. Personally, I think it is the sweet spot for the 3FE.
Are you still going to have to downshift going uphill? Yes. But you're more in the torque band.
I've done 2 cross country trips pulling an M416 trailer with this setup. Highly recommended for a daily driver.

 

[91cruisin]

I do plan on putting a 3 inch dobinsons lift on my fj80 too, but I have no idea if a 3 inch lift with 33x10.5s would look funky or not, but I also don’t know how the driving would be with some 35x12.5s on the 3-FE

 

[kw90surf]

I live in a hilly area and run a ‘91 on 33x10.5’s with stock gears. I have a bullbar, spotlights, roof rack, awning and roof tent. Stock gears and 33’s isn’t bad, but it’s not great. It never really feels “in the zone” on the highway if that makes sense. I usually drive 55-65mph but sometimes will get up to 70+. No matter which speed I still have to downshift, but I get better mileage at the lower speeds.

Im swapping out the trans for an H150F, which will move my “effective” highway gearing from 4.10 to 5.07. If I hadn’t gone this route I’d have swapped to 4.88’s. But I don’t mind if I go no faster than 60.

 

[Michael Hanson]

Hi, Our 1991 has stock gears and 33s. It’s just ok as far as acceleration. I would not consider larger tires without regearing. Mike

 

[leonard_nemoy]

3fe w/ 33's and 4:88's = sweet spot. Especially for highway and overland use.

Any of Jonheld's advice for anything 3fe related should be accepted as law. Not to mention my own experience with the 3fe.