4 sp vs 5 sp

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Alex1118

10 Year
Joined
Nov 30, 2014
Threads
25
Messages
166
Location
Nashville, TN
Hey everyone!

I'm in between purchasing a 100 or 80 series. Will be primarily run on the highway. The 80 has more character to me but it has been revealed a 100 will suit my needs much more.

The skinny:

Drove a 98' w/ 76k today. Rode very well. It is the 4 speed though. Sits at 2400 RPMs @ 70 MPH. Anything higher than 70 and it felt like I was "winding" the engine out a little.

I have yet to drive a 03+ yet. That will change in a few days hopefully.

Forgive me if some of you 80's guys have already chimed in on this (I have a thread running over there as well).

Anyways, has anyone on this forum had both? There seems to be at least a 5k jump in price between a 4 speed w/ 100k and a 5 speed with 150k!

Is the 5 speed THAT more important? Any ballpark MPG savings in between 2400 RPMs to 2000 RPMs(ish)? 1-2 MPGs? Maybe 3? Other than the transmissions, do the 03+ "refreshes" ride better highway wise?
 
The five speed automatic has about the same ratio in overdrive as the 4 speed. When I compared a 5 speed to my 4 speed highway rpm was very close between the 2. I was disappointed because your right the highway rpm should be less. Where the 5 speed shined was on acceleration. The five speed has lower gear rations in the first 3 gears as opposed to the 4 speed. The truck with the 5 speed felt much livelier than mine with the 4 speed. Hope that helps
 
Well, I've seen an honest 20 mpg on the highway in an 04. And 19 isn't too hard to hit. That's bone stock, of course.

The A750 is a lighter and more robust trans than the A343F it replaced. There's more to it than just the gear ratios. The A750 has a gated shifter for easier selection on hills. It also has logic to downshift on downhills to help control speed. Worth the $$. It transforms the truck. The only downside is that the A750 also virtually locks you into non-upgradable factory nav.
 
I have 3 of them ,
1996 LX450 (80) 4 speed auto I6 4.5 TRD Supercharged
2001 Land Cruiser (100) 4 speed auto V8 4.7
2009 Land Cruise (200) 6 speed auto V8 5.6

They are have cons and pros, but for a money, comfort, reliability, style, look - I strongly suggest you Lexus LX470 03+ you will be very happy, like a "swine in the mud" Technically LX470 is a Land Cruisers , but LX470 have more additions.
 
I have a '99 with the 4 speed. If I put the pedal to the floor, it accelerates just fine. The 5 speed might be a bit quicker, but for me, $5,000 is more important than getting to 60 mph faster. For final drive ratio, you could go up a size or two with your tires and that will lower your overall gear ratio. 33" tall tires is probably as far as you want to go without compromising 0-60 performance too much. I think I'm sitting at around 2000 rpm at 70 with my 285/75-16s.
 
For me at least, there were far more important things to consider than the transmission when I was shopping for a 98-99, 00-02 and 03+ Hundy.

Yes, I would love to have the 5spd transmission in my '01, but I chose the '01 over an '03 (my other top contender at the time) for numerous reasons including relative mileage, condition, 16" wheels, no AHC, no nav, no j-gate shifter, no gold package and certainly price (getting exactly what I wanted for nearly $10k less was a huge plus). If I were in the market now, the VVT-i motor would be enough for me to ignore most of the preferences I mentioned and look for an '06 or '07.

But I'm splitting hairs, as long as a UZJ-100 hasn't been obviously abused or neglected by the previous owner and the price isn't beyond typical for an LC of that year and mileage, then it is hard to go wrong.

And as far as the 80 vs. 100 question... I've never owned an 80, but I did own a 62 with the flat six for many years and the Hundy v8 is WORLDS apart for pavement driving.
 
I posted a comparison of the two transmissions and their gearing awhile back... and in conjunction with regearing the diffs and t-case gears.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/a343f-vs-a750f-transmission-gears.60863/

new_gear_chart-jpg.842500
 
I liked the 5 speed lower first gear and fifth gear final drives A LOT over the 4 speed. But no factory e-locker, so 4sp for me. This is not a DD so no real concern about getting a bit better mileage, I just keep tires at proper highway pressure and use cruiser control whenever possible. It helps a lot

I plan on getting some rubber overdrive as soon as it comes in from back-order, though lol.
 
i have a 4 speed and it pretty cool , i don’t think 1-2 mpg make that much of difference .
@hoser 2 questions
1.when it comes to gearing im very "not smart" but is it possible to replace a 5th gear from 5 speed into the 4th gear of the 4 speed?
2. so if i change my final drive to 4.1 i get a better gas mileage ?
 
I've heard that the 5 speed has an extra gear, but I can't confirm that. :doh:

Seriously search around - this has been discussed ad nauseam here over the years. Keep in mind you're locking yourself into a combined and outdated NAV/radio/climate control system with an 03+ (assuming you don't get one of about 10 vehicles in the US without it) when you go for that extra gear, and the rear factory locking differential was only an option in 98-99 if that's important. Those combined with the extra weight and complexity (slightly slower as well as a result) are the reasons I chose to stick with a 98-99.
 
I have both. The 5 speed kicks it all over the place. Also, side curtain air bags, better dash, better steering rack design, and a few other odds and ends. If you tow at all, it's a no-brainer...
 
mgilvan said:
1.when it comes to gearing im very "not smart" but is it possible to replace a 5th gear from 5 speed into the 4th gear of the 4 speed?
2. so if i change my final drive to 4.1 i get a better gas mileage ?
Click to expand...
You can't physically swap gears between the two transmissions. Going from 4.3 to 4.1 in the diffs might yield slightly better fuel mileage if you are on stock sized tires. But the cost to regear would not make it worth it.
 
If you need to tow or will upsize your tires, the 5-speed is the ticket with its lower first gear and powerband flexibility.
 
Thanks for the replies!

News on the front.

Drove a 2004 LX470 today. 131k. 4 owner (sucks). Decent Carfax history and a 108k timing belt sticker.

I was impressed w/ how well it drove.

I'm not so sure about the refreshed 03+ dash. Doesn't really add a whole lot of value for me?

Okay...5 speed impressions. With the 4 speed I'm sitting at ~2400 at 70. With the 5 speed I was at ~2300. Not that big of a different at all! I was surprised about that! I will admit 1st gear allows it to be a little snappier but I'm not buying this thing to drag race. Both had the same tires by the way.

So, 1998 w/ 76k w/ factory lockers. White on tan. COMPLETELY baselined. It needs nothing.

2004 Black on Tan w/ 131k for 17k. It shows a good Carfax w/ comprehensive service records but does not mention timing belt or water pump.

(LX 470 was to see how I liked the "step up")

I know for a fact the 1998 has had all this done and the mechanic is very good.

I'm thinking 1998. I actually like the old school dash.The mileage is phenomenal. At 70 MPH, I show a 100 RPM difference between the two transmissions which seems negligible to me.

What do you guys think at this point? I'm at 13k w/ the 98 and am DONE. The other LC would be 17 and I'm thinking I would want to throw at least a grand in there for piece of mind. The Carfax records are a little ambiguous.
 
131k miles is still young. 76k is practically brand new.
The 1998 has the genuinely weak front diff, but you could fix that within the cost savings.
If you're not that excited about the 5-speed transmission, then getting a super clean truck with only 76,000 miles is hard to beat.
 
Alex1118 said:
Okay...5 speed impressions. With the 4 speed I'm sitting at ~2400 at 70. With the 5 speed I was at ~2300. Not that big of a different at all! I was surprised about that!
Click to expand...

Everything being equal the 5sp in OD is about 10% higher (numerically lower) than the 4sp in OD. the rpm difference you noted should be greater.
 
You'll be tearing that dash apart to remove the D light in no time. 98 does not have rear AC if that matters to you. Rear a.c. rocks in hot climes. Locker can be added. Don't over-think the baselining. It's possible to go overboard on it.
 
Keep in mind that RPMs are only part of the story. Engines have an efficiency curve. A lower RPM that has worse specific fuel consumption is of no benefit. Now with 2300 vs 2400 rpm I doubt there is much difference there. Time spent accelerating is probably less which would improve city performance slightly.

Have not experienced this myself, but anecdotally I hear that re-gearing a 4 spd with 33"+ tires will improve fuel econ slightly even though the cruising RPMs are higher. Theory is that it puts the truck back into a more efficient portion of the power band.
 
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