85 yota gear ratio help!

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Joined
Nov 24, 2013
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Ok so I'm getting ready to do the gear swap finally, question is 4.56 or 4.88, truck has a 22r with weber carb and is otherwise stock, running 31x10.50's or 15x8 wheels, I don't plan on goin up in tire size. The truck sees a fair amount of highway miles to and from the beach. Will 4.56 be plenty or should I go 4.88?
 
I run 4.88 gears with 35" tires and a 22RE. I think its just a little to high geared for 35's. If your not planing on more than 31" tires, 4.88 gears would be to low.
 
Have you tried it yet with the stock 4.10's? Should be fine. I have 4.88's, but I run either a 33 or 35 tire. Max you will need is 4.56's.
 
Yeah I drive it about an hour back n forth to the beach and if there's a head wind it's about 60-65mph max in 4th, 5th don't even think about it
 
If you are absolutely certain you will never go up in tire size, then 4.56 would be ideal, but if you ever did go to 33 or 35's, you will regret not doing the 4.88's. My son's 22re 4Runner has 4.88's and 35's and it is marginal with the extra mass of the tires/wheels.
 
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My thoughts below.

Have you tried it yet with the stock 4.10's?

From the factory, Toyota installed 4.56 gears in 5-speed trucks with 31" tires. With 4:10 you should still be fine with 31" tires, but if you want to regear go with 4.56. For many years I ran 4:10 with 32" tires with no major complaint. Granted, it was better with the 4.56 and the speedo was more accurate.

Yeah I drive it about an hour back n forth to the beach and if there's a head wind it's about 60-65mph max in 4th, 5th don't even think about it

[sarcasm on] Get over it. You drive a 22R with a carb. Driving 65 with a head wind is very acceptable. They are not rocket ships, and were never intended to be (what 95hp?). The goal with these trucks was to get you there and back ... not move you at the speed of a V8.[sarcasm off]

If you are absolutely certain you will never go up in tire size, then 4.56 would be ideal, but if you ever did go to 33 or 35's, you will regret not doing the 4.88's.

I run 4.56 gears with 33" tires. I've run 4.88 with 33" tires. Of the two I prefer the 4.56. I have lower rpm on the freeway and better gas mileage. That said, I also run a modified 22re with a few more ponies to pull. Not a crazy build, but better than stock. I generally pull 70mph on the freeway in 5th gear, on flat ground at 5000ft elevation. Toss in some wind, or a minor hill, and I'm down shifting and slowing down. I've driven this truck for 25 years so I know what to expect and have reasonable expectations. I'm very used to the right lane.

[sarcasm back on] If you don't like doing 65 in a head wind then you need to sell your truck and buy something else. [sarcasm off]
 
From the factory, Toyota installed 4.56 gears in 5-speed trucks with 31" tires.

In 1985? Far as I know, all the 5-speed trucks had 4.10's in the diffs. Autos had 4.30's.

What I mean is, put on the 31's, drive it, see what you think. My '87 had 31's on it when I got it, and it had 4.10s, I drove it that way for a couple of years until I did my SAS. It drove very well. My old '84 (carb'd) also rolled 31's on 4.10s, it was fine. It might not be worth the expense (very $$$ if you're paying a shop to do all the work) to go up a step.

I do agree, a tired carb'd 22R is just not a race car. It is what it is.
 

Nope, I believe they started around 1990. Which brings up a less expensive way to regear. Find pair of boneyard 4.56 diffs at the u-pull. Usually around $150 each. Do a search for the gear code.
 
Motor is not tired, freshly rebuilt, about 15k on it, I'm not asking for a rocketship, just for the performance it had with with the 235/75-15's that were on it previously, would comfortably run 70 down the highway in most situations....
 
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