95 FZJ80 Ring & Pinion Swap to 5.29 (1 Viewer)

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Apr 1, 2013
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Location
Dallas TX
Hey all - Looking to swap out my ring an pinion from stock to 5.29. Around town driving on 35's is killing me. Had a few questions I was looking for advice on.

  • Is 5.29 really going to top me out at around 65mph/3000rpm? I don't do a ton of interstate driving, but trips to trails will be a bit brutal if 65 really is my cap. If so, is there a good compromise, 4.88?
  • I'm relatively competent when it comes to working on vehicles, but I've never done gears. How likely am I to screw them up if I take my time?
  • Going to go with the Spartan lockers for both front and rear. Seems like a straight forward install. But again haven't done much inside the differentials. Anything I should be careful of?
Thanks for any help in advance!
 
I run 4:88's on mine, it allows me ~80-85 mph on the highway.

if you haven't done gears or gears with lockers i would cough up the extra dough to have someone set them up so you don't end up with an expensive mistake parts wise.

on the other hand if you know someone that has done it i would have them watch over your shoulder.
 
315/75/16 Cooper ST Maxx - they're a bit heavy. And it seems the general consensus is DON'T do the gears on your own :doh:
 
I would not go 5.29's but that is me. I just regeared mine to 4.88's and it is noticeably louder on the freeway due to the gears. I am happy with it but am glad I did not go lower. I can drive 75 nicely now on the freeway. If I went 5.29's my rpm's would be much higher at 75. I guess it depends on what you want. My truck is more overland than rockcrawling.
 
2X on pulling the 3rd yourself. i would go through the front end at the same time.

alos if you are interested in a part-time setup it would be a goo time to do that as well since you need to change Birf's for a PT setup..
Check out CRUISEROUTFITTER'S PART TIME KIT it is what all the cool kids want to do..
 
4.88 for 35's
5.29 for 37's +
37's and 5.29 is at 2650 rpm at 70ish
 
2X on pulling the 3rd yourself. i would go through the front end at the same time.

alos if you are interested in a part-time setup it would be a goo time to do that as well since you need to change Birf's for a PT setup..
Check out CRUISEROUTFITTER'S PART TIME KIT it is what all the cool kids want to do..

It would be a real good idea to go part time if your going with auto-lockers in both axles. Otherwise it will not behave well on hard surfaces.
 
It would be a real good idea to go part time if your going with auto-lockers in both axles. Otherwise it will not behave well on hard surfaces.

Hahaha, you said hard.
 
Thanks all!
I was looking at the part time thread earlier today. Part of the reason for auto lockers was the price of the ARBs. Not looking as attractive now..
 
I've had 5.29 & have 4.88 now.

5.29's are either awesome for dedicated trail 35's or 37's on street.

5.29's & 35's are a stump puller torque, it was a kick swapping tires - but to spin decent RPM's on highway you need bigger rubber.

If you stay 315's like my black 80, 4.88 lets you run freeway comfortably.
 
Another factor in this equation is the elevation. 4.88s and 315s is probably a kick ass combo near sea level and a must have at higher elevations.
 
Another factor in this equation is the elevation. 4.88s and 315s is probably a kick ass combo near sea level and a must have at higher elevations.

Truth there. I am coastal WA, means my alt is 640' at my house, and I'm on a big hill for the San Juan inlet. I-5 here is 100' over SL in my county.

Altitude for me is going to the 5K parking lot at Mount Baker, or over the passes where 5K is still a good number.

If I lived in Denver I'd be open to someone saying 5.29's & 35's was a good combo.

People who post/comment really should consider altitude, good point.
 
I had 4.88 and 5.29s. I personally think the 5.29s will be better because by the time you finish adding all the weight to your build its nice to have a bit more punch. As far as freeway driving goes, who cares if you're at 2800 vs 3100 at 75? The 80 gets horrible gas mileage what's a couple of more bucks in gas.

Also i would pull the 3rds and take them somewhere reputable. Most good shops will do the labor for $250 or less per 3rd (I'm in SoCal). If you're in the area and need a recommendation PM me.
 
I have 5.29s from the PO and 35s, and I think they are way too much gearing for comfortable highway travel. I normally drive 70-75, and it is quite loud with the engine at 2800 to 3000 RPM (and I think the 5.29s are inherently much noisier gears based off riding in stock 80s).

Offroad 5.29s and 35s are amazing, and I would hate to be geared any higher, but I think stock gears make a lot more sense for a vehicle that sees any appreciable amount of highway use, so eventually I will probably swap to something like 4.88s or perhaps back to stock. One thing I have noticed is that many times when I pull away from a stop without accelerating hard, the truck will do a 2nd gear start, making me think that the 5.29s are lower than necessary for many normal driving situations anyway.
 
Another factor in this equation is the elevation. 4.88s and 315s is probably a kick ass combo near sea level and a must have at higher elevations.
Truth there. I am coastal WA, means my alt is 640' at my house, and I'm on a big hill for the San Juan inlet. I-5 here is 100' over SL in my county.

Altitude for me is going to the 5K parking lot at Mount Baker, or over the passes where 5K is still a good number.

If I lived in Denver I'd be open to someone saying 5.29's & 35's was a good combo.

People who post/comment really should consider altitude, good point.

Yep, totally agree. I'm at ~8k and up higher on the passes....33's and 4.88's works well for me on everything but long interstate driving. Its like having a 5spd transmission without ever being able to use the 5th gear :D If I had 35's I'd have gone 5.29's. I just have to sit back and cruise at 65 and not be in a hurry. :) Upside is it's great to have such low gearing when loaded with camping gear. Doesn't seem to bog down when starting out in first gear on a hill which is nice.

For OP, my 2 cents:
  1. If you do want to cruise at 75, 4.88 would be the way to go. Not sure what RPM the 1fz hits openloop, but I think around 3k so gas mileage may decrease there...then again going 75 is gonna kill mileage anyay.
  2. I pulled my 3rd's and took them to a shop that specializes in toyota gears. That way you don't have to buy a bucket of shims to properly set them up, or buy and fab up other tools to do the switch properly. Unless you hammer your equipment, the gear setups should be a once and done job so overhead of doing them yourself may have limited returns.
  3. No idea on spartan lockers :)
 
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Interstates down here in Texas are mostly 75mph. So 65 would drive me bat s***. But you've all convinced me to go with 4.88s and have someone else do them. The lockers I'm still mixed on. Definitely want to do them the same time. Just cringing at the $3k to do them.. :bang:
 
Interstates down here in Texas are mostly 75mph. So 65 would drive me bat s***. But you've all convinced me to go with 4.88s and have someone else do them. The lockers I'm still mixed on. Definitely want to do them the same time. Just cringing at the $3k to do them.. :bang:

I'd keep an eye out on Pirate and other Toyota forums for folks who are changing out lockers. Since the Herrop Eaton locker is gaining attention due to being electrical, ARB air lockers may lose some customers. So, you never know if an ARB is hanging out there for you to grab. I know of one guy in CA who switched from ARB to Herrop Eaton (spell?) so I'm sure he's not unique. Some folks just hate dealing with air compressors, leaking lines, etc. I love ARB air lockers and having OBA is a must for any rigs I own.

But honestly, a locker is MUCH easier to install than R&P. Even though I did my own R&P, I was a nervous wreck during the whole process. It's worth getting it done by a pro. So, you *could* install a locker sometimes in the future after the wallet recovers a bit.

BTW, I drive 75+ as long as I can pull it off until I hit the $!%^&@ hills here in NM/CO. I flog my bitch like she owes me money. BOOYEAH. BTW, I'm on 4.56s and 315s and that's no good for my elevation of 5,000'+. But, I did this swap back when I lived in Chicago, near sea level and not worth re-doing the R&P to 4.88s now that I live in NM.
 

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