Forgive My Ignorance... 5 Speed vs 4 Speed

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Land Cruiser Junky

Land Cruiser Junky

10 Year 15 Year 20 Year
Joined
May 10, 2004
Threads
39
Messages
1,202
Location
Tennessee
Hey guys, I'm running the stock 4 speed in my '84 FJ60 and am wondering what the real advantages are if I switch over to a 5 speed. My 60 is my daily driver and I put anywhere from 70-200 miles a day on it, mostly freeway miles. I'm happy with the 4 speed and the way the vehicle is set up and am planning on driving it for a long time. I was wondering if the swap would really be worth it. I've heard some guys on other threads who are singing praises of their 5 speeds but their numbers seemed the same as mine. I would have asked there but didn't want to hijack their thread. So what's the advantage and is it worth the cost?

I have a strong running rebuilt 2F with about 30,000 miles on it. I cruise at 65 MPH with the tach at 3,000 RPMs, 70 MPH at 3,200 RPMs, and 75 MPH at 3,500 RPM, and I don't really need to go any faster than that. I can also take some pretty steep long hills at 70 MPH with my foot in it without slowing down. I'd appreciate your opinions. Thanks.
 
The H55 is a great trans. I have one in my 85 w/ 4:11s 33s strong rebuilt 2F. However - around town the H55 requires lots of shifting. The stock 87 I had was really more comfortable to drive around town and I think the Japanese knew what they were doing when they gave us the 4spds. Really both tranny's are very good but the 5 speed does shine on the fwy, letting you cruise under 2500 rpms (2200 the way I drive :hillbilly:). The low first gear is also nice off road. Would I do it again? At today's prices for an H55f, prolly not... Talk to Mark A. about it, he has lots to say on the subject, mainly, $2200 buys a lot of gas!
 
I've got a 5 speed in my 86 with 31"s at the moment and 3.73 gears in the diff. I can cruise down the highway at 70 at about 2500 RPM 75 is about 2800 or so and I don't take it much beyond that. Very rarely do I ever get above 3K which would put me about 80 or 85 MPH. There was one trip I some how managed to squeeze 17 or 18 MPG out of it but it was a one time fluke. I normally get about 15-16 on the highway. the granny 1st is really nice off road too and I've have to tow a few cars here and there short distances and it's really nice there too.
I tried out a set of 35"s as well for a week or so and I could run 70 at about 2100 RPM if I remember right. hills killed me though haha
 
Man if you're doing 200 mile a day get a 5 speed and enjoy the fuel consumption as well as the lower engine noise. 5th gear is a overdrive so you will still need to drop her back a kog if you want to sail over the hills.
 
Last edited:
In my hj60 the 5 speed is fun but with bigger tires (32x11.50 r15 113R m+s lt) the gap between 4 and 5 is a lot (with cold engine I dont want to overrev)
Small tires 16 inch set: 205 r16 104s makes it drive better when acceleraring, and splitrim tires are more comfort with potholes.

I have quit using the landcruiser as a daily driver (now a 3 cilinder 1L:22km :eek: ) but with a trailer dont use 5 th gear, I would be to lazy to replace it all, if it was broken maybe while your there?

In 4x4 low the 1st gear is great for slow crawling but compare the boxes first.
Gear 1=4.84
Gear 2=2.62
Gear 3=1.52
Gear 4=1.00 DIRECT gear!
Gear 5=0.85 overdrive 15%
Transfer H high=1.0
Transfer L low=1.96
 
Land Cruiser Junky said:
I have a strong running rebuilt 2F with about 30,000 miles on it. I cruise at 65 MPH with the tach at 3,000 RPMs, 70 MPH at 3,200 RPMs, and 75 MPH at 3,500 RPM, and I don't really need to go any faster than that. I can also take some pretty steep long hills at 70 MPH with my foot in it without slowing down. I'd appreciate your opinions. Thanks.
Click to expand...

These RPM's are pretty high for the amount of miles you put on it. Making a pokey 2f live the majority of it's life above 3,000 just seems kind of cruel :eek:

Worth the cost of gas? Probably not. The main motivation for me would be reduced noise and mechanical empathy.
 
Two advantages to the H55.
1. As mentioned above, 5th gear would drop the cruise RPM to a reasonable level (3000RPM is way past best BSFC RPM).
2. H55 has a 4.8 1st gear, vs 3.6 1st gear in H42, for better 4wheeling and starting away from a redlight when loaded heavy & pointed up hill.

Disadvantages to the H55 are balky shifting, and bigger spreads between gears.
 
Figure about $6000 if you source out the job and do all the bells and whistles while in there. On your 84 you will require drive shaft length changes, a new transfer shift linkage, (this will leave a hole in the carpet as the transfer shift will be back about 3.5 inches. So new front carpet) Possible rear crossmember mods. Clutch and rear main seal a good choice while it is all apart. Flywheel resurface. Changed the oil pan gasket too. Different shifter than the 4 speed. Georg at Valley Hybrids just did mine and it is sweet. I have 4.88s so I never use 1st gear on flat surface to get moving. But the overdrive allows me to stay at 2500 RPM at about 65 MPH which is all the faster I need to go. 2f like 2500 RPM but not much more for extended periods. Mine is heavier than stock with mods so the gear ranging with the 4.88 seems to work well vs the 4 speed.
 
Best upgrade I ever did to my cruiser. Better than the suspension, better than the knuckle rebuild. I was skeptical going into it as well. I wasnt sure how it would perform on the highway, or around town.

Bottom line: With a 5 speed, your 60 is a different car. I find 4th gear is just a powerhouse "all purpose" sort of gear, and highway cruising has been a breeze with the 5 speed. Coupled with my soon-to-be 12HT diesel, I shouldn't be delegated to life in the right lane any longer!!!!

My average gear settings based on speed (to provide some reference)

1st gear= 0-10mph
2nd gear= 10-25mph
3rd gear= 25-40mph
4th gear= 35-65mph
5th gear= 60-80mph (Iv never had the RPMS go over 2,5000 even at 80mph. Overdrive is great)

Pictures and write up of the 5 speed swap on my thread (bellow in signature)
 
This info is exactly what I was looking for, thanks. The RPM numbers here are much lower than one ones in the last thread I read a few weeks back, and I'm not at all worried about making up the cost difference in the gas I save. The lower RPMs (I do keep it around 3000, sometimes 3200) and reduced noise along with the lower first gear is enough for me. I'll give Georg a call, he's one top notch guy and I've always respected him.
 
Bear Lake Cruiser said:
Figure about $6000 if you source out the job and do all the bells and whistles while in there.
Click to expand...
Sorry for the thread hijack, but this reminded me of a question I have been trying to answer for awhile. Bear Lake say $6k to do 4spd to 5spd conversion, sourcing it all out. So anybody have an estimate if I dropped off my 62 somewhere and said "please put an H55 in it."? I've seen all the threads with people doing this themselves, but I don't have the space, or frankly the time and know how, to do it myself and I've never seen anybody post a price on something like this. I'm guessing its about $4k to $4.5k for the parts (?), but how much would the labor run? I gotta know how much apologizing to my wife I'm going to have to do. :rolleyes:
 
sdcanine99 said:
Sorry for the thread hijack, but this reminded me of a question I have been trying to answer for awhile. Bear Lake say $6k to do 4spd to 5spd conversion, sourcing it all out. So anybody have an estimate if I dropped off my 62 somewhere and said "please put an H55 in it."? I've seen all the threads with people doing this themselves, but I don't have the space, or frankly the time and know how, to do it myself and I've never seen anybody post a price on something like this. I'm guessing its about $4k to $4.5k for the parts (?), but how much would the labor run? I gotta know how much apologizing to my wife I'm going to have to do. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

The H55 itself is about 2,500-3,000 (Thats what I payed for mine a couple months ago).
Labor really depends on who you take it to. Cruiser professionals will charge more, but you'll probably get better work. If you had an 87 FJ60, I bet you could get it done for 3,000 or so as it bolts right in. But with a 62, converting from auto to manual takes a fair amount of modification and parts finding. Depending on your location you could have different access to various cruiser mechanics.

Being in california is definitely an advantage. Shop around, 6k seems a bit steep.
If i were you, go to the sticky thread "cruiser mechanics listed by state" and call up the guys in your area for quotes.

good luck!!
 
My 60 has a H55, 4.11's and 33's. The low 1st is real nice off road. I rarely use 5th unless highway driving because unless you are running steady 60+ speeds it is gutless on grades. That would be much worse with 3.73's. It allows me to run good speeds at comfortable rpm's on the highway. If you do a lot of highway driving it will save a good bit of gas money otherwise not worth it IMO.
 
What????? H55 for 3000 US Dollars??? That's a robbery! Here you can find one in good condition for 200-800 €uro (270-1100USD), with transfer box included. But yea, we have those laying everywhere you go so.. maybe there is the difference.
 
HoJo 61 said:
What????? H55 for 3000 US Dollars??? That's a robbery! Here you can find one in good condition for 200-800 €uro (270-1100USD), with transfer box included. But yea, we have those laying everywhere you go so.. maybe there is the difference.
Click to expand...

I was thinking $2,500 for a NEW H55 direct from the manufacturer. Thats how I got mine.
 
Its not purely a math exercise...because you'll be driving a long time.. The 5 speed simply makes hwy driving a little less stressful in the sense of lower RPMs and or a littlle higher cruising speed. The OD is not that deep on the 5speed, but its certainly better than just 4 gears.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom