I need to re-gear my rig and was thinking about 5.29s. The last couple times I have run trails, the trucks performance has been dissapointing with the stock gears. Is anyone here running 5.29s - thoughts? Performance?
I have searched and read the threads but just wondering about the socal80s bunch.
"Nay" from the main 80s tech section posted a rpm of 2400 at 70mph which I think would be acceptable for me as I dont really drive over that in general. I am also curious about the shift points with the trans and the 5.29s. I haven't seen anyone post about this yet.
4.88's with 35s is perfect. No need for 5.29s unless you plan on running 37s in the future. With 4.88 and 35s you are geared lower then stock the 4.10s and stock tires. So unless you find that in stock form you are not geared low enough there is no need for 5.29. Keep in mind you were on a trail for 1 hour (Holcomb Creek) verses then other 99.999999% of the time you drive the rig on the road. Just my .02$.
I plan on 37s in the future. I understand there is a give and take with the gear selections. Just trying to get some feedback to see which choice is right for me. The truck will not be my DD soon so that will also have some effect on what I choose to go with.
If you do plan on running 37s full time and it's not going to be driven daily I would go with 5.29s. I know one of the editors of Toyota 4WD Owner (Green FZJ 80 Project) is running 5.29 on 35s. You might want to e-mail him and see how he likes it.
It is plenty ok to run 5.29 w/ 35's. It is not as low as it sounds. My preference is 4.88 w/ 35's, but higher elevation, heavier trucks, or towing, 5.29s are fine. No worries about fuel economy, as it wont really put much of a dent in your already so-so mileage.
When I went to 5’s from 4’s on my other truck it helped on the trails a bit but the bigger benefit was on the highway.
For trail performance look into lower tcase gearing or a crawler box. On an 80 that’s not an easy or cheap path but I would personally spend there 1st if it where me for that.
My 35's , 2.5” lift, amour,etc has gotten me where I’ve wanted to go including Moab, Rubicon, etc. My 80 is on the lighter side and the stock 4.10 are manageable for the most part on the highway, but the 80 does struggle at higher elevation, climbing grades and what not. If I where to upgrade I would go with 4.88, I’m not sure I trust the 5.29’s as much if I was wheelin’ hard.
