Hi all!
In September I had Nitro 4.88 gears installed in my 2008 200-series after debating this mod's necessity for nearly nine years. The tl;dr version: I should have done this MUCH sooner. The difference is night and day.
Before I begin I'd like to thank Carl (@justdifferentials) with JT's Parts & Accessories, the distributor of Nitro Gear & Axle for convincing me to do this upgrade. Also, Zuk (@gearinstalls.com) of Toyota Gear Installs for all his hard work rebuilding both 3rds. As it happens, Zuk and I are practically neighbors (less than 10 minutes away). I believe he is going to have a write-up soon, however I will post a link to a folder with all the photos. Lastly, Eric (@murf) of Camelback Toyota for the install and coordination. All of these people have been top-notch to deal with and I'd highly recommend them.
It should be noted that I did the 4.88 gears, front ARB locker, diff drop, and rebuild of the existing ARB rear locker simultaneously. I will note that I have not really used the front locker yet, but one thing I should state is, there is a noticeable difference in turning by having an open front vs. the previous LSD. When turning prior, even at 5 mph in a parking lot, the outer tire would squeal causing people to turn heads. The open diff corrected this! A small side benefit I guess
The reason for my holding off on the gear upgrade for so long (all the other mods were done between 2008-2010) was, in talking with others, the sentiment was that the 200 series had "enough power" and didn't really benefit from gears with less than 35" tires. I can't stress this couldn't be further from the truth. I learned this the hard way while on a 1,000 mile round trip drive pulling a lightweight trailer the month prior. I was averaging 6 mph and filled up 4 times in 500 miles! I barely could get out of 3rd gear at 60 mph, and noticed my IAT was 60°F hotter than ambient (using ScanGauge). I was also running about 13.2:1 AFR at times, most likely due to the engine trying to stay cool.
I had the gears installed the week prior to a road trip to California. What a difference! I usually average 10-11 MPG (this from the cars computer, which is off due to tire size). On this trip I was averaging 14-15. At 80 MPH (my typical cruising speed) I was finally able to hold 6th gear and rarely did it drop to 5th for power climbing hills. Before, I typically wouldn't even get into 6th and many times drop to 4th on hills.
It should be noted that (as it was explained to me) the LC200 uses wheel sensors to measure speed. As such, the gear install DOES NOT correct the speedometer or fuel economy readings.
Also, gone were those 60°F IAT deltas -- I'm back to a pretty consistent 10°F (while cruising)! Most likely this is due, in part, to higher RPMs which results in pulling in more air.
Put simply, daily driving is much more enjoyable. Passing on the highway, acceleration from red lights, climbing hills, etc. -- there's always more power in the same gear than before. Someone in another thread explained it as "it's like you're driving in a gear lower all the time." This is probably the best explanation I can give. My 6th gear is what my 5th used to be and so on. No longer am I always hunting for the right gear.
The ONLY downside is that with an aftermarket Magnaflow muffler (which admittedly is smaller [louder] than it should be), there is more drone at 2200 RPMs than there was before. I assume this is due to an increase in airflow absent load on the engine. It's minor, but should be noted if you have an aftermarket exhaust.
In speaking with Carl, I told him I was going to grab some metrics for this review. He stated that "it's more in the feel than the numbers", which I admittedly debated (I'm a numbers guy). All I can say is -- he was right. The empirical data shows a promising increase, but you'd really have to drive it before and after to understand the difference gears make -- even with as much power as the 200-series had. It feels like I gained back most (not all) the performance I lost when I decided to slap an additional 800 lbs all around the vehicle.
On to some numbers:
BEFORE AND AFTER @ 60 MPH:
BEFORE AND AFTER @ 80 MPH:
Notice that I am holding 5th gear at 80 mph in that second to last photo, whereas after I was able to hold 6th gear.
I think the only last thing I can say is -- if you have a 200-series with additional weight, are running larger tires, and have not re-geared...DO IT! I waited far too long and would have saved the amount I spent in fuel over the years by doing this upgrade sooner. You will not be disappointed. Oh, and throw some lockers in there too while you're at it
I will leave you with a final video of a before and after 0-60 and 0-80 pull. Here were my times:
0-60
BEFORE: 9:56
AFTER: 8:48
IMPROVEMENT: 1:08 (11.41%)
0-80
BEFORE: 16:28
AFTER: 14:42
IMPROVEMENT: 1:46 (10.73%)
Enjoy
In September I had Nitro 4.88 gears installed in my 2008 200-series after debating this mod's necessity for nearly nine years. The tl;dr version: I should have done this MUCH sooner. The difference is night and day.
Before I begin I'd like to thank Carl (@justdifferentials) with JT's Parts & Accessories, the distributor of Nitro Gear & Axle for convincing me to do this upgrade. Also, Zuk (@gearinstalls.com) of Toyota Gear Installs for all his hard work rebuilding both 3rds. As it happens, Zuk and I are practically neighbors (less than 10 minutes away). I believe he is going to have a write-up soon, however I will post a link to a folder with all the photos. Lastly, Eric (@murf) of Camelback Toyota for the install and coordination. All of these people have been top-notch to deal with and I'd highly recommend them.
It should be noted that I did the 4.88 gears, front ARB locker, diff drop, and rebuild of the existing ARB rear locker simultaneously. I will note that I have not really used the front locker yet, but one thing I should state is, there is a noticeable difference in turning by having an open front vs. the previous LSD. When turning prior, even at 5 mph in a parking lot, the outer tire would squeal causing people to turn heads. The open diff corrected this! A small side benefit I guess
The reason for my holding off on the gear upgrade for so long (all the other mods were done between 2008-2010) was, in talking with others, the sentiment was that the 200 series had "enough power" and didn't really benefit from gears with less than 35" tires. I can't stress this couldn't be further from the truth. I learned this the hard way while on a 1,000 mile round trip drive pulling a lightweight trailer the month prior. I was averaging 6 mph and filled up 4 times in 500 miles! I barely could get out of 3rd gear at 60 mph, and noticed my IAT was 60°F hotter than ambient (using ScanGauge). I was also running about 13.2:1 AFR at times, most likely due to the engine trying to stay cool.
I had the gears installed the week prior to a road trip to California. What a difference! I usually average 10-11 MPG (this from the cars computer, which is off due to tire size). On this trip I was averaging 14-15. At 80 MPH (my typical cruising speed) I was finally able to hold 6th gear and rarely did it drop to 5th for power climbing hills. Before, I typically wouldn't even get into 6th and many times drop to 4th on hills.
It should be noted that (as it was explained to me) the LC200 uses wheel sensors to measure speed. As such, the gear install DOES NOT correct the speedometer or fuel economy readings.
Also, gone were those 60°F IAT deltas -- I'm back to a pretty consistent 10°F (while cruising)! Most likely this is due, in part, to higher RPMs which results in pulling in more air.
Put simply, daily driving is much more enjoyable. Passing on the highway, acceleration from red lights, climbing hills, etc. -- there's always more power in the same gear than before. Someone in another thread explained it as "it's like you're driving in a gear lower all the time." This is probably the best explanation I can give. My 6th gear is what my 5th used to be and so on. No longer am I always hunting for the right gear.
The ONLY downside is that with an aftermarket Magnaflow muffler (which admittedly is smaller [louder] than it should be), there is more drone at 2200 RPMs than there was before. I assume this is due to an increase in airflow absent load on the engine. It's minor, but should be noted if you have an aftermarket exhaust.
In speaking with Carl, I told him I was going to grab some metrics for this review. He stated that "it's more in the feel than the numbers", which I admittedly debated (I'm a numbers guy). All I can say is -- he was right. The empirical data shows a promising increase, but you'd really have to drive it before and after to understand the difference gears make -- even with as much power as the 200-series had. It feels like I gained back most (not all) the performance I lost when I decided to slap an additional 800 lbs all around the vehicle.
On to some numbers:
BEFORE AND AFTER @ 60 MPH:
BEFORE AND AFTER @ 80 MPH:
Notice that I am holding 5th gear at 80 mph in that second to last photo, whereas after I was able to hold 6th gear.
I think the only last thing I can say is -- if you have a 200-series with additional weight, are running larger tires, and have not re-geared...DO IT! I waited far too long and would have saved the amount I spent in fuel over the years by doing this upgrade sooner. You will not be disappointed. Oh, and throw some lockers in there too while you're at it
I will leave you with a final video of a before and after 0-60 and 0-80 pull. Here were my times:
0-60
BEFORE: 9:56
AFTER: 8:48
IMPROVEMENT: 1:08 (11.41%)
0-80
BEFORE: 16:28
AFTER: 14:42
IMPROVEMENT: 1:46 (10.73%)
Enjoy
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