Since moving to the taller 255/85R16 tire, my gearing has been way off. I was always dropping out of fifth gear
on the highway and the power was just gone when in 4wd. My buddy Brian DeArmon helped me install a new gearset over
Christmas 2006.
I bought Yukon gears from Randy's Ring and Pinion for the rear and their cheaper house brand for the front
because they were out of Yukon for the front. I only bought the minimum install kits and in retrospect, I should have bought
the full master kits and changed the bearings and races. The wear wasn't bad, but we were already in there and should have just
done it. Live and learn I guess.
A few things to consider for Tacoma owners if you do gears yourself:
- Make sure to get the new companion flange for the rear since the spline count changes on the pinion shaft
- Get full master install kits
- Make sure that the front kit comes with side shims
- Buy new locking plates from the dealer for the ring gear bolts, just to be safe
- Be patient and have lots of beer on hand...
Thoughts on the 4.88s so far...
I do have my power back, but the highway mileage is bad now. If I stay at 65-70mph I am getting upwards of 17-18mpg,
but any faster and the truck is drinking the fuel. I think 4.56s would have been closer to stock, but I like the extra power. The
speedometer is now 9-10 mph fast, I'm looking into an aftermarket tool to fix that.
| A few photos... | ||||||
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| Here is the front diff draining | Comparing the new and old ring gear for the front | |||||
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| All the parts for the front are clean and ready to go back in | Checking the backlash on the front | |||||
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| Last step, checking the pattern, not bad | ||||||
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| Now for the rear, have to first pull the axles | Third member out | |||||
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| Empty rear diff | Checking the backlash on the rear | |||||
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| And the pattern | ||||||