Trail Creeper Ring & Pinion

(5.29:1 / 8" High Pinion)

We recommend a two-step cure to the loss of performance from adding larger tires to your 4WD. First, bolt on some more power with our performance products. Second, change the final drive ratio back to stock, or even better, to a little lower final drive ratio for added performance. Trail-Creeper gears are made from tool-grade 8620 steel and heat-treated for maximum strength and wear resistance. The gear teeth are cut using Gleason CNC hobbing machines & cutters. Gleason gear-cutting technology produces an unprecedented level of accuracy and surface finish, which allows the gears to transmit more torque and improve fuel efficiency. The higher accuracy and surface finish also produces a quieter-running gear set, which means they’ll work great on the daily driver too.

What gear ratio do I need?

Differential Gear Ratio determines the number of times the drive shaft (or pinion) will rotate for each turn of the wheels (or ring gear). So if you have a 3.73:1 gear ratio the drive shaft turns 3.73 times for every turn of the wheel. Gear ratio is calculated by dividing the number of teeth on the ring gear by the number of teeth on the pinion gear. The higher the number, the lower the ratio: a 5.29 gear has a lower ratio than a 4.10 gear. With a lower gear ratio the drive shaft (and thus the engine) turns more for each revolution of the wheel, delivering more power and torque to the wheel for any given speed. Lower ratios are generally desirable when going off-road. Higher ratios are better for freeway driving since they run at lower RPM’s and offer better fuel economy.

Changing tire size affects the final drive ratio. Switching from a 30" tire to a 35" tire changes the final drive ratio by about 17%. This may drop the engine out of its' "power band" and result in poor performance and fuel economy. To restore performance you must change the gear ratio to compensate for the change in tire size. If you originally had 3.07 gears you need a ratio that is approximately 17% lower, such as 3.55. If you want to increase off-road performance you might want a 4.10 or lower ratio. On Toyota trucks we recommend 4.88's for 33" tires and 5.29 for 35" and larger.

NOTE: Will only work with the following differential kits, see Part #: 2054022.

Contact our Tech Support Line for further information at 928-575-2174.

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