When I swapped in my 16v 1.6L motor & pulled a tranny out of the only 88.5 Samurai that I had here on the farm so that I'd have a higher 5th gear if I went with lower R&P gears. Well, let me guess...it's the PRE-88.5 that has the higher 5th gear.?? At 55 MPH I'm running like 3500 RPM
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What gears are you using (R&P)?

4k at 65 for me, I've got an 88.5 (unknown tranny though).

4.10:1 Toyota

i have herd that it is about $100 in parts to swap to the other gear ratio

Where/how did you get your 55mph measurement?

You guessed it. The '86-'88 models had the higher 5th gear.

Well, the speedo says I'm doing around 45 or so then I was driving on a road that the speed limit was 50 MPH behind a car that seemed to be doing the speed limit. I can judge speed pretty well.

Use your GPS, wB.

~daxe

86-88 5th gear ratio is 0.795:1
88.5+ 5th gear ratio is 0.865:1

In other words, you'll be turning fewer RPMs in 5th gear with an early transmission than with a later transmission. The difference is worth about 300rpm at the same highway speed.

I don't know which transfer case you have, but assuming you have the stock one with a 1.41:1 high range and the stock 26 inch tall tires with those 4.10 gears, you'll be turning 3267RPM at 55mph with the early transmission, or 3554RPM at 55mph with the late transmission.

-- Geoff Beasley