Topic: 87 4runner what gears and lockers to run.

[4runner4x4]

hey guys i am finally at the point where i am going to do gears and locker install on my 87 4runner. i am running ifs in the front for the moment tire is a 31x10.5x15 bfg km2. i do a lot of street and highway driving as it is my daily driver and weekend toy she has a new 22re i am thinking 4.88 will be the best ratio overall. where i am stuck is the locker i am going with in the rear. of course everyone wants ARB but i just dont want to shell that out while i am still ifs. what would be your recommendations for something that will be tough enough off road but wont eat my tires on the streets.

[daniresch]

TRD E-locker is the next best alternative to ARB, you'll have to modify your axle housing. You find most elockers with 4.30 gears, which is a little better than 4.10.

[immi.jfreeman]

I love my ARB. It's a simple install as far as the switches, hoses and compressor go. Most places sell whole 3rd members with the locker installed in whatever​ ratio you want. IFS up front won't matter your rear axle is all it's gonna be or needs to be.  The rear axle  in my 82 came from an 87 4runner. 5:29s with an ARB. It's the only part of my drive train I don't worry about. Just make sure at install the internal air line is clear of the ring gear. (That's experience speaking). My 2 cents.

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[epantano]

I really prefer to go selectable (elocker or Arb). But I hear a lot of good things about Eaton lockers or Detroit for the rear. I wouldn't recommend them if you have lots of snow/ice in your area. But otherwise they are great on road if your aren't heavy on the throttle. They stay open if you drive light.

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[knucklebuster]

Really depends what you want to do and what your final goal is. I planned on staying with 33s and ifs long travel for fireroading and exploring, so i geared to 4.88s with a detroit in the back. The Detroit road manners are great, no parking lot tire squeals and it just works well. If you are going to turn it into a crawler eventually go with 5.29 and be done.

My 4runner did fine on 33s with 4.10s, it was just way better on 4.88s and the same tires. I ran a aussi front (7.5) before and it did really well off road, it sucked on icy slick roads though. You can get the lunchbox lockers pretty cheap (aussi,zip,locrite) and they aren't to hard to install yourself either. Im a bargain hunting cheapskate so if i had to do it over I'd probably look for a elocker because you can find em pretty cheap sometimes.

Where ya located?
I just sawzalled my ifs off due to a bent frame (car wreck) and have a 7.5 front 4.88 and basicly everything to lift the front about 3-4 inches- bj spacers and saw torsion bars ill make you a heck of a deal if you could come haul it all away.. i keep forgetting to make a for sale ad over here.

[Snowtoy]

4.88's will be a little tall for the 31's, 4.56 was oem gearing when Toyota first offered the 31" tire package, but shouldn't be too tall in the short term, and will allow you to run 32's until you decide if you want to run 33's.  You can pick up oem rear 3rds and front sections used for around $200 each, as well as the factory 4.87 equipped diffs and front sections, though not sure if the oem 4.87 rear will accept a locker, I know you can't run taller gears in them.  If you think you might go with some 33's in the near future, I would go with 4.88's and run 32's with your next set, can squeeze them in w/o a lift, and would be a little better for cruising rpms.

An ARB in the rear will be fine, works the same for an IFS as a SA rig.  I run them in both of my rigs, one is set up for expedition wheeling, the other for rocks, both still IFS.  If you want to run a front locker, an ARB will be a better choice for highway 4wd situations, and wont stress the cv's as much off road as it will be always open when it's not needed.

With where you are at with your rig, I would opt for a selectable for the rear and leave the front open for now, you may find you don't need anything more than the rear locker.

[4runner4x4 [OP]]

excuse me  guys i typed in this situation incorrect. i have 33" tall tires not 31". i am thinking detroit in the rear and open in the front.

[blackdiamond]

I ran 4.88 gears with 33 inch tires on my 85 truck and it worked great.  I think 5.29 would be too much gear for 33 inch tires and 4.88 work great with 35 inch tires if you ever go bigger.  I highly recommend a Detroit for the rear.  It doesn't click like the other automatic lockers like the Aussie locker do.  Unless you're always driving on snow and ice I think you'd be ok, especially with an open front differential.  Obviously, a working selectable locker is the utopian dream, but the Detroit locker is the ultimate for reliability.  I run a Detroit locker in the rear and an Aussie locker in the front (SAS with original Longfield axles) and they have never let me down.  The front automatic locker is where it gets scary on slick roads in 4wd...

[blackdiamond]

If I was starting over from the beginning, I would find myself an elocker on Craigslist or similar, you just can't beat the price for what you get. I don't like the Eaton e-locker because it unlocks in reverse for practically half a tire rotation. I've never had a Detroit but they seem to work well, I just like to be in control. 4.88 are perfect for 33s but if I had a daily driver ifs weekend warrior I would step down to 32s to make the 22re happier then you could buy an elocker, keep the gears it came with and match the gearing up front. The 22re really loses high end torque with every increase in tire size, gears help but there is still a loss of performance overall.

On my 85 I ran 32s without an issue with the stock 4.10 gearing, but when I went to 33s it forced me to re-gear almost immediately.  32s with an e-locker and a single 4.70 t-case would make for a really capable mild wheeler.

[blackdiamond]

and could still climb a grade on the freeway without downshifting into 3rd

It all depends on where that grade is!  I got pulled down into 2nd gear on east bound Vail pass and the tunnel approach in Colorado.  Not much faster than the big rigs were going...

[green200b]

i am thinking detroit in the rear and open in the front.

That is what I currently run in my '82 and it is quite nice to drive on the road. I would highly recommend a Detroit Locker for the rear,  I really like mine.

[85Buckett]

We could go round and round on this topic for months it's truly personal preference.

Here's my .02

 For a Daily Driver rear axle and weekend wheeler with small tires 35' and down I would not Hesitate to run "lunch box" lockers. Are there disadvantages yes, tire squealing, clicking and the occasional pop.  Can you mitigate this? Sure, throttle through corners.  Advantages relative low cost and most people with basic hand tools can install them.

 My personal experience with them has been good overall.  I've had them in a few vehicles over the years on both the rear and front ends..  I currently have one in my 85 on the steering axle and it's not great to steer when its locked, but there are a lot of other things going on that contribute to that (double low and a rear spool leads to drive-line bind, push pull steering,  34'' super swampers).

Selectable lockers are awesome hands down no doubt that's why Toyota, Jeep, Nissan etc manufacture vehicles with them standard.  For the average wheeler though it will cost you triple compared to a "lunch box" locker.

For a front locker for the 4 wheeling trips you are describing I do not think it's even worth it. 

Gearing  My brother and I are both running 4:56 gears.  Again this was a cost saving decision as there are plenty  Toyota 7.5 & 8''differentials in 4:56 out there floating around in good shape.  My brothers runs 32'' TSLs on his 86 22RE (IFS).  It's no speed demon but it  works.  I have 4:56s in my 85 22R with 34'' TSLs, the truck is a slug, but it's mostly off road and a back roads driver.  With Dual cases the 4:56s are plenty with 34's.  Keep in mind these are both motors that were built 30 years ago and haven't been rebuilt so they are tired.  To do it over again with out a concern for money 4:88s would be the way to go but if money were no issue i wouldn't have a 85 rust bucket.

[Skye]

To bad the ox locker wont work for toys. I would prefer Arbs
why do toys only have select ratios? 4.10 4.56 etc? I wish they made a 6.17 so I can run huge tire
Anyhow, 4.30 or 4.56 would be fine

[DevilDogDoc]

I'm running a Detroit in my 87 with 4.88's and 33's. Perfect! Had a spartan in the back of of the 95 I had, locked up great but banged and clanked a lot more than the Detroit. Maybe the Spartan was tighter when I installed it, only ran it a few weeks before I sold it so maybe it would get better. Detroit is pretty invisible on the street.

[blackdiamond]

I'm running a Detroit in my 87 with 4.88's and 33's. Perfect! Had a spartan in the back of of the 95 I had, locked up great but banged and clanked a lot more than the Detroit. Maybe the Spartan was tighter when I installed it, only ran it a few weeks before I sold it so maybe it would get better. Detroit is pretty invisible on the street.

The Detroit has some additional plates that keep it from banging like the lunchbox style lockers. Otherwise the basic mechanism is the same.