Hey guys. I've been wheeling my Lexus GX 470 on a few trips now and she did great until I broke the rear ring and pinion. So it's decision time. Do I fix it back stock and take it a little easier on her or upgrade the axle? Keeeping in mind the old gears had 210k miles on them and never been serviced.
Lexus rear axle
- Thread starter Weldin Rod
- Start date
There is some good upgrades but none of them are cheap. Jim suggested an 8.2 from a 2010 FJ cruiser. Haven't found one yet except East Coast Gear. About $3500. But I'm really starting to lean towards not bashing on so much and maybe build another rig later that can be trailered. Don't want to buy a tow rig for the Lexus.
I remember Jim saying something about the next generation 8.2 was basically a bolt in. Sounds like if you could find one of those for a reasonable price, get it, change the oil, and run it.
How bad is the stock diff? Just replace gears or carrier, bearings, etc? Paying someone to set up the new gears?
How bad is the stock diff? Just replace gears or carrier, bearings, etc? Paying someone to set up the new gears?
Yep it's an 8" and the more I read they're ok for light and moderate trails. So the question is what do I want to do with it. Given the fact that my wife is not real fond of the tough trails but loves the camping stuff I might keep it as a overland type rig. But I don't want to miss out on some of the trips. Upgrading the axle and building this trailer will go over my off-road budget for the year and it's only January. Lol!
