OK,

With the 2.7L and a 5 speed, I'd opt for the 5.29's.

That said, they are more prone to failure than the other ratios. Some might argue otherwise, but from my personal experiance, and that of the AZ hardcore wheelers I know personally from the BTG club, it's been shown to be true over and over. Those that continue to run Toy axles have gone back to 4.1:1 R/P for there strength, but most have switched to D60's

Ratio Ring Gear - Pinion Teeth
4.56 41-9
4.88 39-8
5.29 37-7

As this shows, with each step lower, the pinion head gets smaller (less teeth). In my '87 trail rig, I've broken or otherwise destroyed 5 sets of gears since 2001 - all were 5.29's. Three of these failed because of heat from bad setups or crush rings that colasped after being hammered on the flange, but in two the pinion broke or chipped. One set failed in the front w/ a Detroit Locker, the other in the rear w/ a spool. If I had it to do again for the BPOS, I'd run 4.56's and 4:1 in the rear case of the Marlin setup to get the lower gearing.

As noted above, if the R/P aren't set up properly, they will fail - sooner than later...

Find a reputable shop that WILL stand behind there install. Toy thirds are very, very touchy on setup, and must be done correctly. It takes time and patients to get it right, even for an experianced installer.

Later

Later