if it were a 22RE, i'd definitely go with the 5.29s. I feel really good about the 4.88s. We'll see how it goes. Worst case scenario, I spend another $800 and re-gear to 5.29s down the road. With how light the truck is (regular cab, no winch, plastic frong bumper, lightweight motor, no real weight) I should be ok. I'm excited to see how it does. One thing is for sure, this engine feels like it has twice the power of my old 22RE.
With the 3rz I feel that the 4.88s are going to be best for highway driving. I have a civic as a DD, so this truck will mainly be used for long distance camping trips. So it'll see 90% of its life on the highway between here and Moab, St. George, the Swell, rubicon, CO, AZ, etc.