gears?

[burnthefurnitur]

I know that some stock 1500s come with 3.73s and 4.10s. My crewcab has 3.23s, which even for 265's aren't enough. Would there be any issues other than like highway gas mileage about spinning that many rpms that should prevent me from running a deep gear with stock size tires?

[GreaseDog]

no, 3.73s or 4.10s would be just fine. i'd probably lean more towards the 4.10s myself.

[burnthefurnitur]

I haven't calculated out what it would be spinning on the highway, i just always keep it below 2000 and the thought of being above that while cruising for me just seems crazy haha. I rarely ever drive more than 200 miles at a time and thats only maybe a couple of times a year, so straight "highway" mileage is not totally a concern but more like 15 mile trips at a time, do you think my city/short interstate trip mpg would go down? I'm ultimately hoping to pick up some in town with more power as well, but I don't want to pay to have it go down

[GreaseDog]

no, the RPM increase is just a couple hundred between those gears. assuming 65 mph, you should be running somewhere in the neighborhood of 1600, stepping up to a 4.10 would only bring you up to the 2000 range. if you do ALOT of in town driving, i might even step up to 4.56s. the more torque multipilication will get the truck moving easier, removing stress from your engine and trans, and probably increasing in town milage, though that step up would bring you up to about 2300 @ 65, so it might cost you a little on the top end. i'm seriously considering going to 4.10s with my 94, and i've got 285s on it with 3.73s.

[AmericanZ71]

interested in this thread also. i am going to be getting 285/75/16 tires later in the winter when my BFG' K/A's are done. Right now they are 265/75/16, 4.10 gears, 1600rpm at 65mph. Should I up my gears for the 285's or keep them at 4.10?

[burnthefurnitur]

Greasedog, I appreciate the info. I guess it all comes down to what people consider "in town" mileage. I consider most all of what I do which includes some 10-15 mile freeway trips in town because they're broken up with red lights along the way etc. Thats where I do most of my driving and with these gears, ethanol, 265 tires, and the towing I frequently do, I'm gassing it all over the place just to get going, feel like I'm tearing up my transmission and only getting like 13-14 mpg. My friend with same tires and 3.73s get like 16-17. I am also considering stuffing some 285's with my daystars and just trimming a little, which would bring down the rpms a little more. With your current setup of 3.73s and 285s, is it a pretty good mix of power/economy or what? What are your current mpgs? The reason I'm mentioning gears now is my 3 yr/36000 mile warranty is about to be up, i'm going in to get them to look at a strange 4l60e noise, and if they fix it I want to make the towing and everything easier on everything, including gas and my wallet if possible.

[GreaseDog]

i've got 3.73s with mine, and it would be great, had i not miscalculated the cam selection, thats the only reason i'm thinking of going to 4.10s.

[burnthefurnitur]

so if I were concerned about revs, 3.73s would roll my truck with 265's pretty well? I know I only want to do it once, but I dont want to overkill either if you know what I mean. If you think 4.10s would be a good choice, I'd be for those too but its just wahtever you think would work better in my situation. the most I tow is about 5k lb boat a couple of times a year.

[GreaseDog]

With your current setup of 3.73s and 285s, is it a pretty good mix of power/economy or what? What are your current mpgs?

powerwise, its great. my cam is a little on the big side as i mentioned in the previous post, and cruising about 45mph it gets down to about 1300, and it feels pretty soggy. BUT the cam doesnt start making power until 1500, so im well below the operating range of the cam... along with the fact that im running a stock tune. the downfalls of the setup are purely my fault, and revolve around the cam. swapping to 4.10s in my case would bring me into the operating range, and it would probably be better. truth be known, i'm probably going to be swapping the cam out. the last 2 times i filled it up it worked out to about 13.5mpg, but i have had several fill ups that were in the 15-16 range. keep in mind though, i'm over cammed/undergeared and not tuned, so they're going to be a little low.

The reason I'm mentioning gears now is my 3 yr/36000 mile warranty is about to be up, i'm going in to get them to look at a strange 4l60e noise, and if they fix it I want to make the towing and everything easier on everything, including gas and my wallet if possible.

gears sound like a good option for you, towing with a 3.23 gear isnt a good idea.

[burnthefurnitur]

gears sound like a good option for you, towing with a 3.23 gear isnt a good idea.

yeah, totally agree with that. I think 3.23s for the pickup itself are way undergeared. I understand they're trying to make the truck economical, but even with those, best highway I ever got was 19 because it still lugged around. My friend again with his 3.73s got 21. I am not going to be doing anything until I get this transmission looked at an my warranty is up and of course I have the money, but I appreciate the help. I am thinking probably 3.73s would be a nice jump up while staying conservative with the revs. I have considered having it done at the dealership to get OEM parts since the local shops around here are having a hard time getting them as a result of the strike, but would there be any problems with using a good aftermarket gear? I know noise is an issue, but my choices locally are either richmond (loud), motive, or OEM. Any recommendations?

[GreaseDog]

jeeze, stop responding while i am will ya!

for alot of stop and go stuff, the 4.10s will do you better. if it were long stretches on the highway, 3.73s might be a little bit better, though the difference isnt much. 4.10s for sure if you're going 285s.

if you're only towing the boat a couple times a year, i wouldnt let that factor in a whole lot on the decision, since its not constant abuse.

my 94 has a brake controller in it, and a built 60E, got a line on another 6 lug 14SF, and i bought load range D tires for a reason. i'm planning on pulling with mine, 7000# trailer/truck combo, probably 20 times in the next year.

[GreaseDog]

I have considered having it done at the dealership to get OEM parts since the local shops around here are having a hard time getting them as a result of the strike, but would there be any problems with using a good aftermarket gear? I know noise is an issue, but my choices locally are either richmond (loud), motive, or OEM. Any recommendations?

IIRC GM gears are made by Richmond. after the research i've done, and the service i got out of Randy's Ring And Pinion ( www.ringpinion.com ) i'm sold on Yukon gears, and their service. i would avoid the dealership for installation though, their labor rates are typically overinflated, due to a higher overhead cost.

[GreaseDog]

i'm done now, you can post in your thread again.

[burnthefurnitur]

Haha, thanks man, I really appreciate the info! I'll keep you updated with what I do.

[buck98]

Ive got 285s with 3.42s right now, and she lugs ALOT. Before with the 265s it wasn't as noticable- alot when towing my dads 6k boat and a 28 foot trailer full of tools for my boss. I couldn't imagine towing either down the highway right now with 285s. With the 265s the thing would barely spin the tires. From what ive heard, 4.10s are optimum for all around perf and for some reason get better economy anywhere from 0-55 range. I have 4.10 motive gears sitting in my pickup with a 93 octane wheatley tune ready to be put in- which should make up for any lost mileage going faster than 65.