educate me on gears guys

[tybardy]

As I was recently told... its back to the drawing board... and more power is the goal!

How much power can be gained by re-gearing these trucks? I dont even know what gear ratio my truck runs now (04 z71 5.3) but I remember my brothers '72 short bed ran like a rapped ape on fire and the only shit he ever did to it was re-gear the thing.

 

[blueflamed03]

find out what gears you have, and how tall your tires are. The VIN shoudl indicate gears, and tire size will dictate height.

Say you have factory 3.73's with a 28" tall tire. You go throw on 31" tall tires, your 3.73 gears are closer to a finaly ratio of 3.40's. Great for highway, stinks on take off city driving. So change tire height, want more low end, get steer (higher aspect) gears like 4.10, or 4.56's. BUT, with this, your highway RPM's will be higher. Taking the lugging off your engine, undergeared, but may loose some fuel economy.

I ahve 3.42 factory gears, now 31" 285/50/20 tires (31") and I really need 4.10 gears to get more around town zip.
Gears can be had for under $200, get an installation kit, about $85 and install is usually $200-$300 to set them up properly.

You won't gain HP, but you gain seat of the pants power, and much betetr acceleration.

 

[YNOT]

I wouldn't waste my money going from 3:73 to 4:10, gear install isn't cheap at most shops. If you have 3:42's then going 4:10's would be more worth it.

You probably have 3:73's because it's a Z71 that comes with 31.6" tires.

 

[blueflamed03]

yep, I bet it's 3.73's factory...and agree, unless doing 4.56's, don't waste.

 

[tybardy]

DAMN!

back to the ******* drawing board again!

 

[blueflamed03]

LOL...make sure you have 3.73's first...IF you have 3.42's, 4.10's will REALLY wake it up.

 

[tybardy]

I do a TON of highway miles each week, like 400 highway miles a week... how bad would that wreck my MPG's?

 

[Max]

Get some smaller tires dude. Going from 32" tires to a 30.5" tire really helped me off the line. Just stack your loot for a blower and do a mild build on the trans in the meantime.

 

[chistoso]

I've got a set of Eaton 4:56's sitting on the shelf ready for install. One of the few mods I'll be doing write ups on once the weather cools down..

 

[BlackDenali]

Don't forget you'll have to get 2 sets of gears due to your 4x4!!!!

 

[iwaslowr]

Don't forget you'll have to get 2 sets of gears due to your 4x4!!!!

x2

How about a higher stall converter instead of gear change? Improve off the line performance but still have the gearing for highway cruising and decent MPG?

 

[WoldD90]

I have 4.10's in my Yukon... It is great for towing, but not great for gas mileage. I average 10MPG around town and 12.9MPG on the hwy. Sometimes, if I really really try, I can get 14MPH. I also have the 6.0 engine.

It all comes down to what you are looking to do. I would put money into HP and Torque, not gears. If you are trying to turn your truck into a sports car, just get a sports car.

 

[blueflamed03]

Supercharger is alot fo money, and changing gears makes sense if you have aftermarket height tires, IF it makes sense. You have a 6000 lb. XL 2500 series with 6.0 is why your gas mileage is so low.
I've seen Yukons and Tahoes running 13's, now that's more impressive than a car going 11's.

Gears is just another equation, to help in HP and TQ. While not adding to the actual power, it's the formula that equates it.

 

[J-Will]

i just picked up a set of 3.73 for my ta for 180$ out the door. bearings, crush washer and shims n shit are bout 70 bucks around here. the install is going to be free! do it yourself. its always better to know about your truck. instead of paying somebody else to learn how to do it

 

[blueflamed03]

possibly, but the GM need backlash setup, or you'll have excessive wear, and noise.