Have 3.73...is it worth going to 4.10? or higher?

[Physh1]

I've got my eye on a truetrac & while I'm at it I've been thinking about gears. I have 3.73 stock...is a jump to 4.10 worth it or should I go higher to really gain anything?

Mileage isn't a huge concern but I do a fair amount of highway driving.

I'm on 22's w/ 275/40 rubber...

 

[2000Yukon]

I wouldn't go higher than 4.10's for a daily driver that gets a lot of highway time.

I don't have a lot of experience with gears, but I'm sure someone with more experience will chime in.

 

[Joe1129uscg]

If you do a lot of highway driving it will really decrease your MPG. You will notice a lot more pep off the line though.

 

[hoe]

I've got my eye on a truetrac & while I'm at it I've been thinking about gears. I have 3.73 stock...is a jump to 4.10 worth it or should I go higher to really gain anything?

Mileage isn't a huge concern but I do a fair amount of highway driving.

I'm on 22's w/ 275/40 rubber...

gears do not give you any extra horsepower. Your tires are small. 3.73s are more than enuff, especially since you do alot of highway. I would put the trutrac with the 3.73s, and spend your extra money making more hp.

 

[blueflamed03]

I have 285/50/20's and want 4.10's, heck even 4.56's would 'feel' a ton better. These heavy SUV's would like the added gear, and mainly when your hauling heavy wheels.

 

[andrew383]

Id go 4.30's with the size rims you have...

 

[thehoe92]

I've got 4.56's on my 295/35/24's and its around 2300 RPM at 65mph
contrary to what people think I have gained MPG whether its highway or city

much quicker as well I love my new gears

 

[skyhighsami]

I wouldn't go higher than 4.10's for a daily driver that gets a lot of highway time.

I don't have a lot of experience with gears, but I'm sure someone with more experience will chime in.

Prime example of the observations that led to my sig.


Now, what I've seen is usually an increase from 3.73 to 4.11 would roughly be an increase in gearing advantage of .4 which usually translates to an increase in cruise RPM of around 400. That isn't exact but will ball park you. In my experience it's usually close. I would not swap 3.42 for 3.73 or 3.73 for 4.11. In the past for it to be worth it I'd like an increase of .7 like 3.73 to 4.30 for the expense to be worth it.

---------- Post added at 02:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:06 PM ----------

In the past I've gone from 3.08 to 3.73 2.73 to 3.73 3.08 to 4.11. Worst most disappointing swap was 3.42 to 3.73, that was swapping from a 10 bolt in my Camaro to a 12 bolt I got a smoking deal on. Unless I go fi I will swap out to a 4.30 or 4.56 since it's a 6 speed. Hope that helps

 

[2 E L O]

I totally agree with skyhighsami.

You're running a pretty short tire, only about 30.7" diameter. However, those 22s are pretty heavy compared to the stock 16s or 17s that were on your Tahoe.

Don't bother with 4.10... It will be an improvement, but probably not worth the expense. If you're going to do it, go 4.30s.

Right now with your combo (275/40-22, 3.73s) you should be running about 24 mph at 3,000 rpm in first gear. With 4.10s you would be running about 22 mph at 3,000 rpm in first gear. This means you're getting into your powerband sooner, which means less throttle and likely an INCREASE in fuel mileage. However, this change will be very, very small. Not worth the time or money of swapping gears.

Also, with your current combo you should be running about 2,150 RPM at 75mph. If you would jump to 4.10s, you'd only jump to about 2,350 RPM at 75 mph. That will cause a negligible difference in gas mileage on the highway.

So, upgrading to 4.10s from 3.73s? Not worth it in my opinion. It will be better, but not enough to justify the cost/hassle.

I would, however, recommend upgrading to 4.30s!

In first gear at 3,000 rpm you'd be running just under 21 mph. That's over a 3 mph difference from your current setup...you'll be hitting the powerband much sooner so that means better acceleration and you'll need less throttle to do the same amount of work which SHOULD equate to better fuel economy--if you can keep your foot out of it! Haha!

Also, with 4.30s you'd be running about 2,475 RPM at 75 mph compared to 2,150 RPM currently with 3.73s. If you're doing a whole bunch of high speed interstate driving this will probably hurt your mileage a bit, but I'm not sure how significant the change will be....

 

[skyhighsami]

In my previous experience a .1 change in ratio was usually equivalent to a 100 rpm increase in OD. So I use that as my ballpark