ok guys is it just me or are my friends really crazy? two of my friends swap there gears and claimed their trucks was alot faster, both have 2000 rcsb silverados, one with a 5.3, intake , exhaust, superchips, had 4.11s then swaped to 3.42s. said it was way faster, the other has a 4.8, intake , exhaust, diablo tuner, 3.73s, swaped to 3.42s also cause he listened to our buddy.


so is it just me or are they crazy? or does 3.42s actually help? im runnin 4.11's now and have a set of 3.42s i can get for cheap but dont want to unless itd help, from what i know of gears 4.11s are great for my plans for the truck. anyone got opinions?????

 

They are crazy, stick with what you have.

 

+1 only real way to know is if they track tested both the set ups.. Keep what ya got..

 

Well sure it makes sense, if their motors are stock they have better low and midrange thus being better matches to the final drive ratio. I would never recommend gears without the proper camshaft and engine combo to match. Putting low gears on a bone stock truck is a waste IMO.

 

could help on the freeway at 70mph but from a dig? no way!

 

thats what i was thinking. glad to know im not the crazy one lol

 

They may have gained some topend, but ask them how it feels from a dig, I'm sure they have a lot left on the table wether they admit it or not.

 

I don't doubt it. A 5.3 and 4.8 have about the furthest thing from expendable torque but with the 4L60Es incredibly low 3.06:1 1st gear ratio you can get away with having a taller gear in the rearend. I had 3.08s in my 95 and put a body lift on it and 32s and ran the 3.08s for another 3-4 months before switching gears. From a dead stop there was virtually no difference other then the fact it held the gears longer which actually gave me more speed before the shifts and made better use of the gears. Doing 80 in 2nd gave the engine a hell of a lot more mechanical advantage then it would have shifting into 3rd at 75 and laying over and lugging its guts out. So yes I'm not suprised one bit they overall have gained some acceleration. It can easily cancel itself out if you go too far but I loved how mine ran with 3.08s and 32s. I could run it up to 90 at around 5000 rpms in 2nd before shifting. It would cruise easily at 100+ in 3rd gear around 3400 rpms and running around in 3rd on the highway turning 2300 or so it got 15-16 mpg. I don't think you're friends are crazy at all. Oh yea, switching to 3.73s didn't make hardly any difference at all other then making OD a usable gear again. Might have taken out a little harder but not enough to offset being able to hold gears longer and really get the speed up before hitting the next gear.

 

I have a 00' 4x4 rcsb with 4.8 and a tune i also have 4.10s, my buddy has a 05' ext. cab z71 5.3 3.42s. From a dig i pull on him and he cant catch me but at 70+ on the highway he takes me for a little bit then i blow by him. IMO keep whatcha got.

 

They probably both were testing at highway speeds, where it would be faster. If they tested them from a stop they'd both be crying right now

I went from 3.42s to 4.11s and noticed a loss in topend acceleration. But seeing as how I don't do alot of topspeed pulls in the truck, the gains from a dead stop are well worth it, especially with the Yank