As you all know I've been searching for the right truck and sraping together my nickles and dimes. I'm just about there, got the current ride all beautied up and I've found a truck; the right color, good price, a CC, 5.3 and 6spd. Now the hanger- it has 3.08 gears. Some have noted to stand clear of 3.08 ring and pinions and, I'd agree- normally; but the 6spd is a real game changer.
So anyone who has a 2011 with 6spd and 3.08's, could you please tell me of you experiences and how you like the set up? I don't wanna hafta drive in 5th all the time, which would force me to drive in manual mode. Most of my driving anyways is not highway, anyways, and what I'd do at the heaviest is hould my 600Lb Prairie once in awhile........................
Thanks

 

First gear in the 6L80e is very low, so they get away with higher rear end gearing. Why would you only drive in 5th?

 

TO prevent lugging the engine to death................

 

I say just let it do what it wants to.. No need to prevent it shifting if it needs to ..

I drove a truck (2010) with the 6 spd and 3.08 and it was kind of a dog...

Drove same truck with 3.xx something gears that was the all star with towing package and it was GREAT!

Just my .02

 

Get a 6.2 or a 4.8 imo. Im not a fan of the AFM crap

 

The afm can "easily" be deleted and the 5.3 and 6 speed with a decent gear should be plently quick and have excelent economy..

 

Its not that "easy" The AFM engines come with different oil pumps and run a much higher pressure than non AFM engines. Plus they have 8 collapsible lifters and short push rods that need to be removed and replaced with regular lifters and pushrods for a true AFM deletion. This requires removing the heads and all the accessories off the front of the engine as well as timing set etc. While i agree that the 5.3L itself is a great engine considering all the oil consumption problems and pistons rings sticking on the AFM equipped engines and whatnot that should be enough to scare you off of them.

For the cost in parts, losing your warranty by modding the engine, the tune required, and the fact that you will still have a lot less power than a 6.2L and likely be out of pocket more money than just buying a 6.2L in the first place I cant see any reason to buy the 5.3L right now.

In short if your on a budget the 4.8L is a great engine too. The only downside is no 6spd option. So if thats what you want and its not a budget purchase then step over the 5.3 and buy a 6.2L and you'll be a LOT happier. Besides there is negligible difference in fuel mileage between the 5.3 and the 6.2 so you win there too.

For those of you who think that simply "Turning off" AFM with a tune solves the problems with AFM im sorry you are mistaken. There are substantial mechanical differences between the AFM and non AFM that wont go away unless you replace the parts mentioned above.

 

Still waiting for someone who actually owns one of these to chime in. Pickuptrucks.com did a test http://special-reports.pickuptrucks....-shootout.html , and Ford's smaller V6 spanked everything else, it was the 6spd that was the real gamechanger. Personally I don't have anything against AFM, in fact I'm intrigued by the idea and would like to see it in action. My mom has the L92 in her Esky, I can get into a whole lotta trouble with something like that. I'm also enchanted by the blessings that the 5.3 has received; 243 heads, TBSS intake and higher compression. I'm just looking for experiences with the 3.08 gears...................

 

the "easy" was meant to be sarcastic.

 

LOL now I is feel like a jackass