another quesiton on gears/ wheels

[bryguy00b]

i was wondering..what is the biggest tire that can be run on 3.73 gearing do you think? what is the biggest tire i could run with out effecting my gas millage and all that stuff to much?..perhaps 33's?..i think the tires on it now are like 29's or around there...

Bryan-thanx

 

[4X4HIGH]

I would not go more than 33's with 3.73 gearing. Anymore than that and you start to lug the engine too much and mileage will suffer also.

 

[bryguy00b]

ok..but you think i would do ok with 33's? becuase thats really what im after right now..if i go bigger i can change the gearing but i dont really have the money right now to mess around with it..im 16 so..lol that bout explains it..isnt there a chart somewere to check this..i might have book marked it..ill see....

Bryan-later

 

[4X4HIGH]

You will be fine with 33's and 3.73 gearing. I ran that combination in my other blazer and it worked well. If you do decide to go bigger on the tires then you need to regear as well. An all around good combination i think is 35's and 4.56's.

 

[bryguy00b]

allright..ill go with the 33s i guess then.(BFG muds).thanx! yea i have heard that 4.56 with 35s works well also. i do want to eventualy go up to those..but for now im going to go with my 4 in lift and 33's

Bryan-later

 

[Zeus33rd]

You'll definatley be ok with 3.73's and 33's. lol, I'm runnin 3.08's and 33's. lol...So I know you'll be ok. But if I win an auction on ebay....I'll have a set of 4.56's for my 12 bolt. Then I'll have to find a set for the Dana 44 and I'll be set.

 

[bryguy00b]

ahh well thats good to know! im getting 33" BFG mud tires...sounds like you got it all planned..i want to upgrade to a 12 bolt rear and dana 44 in the fornt with 4.56 gears..now that would be nice..but i will be stuck with my 10 bolts and 3.73 for a while..o well least i will have my new tires! lol

Bryan-later

 

[txbartman]

I think you will be happy with your 3.73s and 33s. I ran 32s with the exact same combo as you for years. One thing many may not pay attention to is the fact that you have a 305. It is a weaker engine than a 350 and you really have to watch the gearing. I even ran 35s with 3.73s for a bit before I got my new gears. Problem is low end grunt and OD. With anything bigger than 33s and 3.73s, you won't be able to get out of your own way. expect to leave a stop light slow and don't tow too much. You would also have to watch out on the highway at crusing speed. Your engine will be turning lower RPMs with the bigger tires. If your tranny wants to downshift a lot, you will need to cruise in D vs. OD.

But, with 33s, you should be okay. Just keep an eye on these other two factors. Depending on how tired your 305 might be, you may be running in D on the highway a little more frequently to avoid burning up your 700R4.

 

[bryguy00b]

ok gotcha! yes my 305 isnt THAT GREAT either..it needs some tuning..but all in all its runs good..i just wanna get it in my 84..and get it registered..then RUNNN that baby! lol...but i want ot upgrade to a 350 latter...305 just aint enough for me!

Bryan-later

 

[txbartman]

I had a 305 with 160K miles or so on it and very tired. I lifted the rig and put 35s under it with the factory 3.73s. It suffered. I could forget about towing my 4,000 lb boat as well as running in OD. I upgraded to 4.56 gears and that helped a lot. But it still had trouble holding speed on the highway in OD just because of the wind resistance. In January I dropped in a 300+ HP 350. Now it will get up and move, has no problem pulling my boat or my travel trailer, and it holds speed with issue.

Just figure out what mods you wanna do and stage them accordingly knowing there will be times between upgrades that you may suffer through for a bit.

Of course, my gas mileage went from 11MPG with the 305 to 9MPG with the 350. Guess that's the price you pay for going from around 100HP to 300+!