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gearing question

J

Jimmy619

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Oroville, California
Sorry if this has been covered before(tryed searching but had no luck). i
have a 91 gmc jimmy with a 6inch lift and 35 inch tires. my question is if i
wanted it to feel more like a stock truck and get more power our of it. what
gearing should i go for? and would that inprove my MPG at all? i currently
has the stock 3.73 if i am not mistaken. One more Question, does any one have any ideas about how much this would cost if i were to pay a 4x4 shop to do all the work? thanks for all the help in advance.
 
I'm running 4.56's with 35's and wished I had went with 4.88's as a minimum. At some point i'm going to regear but i'll be going with 5.13's next time around. I'f you have the factory 10 bolt axles I wouldn't suggest going more than 4.56's though as the pinion gear starts getting pretty small on the 10 bolts and you'll end up breaking teeth off the pinion because of it if you're not careful.
 
Did these myself but I would estimate a shop charge of $650 per axle or more depending on labor rates, and other parts used. My axles required all bearings, I converted to a limited slip and e-locking diff, added alloy rear axles, better u-joints and a 1350 series rear yoke. The expenses will mount along with your improvements and required repairs.
 
Labor for an axle gear change full rebuild an setup it about 7-10 hours of labor depending on the book labor specs used!
 
I ran 4:10's, and 35's....
The thing ran like a dog, never stopped hunting gears.

Now, I'm on 4:10's and 37's.... I NEVER use OD... :haha:
I also don't DD my rig, either. :waytogo:
--------------------------------------

4.56's will treat you nice. :D
 
Mav2u said:
Labor for an axle gear change full rebuild an setup it about 7-10 hours of labor depending on the book labor specs used!
Click to expand...


That sounds about right. I charge 7.2hr for the rear. 6.8 for a unit nearing front. 8.5 For an older adjustable bearing front.
 
What trans do you have? I have 6in lift 35’s with 3.73 gears…. Works great for me. But I also have a Turbo 350 with lockup.…if I had higher gears I wouldn’t be able to drive on the highway and keep up.

personally.. I would keep what you have and use that money for something else... but thats just me.
 
Greg Ducato said:
Did these myself but I would estimate a shop charge of $650 per axle or more depending on labor rates, and other parts used. My axles required all bearings, I converted to a limited slip and e-locking diff, added alloy rear axles, better u-joints and a 1350 series rear yoke. The expenses will mount along with your improvements and required repairs.
Click to expand...

Last time i got it quoted it was higher than that.
 
im second guessing my 4.56's and my hawgs... errr well they are stock gears... maybe need to go lower.. i can still rip 90mph up the highway!!! :whistle:
 
ratio

4.56 with 35s is nearly the same as 3.73 with 31s it wouldnt be much different final power to ground
 
For what it's worth I'm running 4.10s with a TH350 and 35s. It's great for what I do, but I don't have the overdrive. To be honest I kinda wish I would have gone a little lower!
 
Man I think something is wrong with my Suburban.

4X4HIGH, I just noticed you are in Fremont! Not too far away from Rohnert Park.

Anyway, I'm running 3.73's, 35" BFG A/T's on 15 inch rims (more rubber = more weight as far as I remember). On flat ground I'm in OD (700R4) at 45 mph. It seems happy. On the freeway, 4th is fine unless I'm really trying to pass someone, or go up some steep-er hills. I tend to downshift to 3rd before it lugs too low anyway.

Admittedly, OD is useless at high altitude. In the Lake Tahoe area, there's no possible way it is useful at all.

I had considered a gear change, but with the performance I have now I decided against the money for the gears. I happen to have a buddy at work who is experienced in transmission and axle work, and even with his charge of "buy me lunch and we'll knock it out", the gears & bearings were too much for me to want to change them now.

Of course, I'm not sure how much it really helps, but I do have a TBI spacer, and (don't laugh) a salad bowl. The injector pod spacer is still on a shelf in the garage... but it will be installed at some point too. Just 'cause it was inexpensive and makes sense that it will help. Overall way cheaper than front & rear gears/bearings/ and while you're there, you should install some sort of traction aid... you'll be kicking yourself later if you don't!

Good luck with your decision.
Clay
 
To get everything done and change the gears, bearings, seals, etc....here is the parts list:

$200 - Ring and Pinion Front
$200 - Ring and Pinion Rear
$100 - Pinion Bearings, Differential Bearings, Shims Front
$170 - Pinion Bearings, Differential Bearings, Shims Rear
$100 - Rear outer Axle seal and Bearing

So, a total of $770 in parts plus install if you were to re-do everything while you changed the gears.

Along with install of $650 per axle you are at a grand total of $2,070 for the whole deal......
 
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