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What gears do i really need?

wage92

wage92

1/2 ton status
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I have 36x16.5 tires, going to have 3/4 ton axles, 8 inch suspension lift and turbo 350 tranny. Will have a pretty stout 406 small block powering it too. The truck is going to be used for a weekend driver, and for camping, hiking and just having fun in, no real hardcore wheeling but possibly some light wheeling. Want to be able to spin the tires and throw me back in my seat. :D Gas is not an issue. Want it to be as fun as possible. But i wanna be able to drive it on the highway. So what do you guys think? 4.10, 4.56, 4.88?
 
If you drive it on the highway to get to the trails and it takes more than an hour I recommended something numerically less than 4.56:1.

I'm thinking 3.73 to 4:11's would fit what you describe.

Is this going on a 4wd? If yes, then what Transfer case are you running?
 
yes 4wd. 203 transfer case, what does that matter though? does transfer case change ratio? and will 4.11s be real torquy off the line?
 
I'm running on 1/2 ton axles and 4.56's. The NP 208 screams on the highway when i decelerate.

The 203 will handle the lower gear ratios better than the 208 at highway speeds.

I'm not the expert here, just the don't do what I do kind of character.
 
im thinkin 4.56s. basically im asking is there a noticeable difference between 4.10s and 4.56s? like when i put my foot into the throttle taking off, will i notice the difference?
 
Stomis said:
4.56s if you can handle traveling at 55mph. 4.10s if you gotta drive 65-70.
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Agree :rolleyes:

If you were running an OD trans I would say to go with the .88's even, but for what you are describing your goals as I would go with the .56's, those 36's are not a light weight tire so more gear is going to be your friend.
 
4.56's.

That's what I run with 36's and I wouldn't change a thing. I don't drive the truck to save gas.
 
personal preference really.

if its not a towed rig, and you have to drive it to the trails, I personally start at RPM's at highway speed (55,60, or 65mph depending.) and work backwards. Im a bit of a tree hugging hippy so I cruise at 55mph unless I'm in a crunch (all the time, even in my daily driver).

From there you plug in your transmission final gear 1:1 or overdrive, tire size,

last part, pick an RPM you're ok with. My diesel gets its bet highway mileage around 1800 rpm, so I choose 1800-2000 as my acceptable highway range. then plug and chug...

http://www.csgnetwork.com/multirpmcalc.html

36in tires, non overdrive, at 60mph, with 4.56 gears, will run at 2554 rpm. which isn't too hateful if you don't care about mpg, and can keep it from overheating. and a 22.5:1 crawl ratio.

3.73's are more what I would go with personally, with a tree hugger friendly 2090 rpm. And given your first post indicating it wont be used for heavy wheeling. might be the better real world choice. crawl ratio 18.4:1

4.11's would put you at 2302 rpm. a nice balance between the two. and would give a satisfying boost to your tire spinning, "push back in the seat" feeling. crawl ratio 20.3:1

remember your desire to spin tires not withstanding, I wheeled just fine with 33in tires a 145hp non-turbo diesel, 3.08 gears, and drove it daily. crawl ratio was 19.8:1 And if I ever really felt the need to spin the tires, Id just put it in 4lo with the front hubs unlocked :whistle:

the only thing i needed more of on the trail was more gear to climb rocks, but mud, stream crossings, trails, camping, etc. was never an issue, and I got 22mpg driving to and from the trails. 500 mile range on a single tank before factoring in jerry cans??? yes please :woot:
 
excellent point guys, and yea, i dont mind running a little high on the highway, because im not building this thing to worry about gas, its my second vehicle so its all about fun haha.

4.56 it is, found a set of hd 10b front, and 14 bolt ff rear with matching 4.56 and the guy has gone through them and replaced bearings, brakes, seals etc....hes asking 600 for that, i was gonna try to get him to 500, is that a good price?
 
The 350 tranny is a bit of a double whammy on gearing. With no OD, you can't choose as low of a gear. It also doesn't have a real deep 1st gear. 4.56 should work for you, as should 4.88. I wouldn't want 4.10 unless the tire was 33".

As for transfer case, it shouldn't matter how fast you go. Especially a 205/208/241 in 2WD HI, it's nothing but a straight-through solid link. As long as the bearings are lubed, there's nothing to go wrong.
 
wage92 said:
excellent point guys, and yea, i dont mind running a little high on the highway, because im not building this thing to worry about gas, its my second vehicle so its all about fun haha.

4.56 it is, found a set of hd 10b front, and 14 bolt ff rear with matching 4.56 and the guy has gone through them and replaced bearings, brakes, seals etc....hes asking 600 for that, i was gonna try to get him to 500, is that a good price?
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Thats a good deal if theyre really rebuilt. I wouldnt walk away from them. $600 wouldnt even buy the gears and install kits to do both axles let alone the labor.
 
I was going to say that if you had 3/4 ton axles with 4.10's (very common) then definitely don't waste the money swapping to 4.56's, but if you have a pair with 4.56's try them out. It all comes down to what you want the truck to drive like on the highway and what speed you are talking about. 4.56's with 36" tires will make the engine sing pretty loud going down the highway at 65-70 mph but will work. A friend of mine runs 4.10's on 42" tires with a mild big block (300-350 hp) and it runs really nice down the road and will lightly spin the tires if you tromp on it (keep in mind they are really heavy tires on steel rims).

The other thing to keep in mind is many people will recommend 4.88 or even 5.13 gears if you had a 700r4 with a 0.7 overdrive. That would be equivalent to only having 3.60 gears while on the highway.

Don't even worry about the difference in 4.10, 4.56, 4.88 etc... in terms of off-road performance. Axle gears are mainly for driveabiltiy on the road in 2 HI and make very little difference off-road once in low range. Think about it relative to transfer case gearing. A doubler provides a 100% lower gear (compared to a 205) where 4.10 vs. 4.88 is only about 16% lower, so no comparison.
 
If you have a 700r4, go with 4.56. I have 4.56 with 38s and I want to go deeper. I turn 1800-2000 in lockup at highway speeds and it doesn't want to go any faster without dropping out of lockup. I'd like to get deeper gears to bump up that rpm. For you, 4.56 should be a good ratio and be plenty of torque to get you going.
 
had a good running 350 with a th350.

4.10s and 36s (didnt like it)
4.10s and 42s (really didnt like it)


I would rather turn a little higher on the freeway. But i sure wouldnt spend almost a grand on regearing when you can find 4.10 geared axles cheap.
 
6.2Blazer said:
The other thing to keep in mind is many people will recommend 4.88 or even 5.13 gears if you had a 700r4 with a 0.7 overdrive. That would be equivalent to only having 3.60 gears while on the highway.
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Ya that's what I was thinking. Another thing is with a 700r4, you have a lower 1st gear compared to a th350 or th400. So you can get away with a lower final drive on the freeway, and you have a better 1st gear for playing.

Just keep in mind the rpm range for overdrive and torq converter lock up.


BUT, you have a th350, keep it simple. Don't get caught up with the tranny swap stuff. Grab some lower gears and go play :waytogo: And snap some pics.
 
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