throttleking

I have an 08,6 speed,3.42 truck and it is awesome. The engine makes so much torque at under 2000rpms that I rarely have to downshift on grades. I pulled my 7000lb travel trailer through West Virginia on I-64 doing 70mph the whole time. I might have downshifted 3 times just for the big hills

tool

Wow, this is some thread...

I get the impression that there are some people that have posted to this thread that don't really tow much, or just like to listen to themselves talk or their trucks run much differently from my trucks. or SOMETHING...

The argument that 3.55 gears are only any good for pulling up to 8,000#? In my mind that is th most ridiculous statement I have ever heard. All I can say is that I have grossed over 30,000# with my 3.55 geared trucks and it did just fine.

Admittedly, in the 30K range and 3.55 and 285 tires with a NV4500, 1'st an reverse are a bit too tall and could be stand to be a bit lower for starting a load as well as backing and manouvering but still very doable.

This includes work like on farm and off road stuff towing VERY heavy hay loads, stock trailers, etc.

My '06 with G56 and 3.73 is geared much to low in my oppinion.

Grossing 30K it feels abour right but loads 10,000# or less and it seems like a screamer.

Empty it's pretty much ridiculous, running that high RPM to maintain 75 MPH is just making noise and burning fuel.

I would much rather have a taller gear set or even better yet another overdrive gear and use the TORQUE that is available not silly high RPM to pull my load.

4.10 gears and lower are perhaps necesary in the V8 gasser world where you need RPM to get work done but it simply isn't necesary with the low rpm torque available in our application and many others.

Atleast that is my oppinion based on many hundreds of thousands of miles towing cattle, crops, machinery, fertilizer, water, chemicals etc in Pickup/Gooseneck applications as well as OTR applications.


p.s If a 3.42 option had of been available in my 06 from Factory I DEFINITELY would have purchased it and I gross up to the 30K range.

Hounddog

Boy.You ARE correct about some that like to just plain hear themselves.From a repair standpoint I LIKED having hay growers and cattle haulers a window and custom cabinet maker pulling those weights as you described with trucks equipped with 3.55 gears and even some with 3.73s.They were GOOD customers.After the first clutch and brakes at 15 thousand miles they didn't argue or fuss as much about the next one or the ones thereafter.They DID usually trade that truck for one with 4.10s before it got to 100k.They still were great customers for tires and brakes yearly if not more often. There IS a reason 4.10s were a OPTION.

tool

Odd,

I replaced my stock factory clutch on my '99 once at 140,000 miles after it became oil soaked and started to slip, at 250,000 miles it's still running that second clutch. The brakes got a new set of linings at 110,000 miles when it was apart after an accident.

My 06 is still on the factory clutch and brakes at just under 95,000 miles. Neither have caused any issues.

I'd LOVE to hear how a 4:10 r.a.r prevents brake wear?

Hounddog

They don't. Over the years I handled many clutch and brake replacments in LESS the 20k and they wern't oil soaked.Just plain shot on guys using there truck when a mid duty was called for and 3.55 or 3.73 rear gears when they needed someting with more grunt.One more time there is a REASON 4.10s are a OPTION.Why is that? Cheez.I'm out of this thread,hard heads.

tool

The only reason for clutch replacement at that kind of mileage is for a factory deffect or severe operator abuse.

But I would love o get clarification on how 4.10 gears prevent brake wear?

sqrl$$

If you are changing clutches at 20k, somebody needs to teach them how to drive a stick. I pull grossing 18-20k 2-3 times a week with my work truck with 3.55's I put over 140k on it with the stock factory clutch and only went through 3 sets of brakes. I wish it were the 6 spd instead of the 5 spd, but otherwise wouldn't change the gearing to anything deeper like 3.73's or 4.10's. I think 3.42's would be fine.

Hounddog

4.10s gears doesn't have a thing to do with brake wear.Is THAT enough clarification.I been told by some of those folks with clutches cooked it was a bear to get x amount of hay or 20 head of cattle up and out of land that low gear was not low enough.You figure it out.

Spooler

FYI, your truck with G56/3.73 gears is very close to the same final drive ratio of an older NV5600 and 4.10 gears. Unless you have changed your gears and it is not in your signature you actually have a final drive as I have stated. I wouldn't even think about pulling with 3.42 gears with the weight I carry. The GVWR's are less for a reason on trucks with these gears.

tool

Yes I know, you are right.

The Overdrive final ratio is very close to a 4:10/NV5600 on a G56/3.73

That's why I said I would like taller gears and I would buy the 3.42 had it been offered to me for all of the reasons I previously stated as I have found the combination to be geared too low for all around use and only when I'm actually loaded beyond Maximum GCVW ratings do I find that gear ratio effective.

Like I said, I found the final ratio of my 3.55/Nv4500 on 265's to be about perfect for overall use and including towing some VERY heavy loads up to 30,000# GCVW
Taking into considering the light modifications done to my '99, It still was likely less of perhaps comparable H.P to my 06.

So with more Horse Power and Torque, pulling the same loads, why would I need a lower R.A Ratio than what I allready had?