My cousion had 01 5 speed with 4:10 gears and 33s. I really didn't think his was all that bad but thats been a couple of years back when he got rid of it so I may have forgot.

When I drove that 6 speed, it was like red light to red light in town so I really couldn't find a place to open it up some and see what it was turnin at the speed limit or anything.

 

I agree with above... don't pass on a great CTD just because of the 4.10 rear end...... but do go to 35" tires!

RJ

 

I've got 35s on my chevy right now with 7 inchs of lift.

I like the lifted look but it's kinda got old. I mean I can't drive as fast, gas mileage has went down, power went down, looks went way up but so has repair bills (ball joints, wheel bearings, ect).

Since I won't drive this truck everyday and I don't spend much time above 75 anyways and don't think it will bother me that much.

I look at it this way. If I get tired of 33s/ lower truck I can always lift it and go to like 37s and I'm not gonna loss alot of power then the gears will about right.

 

I hear that... I've kinda wished my truck had 4.10's, so I could lift it and run some 37's, but I'm probably better off with the 3.54's and going to 33's... the 35's look great, but they're just a tad too much w/ the 3.54's. I know lots of people run that combo, but I guess I'm just used to my old 2wd truck w/ 31's... that truck w/ 370's and an HX40 was faster than my current truck w/ DDP4's and twins!

 

i have an 2001.5 with 4.10 gears and i tow. yes it geared to low for all out hualin butt on the freeway but when i hit any sort of a hill i can plow right up it without workin the truck too hard.
i had the same dilema as you when i got mine and yes the deal was too good to pass up!
go for and you won't be disapointed!

 

I have 4.10 gears in my truck and love them. They are perfect for driving around on side roads and hauling. I hardly ever drive on the interstate so that's not a factor for me. I get around 18-20 mpg. I wouldn't pass up a good deal just based on the gear ratio.

 

Buy the truck. With 4:10's it would be more desireable to have a 5 speed to me but driving two buddies of mine with 6 speeds with 4:10's doesn't leave me that sour. You can take off in 3rd no prob and even 4th if you've got power and a good clutch. That will help with the racing part. Just take off in 3rd. It will spool faster and be easier to get from 3rd into 4th than trying to jam 2nd into 3rd, trust me. 33's are a definate, but would recommend the 35's.

 

IMHO, I would try to find another one with 3.54's. You can run 35's on 4.10's and be alright but you will have to spend all that money on a 35 inch tire, it wont drive as good as a smaller tire, there will be more road noise, won't pull as nicely, and gas mileage will suffer. In a race, both trucks are exactly the same mods wise but one with 4.10s and the other with 3.54s, the 3.54 geared truck will win. I don't think you will like the 4.10s. I tow pretty heavy with mine all the time and with 285's or 305's you won't have any problems pulling. When you are not pulling you will enjoy better fuel mileage, more fun to drive and less shifting.

I say wait and find one with the 3.54 gears. I think it will be worth it. Just my $ .02.

 

Shiftin doesn't bother me (2nd,4th,6th would be all I would need) but I'm just worried about runnin it to fast and windin the motor all the time.

 

i have 35's on my 98.5 its got 4.11's in it and it runs like a scaulded dog i have plenty of power up 2 like 90-95 i havent had any problems outta the gearin

 

i have 4:10's and 285's when i put the 285's on it made a big difference from the 255's that were on it. i didn't do a lot of road driving with it untill this fall when my son joined the high school soccer team. I-29 speeds are 70mph. most people run 75-80mph, i keep mine at the speed limit and the cruise set. LOTS of people pass me but not very many do it going up hill RPM's are never over 2300 or so. i wanted to get rid of my 4:10's not long after i got the truck but now i'm pretty happy with them cause i know i could out pull just about anything i wanted

 

I get anywhere from 20 to 25 MPG depending on where/how I am driving. I know there are a lot of people with the 3:55s who do not enjoy that kind of fuel economy. I think your MPG depends more on driving style than gearing. And my truck is a blast to drive, unless it's stop and go traffic on city streets. Which I don't have up here . I don't drive my truck faster than 65 though because of the gearing. This IMO would be the only benefit to the 355s over the 410s. If you drive fast on the freeway. I am running 235/85s and I'll move back up to 255s when these wear out. Don't want to run 35s because your mileage will start to suffer when your tire footprint gets wider. I wish someone made a 265/85R16 load E. That would be a nice tire.

 

I've been averaging 20 mpg with 4.10's and 35's on my '02 auto, I'm happy with that......

 

I have 410s and with 285s it runs right at about 1900 to 2000 at 65

 

My truck with 315s and 4:10s turns just over 2K RPMs at 70 mph.
My truck had 3:55s originally, when I installed the 315s there was a slight difference in performance.
When I installed the 4:10s there was a big difference in the low end. Truck actually slowed down in 1/4 due to losing some on the top end.

Bottom line is with the 315s and 4:10s it's like running the stock 265s with 3:73 gears.