Need Help Figuring Out Gears

[obfirefighter22]

Ok I want to upgrade my stock gears to 4.56 or 4.88. Well I'm not to experienced in this, and im doing my research. I keep having problems when i go to the 4wheelparts.com web site to get an idea of what i need. Once on the site i enter in my truck info, such as : 2006 silverado 1500 lt 1/2 ton, 4X4, V8 5.3 gas, crew cab, etc..., after that you start shopping. I got to the gear page and then it ask which axle i have... thats my problem. The only gm axles shown on the drop down menu are 2 that are 14 bolt axles... My axle is a 10 bolt, so im really lost... Basically i want to find exactly which gears i need or spec guidelines so i can shop around prices. I believe my stock gears are the 3.42. Im also running 35" tires with a 6 inch lift.

 

If someone could tell me which axle i have that would be great, or go to the 4wheelparts website and enter the info i provided if your confused because of how i worded anything. Thanks for the help

[Stevens03]

Just call them

[obfirefighter22]

Oh yeah, to get to the gears page:

4wheelparts.com, then click drivetrain and differential icon on the left of the page, and ring and pinion will be the first option

[Spurshot]

Don't forget to get the front axle gears (4x4 right?).

[obfirefighter22]

Yeah it's 4X4

[mudaholicZ71]

first off id reccomend you get your gears from randys ring and pinion they have excellent customer service and they will also work with you on prices here is their website (http://www.ringpinion.com/). secondly you need to decide what size gears you want to go with id go with 4.88 if it were me just be prepared for some high RPM's but its good incase you ever decide to go up on tire size. thirdly. your rear end is a 10 bolt GM 8.6 (verify this by checking to see if you have disc brakes in the rear) and for the rear end you will need to purchase the gear of your choice either the 4.88 or 4.56 and also a master install kit (which includes your bearings,races,seals etc..). your front diff. should be the GM 8.25 and for the front diff. you will also need to purchase the master install kit along with the gear of your choice. NOW something you might want to consider is if your truck is equipped with the G80 locker in the rear end they are known for blowing up and tearing up the rear end. so if your getting the gears replaced it might be a smart idea to drop in an aftermarket locker like a detroit locker to aviod having that problem but thats purely safety measure not something that absolutely necessary. you can verify that you have the g80 locker by looking in your glove box at the parts list sticker and look for G80 on that part list.