TheGreekIndian Posted December 25, 2010 Share Posted December 25, 2010 Going to buy a 2011 Silverado and was curious what gearing is better for highway MPG for 5.3L? 3.42 or 3.08? I may never tow anything, so that is not an issue. I heard 3.08 gear would yield slightly higher MPG... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zed-Seventy-One Posted December 25, 2010 Share Posted December 25, 2010 Lower gearing would mean lower RPM's at speed, so yes, you would get slightly higher MPG's. Personally though, I would still go with the 3.42 gearing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powerhaulic Posted December 26, 2010 Share Posted December 26, 2010 Wish the 3.73 was still an option w/5.3 Get all the gear you can. IMHO unless there are NO hills or mountains any where that you drive, you will not see better mileage with a numerically lower ratio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stlavsa Posted December 26, 2010 Share Posted December 26, 2010 Wish the 3.73 was still an option w/5.3 Get all the gear you can. IMHO unless there are NO hills or mountains any where that you drive, you will not see better mileage with a numerically lower ratio ' Get the 3.42 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldmann Posted December 26, 2010 Share Posted December 26, 2010 Lower gearing would mean lower RPM's at speed, so yes, you would get slightly higher MPG's. Personally though, I would still go with the 3.42 gearing. Hmm. Here we call a 4:10 a low gear and 3:08 is a high gear. No tow.. go with the 3:08. The six speeed makes up for the rear gear being so high. JMHO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevens03 Posted December 26, 2010 Share Posted December 26, 2010 There was a big conversation about this recently I believe we decided the 3.42s were the best choice for mileage. "Most" agreed the 3.08's left the truck feeling underpowered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldmann Posted December 26, 2010 Share Posted December 26, 2010 Wow. Very surprised. Thanks for the info! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevens03 Posted December 26, 2010 Share Posted December 26, 2010 Search the thread about Tuned 4-speed verses stock 6-speed. Good reading for sure and lots of opinions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zed-Seventy-One Posted December 26, 2010 Share Posted December 26, 2010 Lower gearing would mean lower RPM's at speed, so yes, you would get slightly higher MPG's. Personally though, I would still go with the 3.42 gearing. Hmm. Here we call a 4:10 a low gear and 3:08 is a high gear. No tow.. go with the 3:08. The six speeed makes up for the rear gear being so high. JMHO I should pay more attention in my posts... Higher gearing is what I meant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldmann Posted December 26, 2010 Share Posted December 26, 2010 Been there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zembonez Posted December 26, 2010 Share Posted December 26, 2010 Don't do this for better mileage! I went from 3.23s to 3.73s and mileage stayed almost exactly the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug_Scott Posted December 26, 2010 Share Posted December 26, 2010 Don't do this for better mileage! I went from 3.23s to 3.73s and mileage stayed almost exactly the same. Tends to be what you lose on the highway mileage you gain back in city mileage. Stick to the speed limit and highway mileage will not suffer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyz71 Posted December 26, 2010 Share Posted December 26, 2010 I don't understand why everyone is stating that the 3.08 is leaving the truck underpowered. I think you guys are putting a little too much on the 3.42 ratio. With the 6-speed tranny, the 3.08 is like the 3.73 with the 4-speed, that has been stated by many people. Even if you tow, the 3.08 can still pull trailers. I see no problems with the 3.08, my truck gets up and goes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powerhaulic Posted December 26, 2010 Share Posted December 26, 2010 I don't understand why everyone is stating that the 3.08 is leaving the truck underpowered. I think you guys are putting a little too much on the 3.42 ratio. With the 6-speed tranny, the 3.08 is like the 3.73 with the 4-speed, that has been stated by many people. Even if you tow, the 3.08 can still pull trailers. I see no problems with the 3.08, my truck gets up and goes! Yes the truck will "get up and go" thats where the six speed comes in. Makes the vehicle accelerate very well with a numerically low ratio (ie 3.08) Top gear performance without forcing a downshift is where the numerically higher ratio will improve performance and in many cases improve fuel mileage. ie. 3.42 or even better 3.73 The overdrive ratios we have in modern transmissions put the cruise RPM too low and out of the torque peak when combined with 3.08 ratio. Get those RPM's up and improve mileage without excessive downshifting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prokopchuk_9 Posted December 26, 2010 Share Posted December 26, 2010 Lower gearing would mean lower RPM's at speed, so yes, you would get slightly higher MPG's. Personally though, I would still go with the 3.42 gearing. Hmm. Here we call a 4:10 a low gear and 3:08 is a high gear. No tow.. go with the 3:08. The six speeed makes up for the rear gear being so high. JMHO thats the way it is...i deal with gearing, and making gears all the time gotta remember ur driver vs driven...lower the first number in the ratio, the less the pinion has to spin to turn the ring once, giving you a higher ring speed. just like any other. the rear end of a car is just about on the same principle as almost any other bevel gear. the only thing that differs with hypoid gears is that the pinion is offset to the center of the ring. the lower the first number in the ratio the higher its geared. higher=lower gearing long story short, 3:08 is pretty high...ive heard guys with it and they shift all the time. for the amount its gonna save you in gas vs. 3:42 is it really worth all the annoying shifts every little lump on the road???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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