Difference In "feel" Of 2003 Vs 2006

scottmoyer · January 28, 2011

Created this post yesterday and got no responses in the other forum, so I thought I'd try here.

This might be a dumb question, but I used to have a 2001 Z71 with 3.73 gears and it would move along pretty good. It had great launch and would spin all day if I wanted it to. I bought my 2006 Silverado Z71 thinking that the majority of the time, it will see highway driving and limited towing, so I opted for the 3.42s. I have heard that there isn't much noticable difference in 3.42 vs 3.73 gears. When my 2006 was new, I tried a launch and it fell flat on it's face. More hp and torque than the 01, but torque management really killed it.

I got a Black Bear tune a few years back and it really woke up the truck, but I recently drove a 2003 Suburban, which weighs more than my Silverado and it has so much more "seat of the pants" launching. I also drove my neighbors 2003 Tahoe with 3.73 gears. It was as responsive as the Suburban which has me wondering if the difference in 3.42 and 3.73 is really that great. Again, the Black Bear tune woke up the '06, but the '03 Burb and Tahoe still respond so much better.

To get the same effect, do I upgrade to 3.73s or is there more to the equation than just gears? I would think the tune would eliminate a lot of GM lag so all that's really different now is the gearing. Is there that much difference in the gearing?

Stevens03 · January 28, 2011

How much torque management did you have removed from your tune? Depending on that could make a difference. And to be clear, if your paying for a gear swap, everyone recommends skipping the 3.73's and going straight to 4.10's or better because of the cost. There is a BIG difference in my book. If your going to spend $1500 for a gear swap, it better be worth the swap.

Go to a dealers lot and drive two trucks with the same motor, but different gears and you'll see what I mean. Also, another idea is the tire size. What tire size do you have on your truck compared to the tires on the truck you drove?

If you want mileage, then 3.08, or 3.42 will be just fine, but if you want power, then nothing less than 3.73's for ANY truck! The mileage REALLY isn't that big of a difference.

KMGZ400 · January 28, 2011

my 2003 suburban 5.3 3.73 even with 150k definatley rides better and just feels better then my 01 silverado with only 85k. it seems more planted in the turns and its smoother, hasnt had NEARLY as many weird rattling interior sounds as my 01. also my sub does not have a G80, which makes it sometimes better to drive on the road.

also the non Z71 suspension makes a lot of diffrence..

maybe its the weight.. idk

Mckenzie · January 28, 2011

I'll second that, my 01 Z71 has 3.73's in its ass end, and that truck will move!!!! I was racing my bud who was in his ranger(he thought he could beat me lol) and i smoked his ass every single time. The truck has so much get up and go that it threw all the magazines and what-not on my dash right into the seat. I really wanna get some longtube headers, a blackbear tune, and a good CAI to make it even faster.

scottmoyer · January 28, 2011

The 2001 truck had the 265/75-16 while my current truck has 285/70-17s. The Suburban had the same tire as my 2001 and the Tahoe has the 265/70-17s. He upgraded to the 2006 17" and then upgraded his tires from the 245 it came with. I've heard people say my new tires are heavier, which they are, but compared to the stock 265s, it shouldn't be that much more that the extra hp and torque couldn't handle.

I'm not sure how much TM Justin removed, but I'm sure it's enough to compare with what the lower hp/torque 2001/2003 vehicles have. I'm guessing that the lack of "giddyup" is in my 3.42 gearing. I didn't think it would be that noticeable, but I guess I was wrong.

Since the truck gets driven daily on the highways, 4.10s might kill my gas too much. I don't know.

Mckenzie · January 28, 2011

The 2001 truck had the 265/75-16 while my current truck has 285/70-17s. The Suburban had the same tire as my 2001 and the Tahoe has the 265/70-17s. He upgraded to the 2006 17" and then upgraded his tires from the 245 it came with. I've heard people say my new tires are heavier, which they are, but compared to the stock 265s, it shouldn't be that much more that the extra hp and torque couldn't handle.

I'm not sure how much TM Justin removed, but I'm sure it's enough to compare with what the lower hp/torque 2001/2003 vehicles have. I'm guessing that the lack of "giddyup" is in my 3.42 gearing. I didn't think it would be that noticeable, but I guess I was wrong.

Since the truck gets driven daily on the highways, 4.10s might kill my gas too much. I don't know.

Tires will definitely make a difference in power and MPG's, when i went to 285/75/16's my mpg dropped, but the truck is still fast. I doubt that 4:10's will kill your mileage a bunch, for sure you'll loose 1, maybe 2 MPG's