DISAPPOINTING 2019 Chevy Powertrain / Gearing options

M1ck3y · May 20, 2018

Its all about fuel economy, and minimizing warranty claims. There's a reason the ram/3.5 ecoboost/tundra get terrible real world gas mileage. The 6.2 gets better mileage than advertised. As long as people still buy it, they'll keep building them this way. Unfortunately, when gm does their surveys the vast majority say fuel economy is important. Other wise we'd have 7.0 in these trucks with a 10 speed and 4.10's and get the same fuel economy as the ram does now.

Donstar · May 20, 2018

35 minutes ago, M1ck3y said:

Its all about fuel economy, and minimizing warranty claims. There's a reason the ram/3.5 ecoboost/tundra get terrible real world gas mileage. The 6.2 gets better mileage than advertised. As long as people still buy it, they'll keep building them this way. Unfortunately, when gm does their surveys the vast majority say fuel economy is important. Other wise we'd have 7.0 in these trucks with a 10 speed and 4.10's and get the same fuel economy as the ram does now.

Well said. There is also the part of the population who recognize that there is a point where torque and horsepower simply become numbers. The practical number is achieved by the base power combination and the rest is for specific applications or, more commonly, for bragging rights. The numbers we are now hoping to beat are those we were hoping to achieve a few years ago!

Imcrazy · May 20, 2018

Kind of an odd move on the xfer case choices imo. With that said I never need 4 low myself but, I rarely leave pavement and only really bought a 4x4 for snow.

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shift_grind · May 20, 2018

4 hours ago, Foghorn17 said:

I am a GM truck guy and have basically been loyal to GM since my first Silverado in 1999. However, one can easily see they are making these new trucks more SUV/crossover like. For the first time in almost two decades I may look seriously at a Ford, or even the Ram when my lease is up in 2020. I'm hoping after the first year of the new body style that true truck guys may take back the helm at GM. Otherwise, I may be moving on. If I want a single speed transfer case I'll look at a crossover. Pathetic.

To be fair, you still can get a two speed transfer case without issue. You just can't get the two speed transfer case and the max tow package, you have to get z71 or the 6.2.

6.2 max tow is the only way to have your cake and eat it too. LTZ/High country only.

Assholes.

shift_grind · May 20, 2018

2 hours ago, amxguy1970 said:

Stop crying about gears and look at the transmission gearing. Look at the first gear of the transmission and the rear end gear of the truck and see how those match up. The Toyota uses a 4.30 because they have a 3.33 first gear where GM has a 4.56 (8 spd) of 4.70 (10 spd). Only uneducated people fixate on the rear end and don't bother looking at the actual transmission gears, a little homework goes a long way. I promise you with 8 & 10 speeds you couldn't tell a difference between 3.23 & 3.42 unless you were told if put in both trucks.

The single speed is surprising, but most won't even notice or use it, so to lose a few people while gaining other benefits was probably weighed carefully. If you think of it chances are someone somewhere in GM has as well and there was a reason for it.

As more details come out real world will be a big decipher. Trucks can perform better then their numbers show and weight plays a big role. Remember the old Duramax while down a good amount on power out performed the Cummins and Powerstroke in the real world. Wait until then to decide when to cry or not...

Tyler

You've said this before and refuse to admit or acknowledge that both Ford and Ram are allowing the gear ratio's we want. Are you oblivious to the fact that tire size also plays an important role in effective gear ratio? Or that last year it was 5.3/8 speed/3.42 with a 32" tire and now it's 5.3/8 speed/3.23 with 33's? That change will wash the 400lbs lost. Or is that only for "educated people" like you said? DO A LITTLE HOMEWORK YOURSELF!!!!

I promise people would notice a difference between 3.23 with 33's and 3.42 with 32's.

May 20, 2018

2 hours ago, amxguy1970 said:

Stop crying about gears and look at the transmission gearing. Look at the first gear of the transmission and the rear end gear of the truck and see how those match up. The Toyota uses a 4.30 because they have a 3.33 first gear where GM has a 4.56 (8 spd) of 4.70 (10 spd). Only uneducated people fixate on the rear end and don't bother looking at the actual transmission gears, a little homework goes a long way. I promise you with 8 & 10 speeds you couldn't tell a difference between 3.23 & 3.42 unless you were told if put in both trucks.

Stop crying about gear ratios? LOL. Really dude?

Mechanical leverage is a huge deal if you really use a truck or care about performance. I have looked at the actual numbers. I didn’t break them out because, for the most part, transmissions are somewhat similar. In fact, if comparing Ford and Chevy 10 Speeds, gear ratios are all that matter because the transmission is the same. However, I will go ahead and break it out to show that CHEVY IS THE HIGHEST GEARED TRUCKS ON THE ROAD, which is really pathetic! Now, if you are just a poser and want to just look the part, good for you! Question nothing and buy a Chevy. Drive to the mall and sip your Kool-Aid along the way. For those that want to be in the know, how your truck is geared makes a HUGE difference in performance, towing, and turning a larger tire.

By the way, the Tundra’s 1^stgear is 3.52 and, with a 4.30 axel ratio, is geared lower than the vast majority of the trucks GM will sell.

First Gear x Axel Ratio = Ratio in First

	First gear	Axel Ratio	Ratio in 1st
Ford Raptor 10 Spd	4.696	4.10	19.25	Lowest Gearing
RAM 8 Speed	4.714	3.92	18.48
Ford 10 Speed	4.696	3.73	17.52
RAM 8 Speed	4.714	3.55	16.73
Ford 10 Speed	4.696	3.55	16.67
GM 10 Sp Max tow	4.690	3.42	16.04
GM 8 Sp Max tow	4.560	3.42	15.60
Ford 10 Speed	4.696	3.31	15.54
GM 10 Speed	4.696	3.23	15.17
Turndra 6 speed	3.520	4.30	15.14
RAM 8 Speed	4.714	3.21	15.13
GM 8 Speed	4.560	3.23	14.73
GM 6 Speed	4.030	3.42	13.78	Highest gearing

The two highest-geared trucks on this list, the GM 8 speed and 6 speed, are the only way you can get a Trailboss. Which is a shame, because I was thinking it would be a performance model, but it is just a poser compared to the Raptor.

I was getting excited about a Trailboss with 6.2L, 10 Speed and 3.73 gearing, but if GM is catering to the crossover crowd, that’s not for me.

j-ten-ner · May 20, 2018

What I don't understand is that they (apparently) offer the tow package w/o the two speed xcase. Doesn't make sense to me.

Ok, it has a lower gearing but does that make up for the 4low?

And why not offer the two speed xcase at least as an option? I'd still bitch about it, but geez give ME the choice!

so long

j-ten-ner

KARNUT · May 20, 2018

My working years I had mostly 4WDs and was off road daily. It would be a rare for me to use lo range, most of the time if I had it I would use the auto feature, even in deep mud. Most of my trucks in the first 20 years of my working life had at least 1500 lbs in the bed. People need to consider HP and transmission gearing as well as final drive gearing. Back in the day I would have 373-410 gears with lower HP and less transmission gears. The results was 8-10 mpg with 3 speed gears and later 10-16 with 4 speed autos. HP was so low there was no sensation of speed. Can’t say that now.

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Willyone · May 20, 2018

1 hour ago, Imcrazy said:

Kind of an odd move on the xfer case choices imo. With that said I never need 4 low myself but, I rarely leave pavement and only really bought a 4x4 for snow.

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Same here for the most part. Last time I used 4Low was in the early 90s to pull my buddy's big ol' cube van out of a ditch. And byw… My truck at the time was a two tone red F150 with a 6 cyl 4 spd with the creeper. I loved that truck!! Truck now is a '16 Z71 mild/sometime shaker. I'll be looking at the 19s or maybe wait a year for the '20s, and likely not limited to GM . Regardless of brand, this time the test drive will be on the fark'n highway!!

O_J_Simpson · May 20, 2018

Just follow GM's plan. Buy a 2019 now for the outstanding looks. Sure you will not like the powertrain performance but you can trade it in after the 2021 mid life cycle model year enhancements and get a better truck with the powertrain options you were wanting in 2019 until the newly redesigned truck hits the market in 2023. And then the trade in process started over again...

AgDoctor · May 20, 2018

For starters, anyone who thinks that 3.23 or 3.08 gears are OK have no interest in adding larger tires and maintaining final ratio. I hate this stupid push to not even allow you to get the hearing that you want. I am not saying put 3.73 in all trucks, but how about you offer it as an option! I have 3.23 in my GMC 6.2 and also have 35's on it, I would love some 3.42 or 3.73 to wake it back up. I could care less about fuel economy and would have ordered it that way were the option available.

The 4 low thing is a big deal for those of us who use our trucks on farms and ranches, and I would imagine many other work conditions. When pulling a stuck vehicle out of a bog it is really needed. I can also say with larger tires in deep mud you need 4 low to ensure the tires continue to spin without lugging out on power. Any moron who thinks horsepower can offset the need for 4 low needs to not comment here because he doesn't understand or hasn't experienced these conditions. I have been using a truck on the farm since the early 90's. Many farmers I know don't belong to forums, but you better believe they would b pissed about this deal.

The no added power thing is just plain stupid. Ram base V8 is like 395 HP, base Toyota V8 is 395 HP, Ford V8 is 400 or so as well. The 5.3 being at 355 is just plain weak. I will stick with the pushrods over the turbo BS, and a mild cam will wake these engines up significantly. I will never own a 4 banger in a full-size. Liberals are taking over GM.

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KARNUT · May 20, 2018

For starters, anyone who thinks that 3.23 or 3.08 gears are OK have no interest in adding larger tires and maintaining final ratio. I hate this stupid push to not even allow you to get the hearing that you want. I am not saying put 3.73 in all trucks, but how about you offer it as an option! I have 3.23 in my GMC 6.2 and also have 35's on it, I would love some 3.42 or 3.73 to wake it back up. I could care less about fuel economy and would have ordered it that way were the option available.

The 4 low thing is a big deal for those of us who use our trucks on farms and ranches, and I would imagine many other work conditions. When pulling a stuck vehicle out of a bog it is really needed. I can also say with larger tires in deep mud you need 4 low to ensure the tires continue to spin without lugging out on power. Any moron who thinks horsepower can offset the need for 4 low needs to not comment here because he doesn't understand or hasn't experienced these conditions. I have been using a truck on the farm since the early 90's. Many farmers I know don't belong to forums, but you better believe they would b pissed about this deal.

The no added power thing is just plain stupid. Ram base V8 is like 395 HP, base Toyota V8 is 395 HP, Ford V8 is 400 or so as well. The 5.3 being at 355 is just plain weak. I will stick with the pushrods over the turbo BS, and a mild cam will wake these engines up significantly. I will never own a 4 banger in a full-size. Liberals are taking over GM.

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If you buddy is stuck in the mud you’re going to use low gear right? It’s been mentioned several times there’re lowering the gears in the transmission. So the results is the same. Higher gear in the rear lower in the transmission. Why you ask, easy there are more gears in the transmission. With the added gears in the transmission and yes more hp you have best of both worlds. Better pulling power and better fuel mileage. I grew up on a farm and work off road all my life, and I understand the concept.

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pickmeup · May 20, 2018

4 hours ago, amxguy1970 said:

Stop crying about gears and look at the transmission gearing. Look at the first gear of the transmission and the rear end gear of the truck and see how those match up. The Toyota uses a 4.30 because they have a 3.33 first gear where GM has a 4.56 (8 spd) of 4.70 (10 spd). Only uneducated people fixate on the rear end and don't bother looking at the actual transmission gears, a little homework goes a long way. I promise you with 8 & 10 speeds you couldn't tell a difference between 3.23 & 3.42 unless you were told if put in both trucks.

The single speed is surprising, but most won't even notice or use it, so to lose a few people while gaining other benefits was probably weighed carefully. If you think of it chances are someone somewhere in GM has as well and there was a reason for it.

As more details come out real world will be a big decipher. Trucks can perform better then their numbers show and weight plays a big role. Remember the old Duramax while down a good amount on power out performed the Cummins and Powerstroke in the real world. Wait until then to decide when to cry or not...

Tyler

AgDoctor · May 20, 2018

If you buddy is stuck in the mud you’re going to use low gear right? It’s been mentioned several times there’re lowering the gears in the transmission. So the results is the same. Higher gear in the rear lower in the transmission. Why you ask, easy there are more gears in the transmission. With the added gears in the transmission and yes more hp you have best of both worlds. Better pulling power and better fuel mileage. I grew up on a farm and work off road all my life, and I understand the concept.

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I'm not sure that I understand this statement. To clarify my own yes I would use 4 low to extract someone stuck or pull something like a sawed tree trunk. 4 low is great for deep muddy conditions. 4 high is great for driving down a wet dirt Rd or some only reasonably wet fields. 4 low disables traction control and with an automatic it is great for muddy fields.

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pickmeup · May 20, 2018

Yes if you are a farmer or logger etc. you can encounter situations where you want and need 4 lo. On the other hand a vast majority are nothing more than commuter vehicles with the occasional tow of say a camper . This person will never need to use 4 lo ever. GM basically saying you need it now you pay more money for it . As far as rear gear not equal to competition who knows ? Sometimes I wonder if the competition is steering the ship one way and GM trying to steer it another way rather than match them in certain areas.