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DISAPPOINTING 2019 Chevy Powertrain / Gearing options


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Having a single speed transfer case will hurt resale value for sure. Many people buy used trucks so they can use them hard for what ever there purpose off-road, ranch/agriculture these guys and gals use low range all the time.  No one buys a Hond Ridge Line (single speed transfer case) as a TRUCK because it is not a truck! It's a car! Trucks need to have high and low range period!!! Chevy is really going to hurt there image and lose sales as real truck people have to buy Ram or Ford. This is a SAD day. 

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3 minutes ago, Like-A-Rock44 said:

Many people buy used trucks so they can use them hard for what ever there purpose off-road, ranch/agriculture these guys and gals use low range all the time.  

Yup. If I'm a farmer/rancher I'm looking elsewhere for a pickup. In the oilfield I definitely use 4 low to crawl in and out of things at times. Very seldom need it but I just assume it'll be there for when I do. I'm still in the HD crowd and I hope they don't pull the same strategy with the new HD's. 

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I’m not saying I use 4L all the time, but a single speed transfer case would be a deal breaker for me buying a truck, even if it was deeply discounted I just don’t think I could buy one.

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11 hours ago, nitro882 said:

Fancy me this, you take that 2018 in question pop in in tow haul mode, set the cruise to the posted limit( just like the guys on TFL truck do) and hit a long steep grade and the truck falls on its face, slows down like 10mph, downshifts 3 gears, pegs the tach and then starts to pick up speed again, upshifts and starts the process all over again have anything to do with the driver? My 2014 towing the same trailer under the same exact operating conditions will scale the same grade easily while maintaining the posted speed limit without downshifting.

 

10 hours ago, Roscopcoletrain said:

That sounds more like programming vs mechanical gearing. 

 

I've only towed a few times with it, but my truck max trailering, 6.2, 3.42 8speed has no issues with holding speed on hills while towing. Did not bog down, etc as you described. ?‍♂️

Gotta be a problem with his programming!  What is happening to that poor guy is nonsensical, especially since you have direct comparisons.

7 hours ago, shift_grind said:

I'm not sure.  I personally have used 4 low 1 time and it was to see what would happen.  I bet 98% Of half ton buys don't use it.  

12 hours ago, shift_grind said:

Yeah, better gearing options is something I (and clearly a lot of other people) want fixed, but a 8 speed 3.42 has better gearing than a 6 speed 3.73.  The more gears also allows for tighter spacing.  

 

3.42 needs to be an option outside max tow.  Trailboss and at4 should come with 33s (ironically GM thinks 275/65r18s are 33s, but they're not- 275/70r18 are) and 3.73s. The fact it's 3.23 is really boggling my mind.  I guess they were set on that 24 gallon tank working.  

They gotta comply with those stupid CAFE regulations.  The President stopped them from getting crazier but they need to roll them back and really, get rid of them altogether and let the public decide.  Barring that, at least leave the trucks or trucks equipped with 4WD/AWD alone.

 

4LO for most folks is nice to have, like having 4WD is nice to have but not absolutely necessary for most folks in the south.  I use mine to exercise it lest it jam up from lack of use.

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7 hours ago, Donstar said:

  I remember thinking my 105 hp engine with a 3 spd transmission and 3.08 gears  was all the power anyone would ever need in a 1/2 ton!

That was fine for Jimmy Carter's 55MPH speed limit.  Now everyone wants to pull a travel trailer as fast as Sammy Hagar.

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I'd like to see a survey of how many people use 4wd low in there 1500 pickups.  I have never needed 4wd low in any of my pick ups.  I'm no farmer but I frequently pull a ski boat and a 25 ft pontoon boat.    My '15 3.42 gear 6 speed 5.3 and my current '18 3.23 geared 8 speed  6.2 have/had plenty of low speed grunt.  I've had to put them in 4wd hi on some slippery/steep launches, but never needed 4wd low. 

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On 8/12/2018 at 12:42 PM, Like-A-Rock44 said:

Having a single speed transfer case will hurt resale value for sure. Many people buy used trucks so they can use them hard for what ever there purpose off-road, ranch/agriculture these guys and gals use low range all the time.  No one buys a Hond Ridge Line (single speed transfer case) as a TRUCK because it is not a truck! It's a car! Trucks need to have high and low range period!!! Chevy is really going to hurt there image and lose sales as real truck people have to buy Ram or Ford. This is a SAD day. 

 

Only certain configurations will only have a single speed transfer case. You can still get a 2-speed transfer case in a 2019 GM truck.

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I'm not an "off-roader", but I am a hunter and occasionally get into situations where I put it in 4wd.  Once or twice a year I need 4Lo.  Still, I wouldn't buy a truck without 4Lo. 

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On May 20, 2018 at 1:42 PM, 3737 said:

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.

 

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

   

 

 

 

 

   

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. 

Looking at Chevy, Ford and Ram Why is Chevy the highest geared trucks!!! Gearing options are cheep from the factory! Ford offers the 4.10, 3.73, 3.55, 3.31 all with the 10 speed. Chevy has come out with awesome 2019 TRAILBOSS but it is geared too high!!!!!! It also has bigger 32.5" tires that makes the final ratio even higher!!!!! Out of all the models the Trailboss should come with the lowest gearing!!!! Signal speed transfer case comes "STANDARD" just gets me MAD!!! 

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I buy a 4x4 vehicle to get the low range gears, otherwise might as well get an AWD vehicle like the Subaru. With low range the gears are usually lowered by a factor of 1:2.73 and 3rd gear in low range is close to first gear in high range. I can crawl at 2 mph over rocks and across streams and have more control over the vehicle and I am far less likely to break something on the truck and be stuck out in the boonies (been there and done that and do everything I can to not do it again).

 

I understand that few people take their 4WD vehicles off the pavement as witnessed by the absurdly large tires mounted on so many trucks. But for those who do where tow vehicles do not exist and where a breakdown will be a very big problem, having low range gears is very important. I am in the process of deciding what to buy for my next truck and planning on a 1/2 ton gas 4WD (with low range) and it can be from Ford, GM, or RAM. I have had 4WD vehicles from Toyota (5), Willeys (3), Chevy (3), Dodge (1), and Ford (2) and I currently have a 2500HD Duramax 4x4 pickup (and Traverse AWD).

 

Based on the build configuration I want that includes a 30+ gallon fuel tank, 4WD, low range gears, and a double/super/quad cab with a standard box, I am leaning toward the RAM Rebel 1500 with the Ford F-150 in second place. That is actually what the market sales show with RAM selling the most light duty trucks in the USA followed by Ford and then in last place is GM & Chevy. I do not need a 10-speed transmission but I do need a low range set of gears.

 

What is missed with the final gear ratios is that a gas engine produces peak torque at around 3500 RPM and so for towing a 4.10 rear end is desirable. With a diesel engine that produces maximum torque at 1600 RPMs a 3.73 can be very effective. The truck manufacturers have sold their customers on buying new trucks to get more towing capacity then is needed and faster acceleration than is needed and so fuel economy has not increased significantly over the past 20 years. Very different with the big rigs where companies are "right sizing" the engines to the intended duty use and this often means a smaller engine that provides less horsepower but better fuel economy. Of course the guys buying a Freightliner are not looking at 0-60 MPH times.

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90% of truck owners probably don't even know they have 4LO or have just never used it.  Tough for an automaker to justify all that extra weight when trying to meet the overbearing gov't CAFE standards.

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1 hour ago, Sir Dan said:

90% of truck owners probably don't even know they have 4LO or have just never used it.  Tough for an automaker to justify all that extra weight when trying to meet the overbearing gov't CAFE standards.

 

Literally every other pickup truck sold in America (Rideline is a car with an open back) has low range. This was a bad call by GM. At least they're offering a normal T-case on some trims.

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Hi, I’m new here, so, a little behind. I tried to read the whole thread, but it’s too long with some of the debates.

Anyway, I was a little surprised to hear they were introducing a single speed transfer case. But before my brain could finish saying “that’s stupid” I thought, the majority of 1500 buyers don’t need low range, so that’s not too wild of a thought.

On my Canyon, I’ve used 4 low for rough off road trails. Most 1500 buyers don’t take their truck on rough off road trails.

However, there is one other scenario where I have found 4 low useful, and that is reversing a trailer. If you are towing at or near your max rating, and you try to reverse your trailer up a slight grade, (perhaps backing an RV into a campsite) if there is so much as a small rock to get over, you may run out of gear in 4 high, reverse.

Owners of heavy boats also tend to appreciate 4low on steep ramps.

So, while I think a single speed transfer case would suit many buyers well, I think the 2 speed should definitely be available with the max tow configuration.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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