Gear Ratio????

tipp33 · October 9, 2003

I am going to order a 04 GMC 1500 which gear ratio would give me the most power?

asepgrad98 · October 9, 2003

well you have the same amount of power regardless of ratio. I suggest 3.73. Better gas mileage than 4.10 and quicker acceleration than 3.42

BIG Newton82 · October 9, 2003

Go with the 3.73.. like asepgrad98 said... better gas mileage than the 4.10 and quicker than the 3.42

Chris97K1500 · October 9, 2003

Are you getting a 4WD or 2WD, if it's a 4WD and you think you might want bigger tires in the future, I'd go 4.10's. With 4.10's, it isn't going to be like night and day with the mpg. Maybe a 1mpg difference, it all depends on how you drive. You can get just as good of mpg with 4.10's if you drive conservatively. Chris

Mega Dogmeat · October 9, 2003

If I had it to do over again, I would have gotten my 2000 5.3L with the 4.10's instead of 3.73's ...

The reasons are:

1.) The difference in fuel economy wouldn't really be so much....

I average 16.5MPG @ 75mph down the highway, and that's with the truck downshifting into third at virtually every increase in grade, so the 4.10's might balance that out as well

2.) With the lack of low-end torque of the motor, it really would be nice to have some extra available help

3.) If you wanted to run a 255/85 or a slightly larger tire, it would be much nicer to have this gear ratio

4.) Plain and simple, anything you can do to get more torque to the rear wheels on these trucks, you will be glad you did.

99-2door · October 9, 2003

Assuming you are keeping things pretty stock, I like 3.42s in a 2wd and 3.73s in a 4wd. Even moving up to a 305/70/r16 I would go with 3.73.

It really depends on what you are using the truck for. I know several people who have the 3.42s in a 4x4 and are happy with them, a little too high geared for my taste. If you are going to be driving mostly in town and short trips the lower gears will be better, maybe even better mileage with lots of start/stop. If you do a lot of long distance cruising, you might like the higher ratios more. You need to keep in mind where you will be driving most. Consider hills and the such, because they will affect your trans shifting in and out of OD.

Also consider what you will be towing. If you won't be using overdrive while towing 4.10s will make you turn very high RPM at highway speeds. You might actually like a 3.73 for non-OD towing better.

It is really hard to decide unless you have driven trucks with the different ratios on the routes you will be driving the most. Might be a good idea to go test drive differently configured trucks so you can get a better idea.

tipp33 · October 10, 2003

it will be 2wd and stay pretty much stock

Butch 02 Denali · October 10, 2003

But are you going to tow with it?

What tires are you getting the 245 or 265's?

Your original question was what would give me the most power, The answer is 4:10, no question about it! Much better take off and power around town, and gas mileage would be about the same. On the highway is another story, you'd lose about 1 MPG with the 4:10's.

Butch 02 Sierra Denali

Tolliverme · October 10, 2003

as long as you are going to tow medium to small load 3.42 will be good and give you the best milage when not towing. I had a 99 5.3 3.42 then got 01 5.3 3.73 didn't really improve anything but gas milage went down.

mdub · October 10, 2003

tipp33,

It also depends on where you live. I live in the NW area with lots of hills -- had I known how lousy the 5.3L torque is, I would've gone with 4.10 gears instead of 3.73. Of course, the Auto trannny shift algorithm just makes the problem worse. As I approach any mole hill, the tranny panics and shifts unnecessarily, often into second gear. It really wakes you up when the RPMs suddenly go from ~1600 to 4000 for no good reason! In my opinion, the crazy shift algorithm should be recalled and fixed --it's dangerous, and screws up your fuel mileage. There is absolutely no reason for it shifting to second -- if I shift manually into third, the engine will pull any hill just fine.

To answer your question, if it's a two-wheel drive and you live in a fairly flat area, the higher gears (lower numerically) should be fine. If you plan to tow on hills, you might consider the taller gears to help keep your engine closer to the maximum torque range.

Mdub

'03 Xcab Silverado

5.3L Auto, 3.73 gears

285/75/16 BFG AT tires

3" PA Accessories Body Lift, 1" Torsion Crank

melbertbloosfan · October 10, 2003

it will be 2wd and stay pretty much stock

I have the 3.42's in my 2WD Ext Cab 5.3L. I get 17.5 mpg in mixed (hiway and rural road mostly) driving. BUT, she is pretty doggy on takeoff. If I need to "step out" at a light, I merely punch the tow/haul(a**) button and it helps a whole lot as this engine makes it's power up high. To do it all over again, I would prolly go with the 3.73's as they seem to be a pretty good compromise between mileage and take-off ability. Just my $0.02. BTW, the G80 option is a MUST HAVE for your 5.3L 2WD. Trust me on that one.