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First Road Trip In The Rado

Jameson

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Jameson Enthusiast

Jameson

Posted
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Well this weekend I took a 750 mile road trip from Fort Polk, LA to Kansas City, MO. Then back again. I have an 07 CC Z71 4.8L mini V8 truck w/ 3.42's. I must say it I was impressed by the mileage i got. I cruised at about 70-75MPH and even through the hills of Arkansas I averaged about 20-21 MPG. All I have is Magnaflow dual exhaust. The exhaust drone was not bad at all, couldnt hear it unless I had to down shift. Im wondering though if upgrading my gears from 3.42 to 3.73 or even 4.10 would be worth it. What would a change like this cost (front and back of course) and will 3.73's be worth the hassle? or go straight to 4.10s? Also can I keep my stock rear locker if I upgrade gears? Thanks

cchupek Enthusiast

cchupek

Posted
Posted
Well this weekend I took a 750 mile road trip from Fort Polk, LA to Kansas City, MO. Then back again. I have an 07 CC Z71 4.8L mini V8 truck w/ 3.42's. I must say it I was impressed by the mileage i got. I cruised at about 70-75MPH and even through the hills of Arkansas I averaged about 20-21 MPG. All I have is Magnaflow dual exhaust. The exhaust drone was not bad at all, couldnt hear it unless I had to down shift. Im wondering though if upgrading my gears from 3.42 to 3.73 or even 4.10 would be worth it. What would a change like this cost (front and back of course) and will 3.73's be worth the hassle? or go straight to 4.10s? Also can I keep my stock rear locker if I upgrade gears? Thanks

 

What are you looking for going to such a high gear ratio change? Your 20-21MPG will be gone and your RPM's will stay up higher. Unless you are pulling a heavy load or doing a lot of off-roading, you are not gaining anything.

Jameson Enthusiast

Jameson

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I would like to add a slight lift and some 33" tires one day. I will also be buying a boat or a couple jet skis when I come home from Iraq. Ive the 3.42's suck with larger tires and any towing.

VMax2007 Senior Enthusiast

VMax2007

Posted
Posted
I leave in November. I would love to trade it in a VMAX but I dont know if it would be worth it.

 

 

Well, IMO, George "Dubbya" should buy you one....Good Luck over there!!!

 

Throw in the Bike and I'll trade ya trucks :rollin:

SinisterSS Enthusiast

SinisterSS

Posted
Posted

Instead of spending the big bucks on a gear change, spend about the same by dropping a 6.0L in and selling the 4.8.

 

Power and economy. :rollin:

thecraft Senior Enthusiast

thecraft

Posted
Posted
Instead of spending the big bucks on a gear change, spend about the same by dropping a 6.0L in and selling the 4.8.

 

Power and economy. :cheers:

Uh... wouldn't it just be A LOT cheaper and easier to swap gears?
SinisterSS Enthusiast

SinisterSS

Posted
Posted

For me personally, no. Swapping a 4.8 for a 6.0 is super easy. A new LQ9 long block isn't all that much money and most of that could be recouped selling the 4.8. The rest is just a weekend with a socket set and an engine hoist.

 

4.10 gears will kill any of the fuel economy advantage of the 4.8 which makes the 6.0 an even stronger case.

 

As a former 6.0 owner and now a 6.2 owner, the root message I'm just trying to get across is there's no replacement for displacement.

thecraft Senior Enthusiast

thecraft

Posted
Posted
For me personally, no. Swapping a 4.8 for a 6.0 is super easy. A new LQ9 long block isn't all that much money and most of that could be recouped selling the 4.8. The rest is just a weekend with a socket set and an engine hoist.

 

4.10 gears will kill any of the fuel economy advantage of the 4.8 which makes the 6.0 an even stronger case.

 

As a former 6.0 owner and now a 6.2 owner, the root message I'm just trying to get across is there's no replacement for displacement.

Gotcha

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