373 or 410 gears

[return to the red]

So I'm, ordering a new Sierra and I've been told by some that if i'm not pulling a heavy trailer then I should get 373 gears but the guys at the dealership tell me that besides reving higher there isn't a noticable difference between that and the 410

My brother-in-law says get the 373 along with some contractors, anybody have any input on this topic? Keep in mind the truck is an '08 Sierra with the active fuel management system

[Locke]

4.10s are pretty steep, 3.73s should be able to do anything you'd want them to.

[automaton 3]

I have an '06 Silverado with the 5.3HO, trailer package and the 4.10 gears.

If I did it again, I'd take the 3.73 gears and the slightly better fuel economy...unless you anticipate towing heavy loads on a regular basis (I don't).

One thing about the 4.10's though, is you can do some pretty ridiculous brakes stands, if you like doing that sort of thing...I mean not that I'd know anything about that...haha

[return to the red]

Originally Posted by Locke

4.10s are pretty steep, 3.73s should be able to do anything you'd want them to.

when you say steep though what exactly do you mean? I know it rev's higher on the highway. My wife works at the dealership so I am dealing with the new car manager and he says 90% of the trucks he orders in have the 4.10

edit to add that my fuel is paid for through work so if you had the option would you take the 4.10

[Locke]

Originally Posted by return to the red

when you say steep though what exactly do you mean? I know it rev's higher on the highway. My wife works at the dealership so I am dealing with the new car manager and he says 90% of the trucks he orders in have the 4.10's

Thats mostly it, if you go on a long highway trip with the engine revving higher you might develop a case of the slap.

I was looking into this a few years ago when I threw some 3.73s into my Mustang, 4.10s would have made highway driving that car basically impossible.

But on a new truck, you shouldnt need 4.10s. Even if you're hauling heavy loads consistantly, the truck should have more than enough power to get up and go with 3.73s.

I mean, if you're hauling something huge several times a day, day in and day out and using the thing as a construction or landscaping truck then go for it, but otherwise it seems extraneous.

[burn_this_city]

I wouldnt get 4.10's unless it has a six speed.. My truck has a 6 speed and 3.73s and it still revs decently at 120.. I'm considering switching to 3.42's to bump the mileage up a bit.. 4.10's will make the truck quicker, and easier to pull a load off the line, but the disadvantage far outweighs the benefit..

Edit: If gas is of no consequence by all means get the 4.10's she'll be pretty quick off the hop, you'll just lose the overall top speed..

[return to the red]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

I wouldnt get 4.10's unless it has a six speed.. My truck has a 6 speed and 3.73s and it still revs decently at 120.. I'm considering switching to 3.42's to bump the mileage up a bit.. 4.10's will make the truck quicker, and easier to pull a load off the line, but the disadvantage far outweighs the benefit..

Edit: If gas is of no consequence by all means get the 4.10's she'll be pretty quick off the hop, you'll just lose the overall top speed..

Hmmm I ordered 20" wheels for it as well...perhaps that extra hop might cost me even more then anticipated

[Ironhorse]

Originally Posted by return to the red

Hmmm I ordered 20" wheels for it as well...perhaps that extra hop might cost me even more then anticipated

If you're running 20" wheels AND do trailering with those same wheels, you may want the 4:10s. It takes a lot of power to turn those suckers...

[return to the red]

so gas mileage wise what are we talking like .5 MPG highway or like 3 MPG kind of thing. Once again the dealership informed me that there would be very minimal if any at all difference in Fuel economy and actually they said the 4.10 gets better in town gas mileage

[Locke]

Originally Posted by return to the red

Hmmm I ordered 20" wheels for it as well...perhaps that extra hop might cost me even more then anticipated

Originally Posted by return to the red

so gas mileage wise what are we talking like .5 MPG highway or like 3 MPG kind of thing. Once again the dealership informed me that there would be very minimal if any at all difference in Fuel economy and actually they said the 4.10 gets better in town gas mileage

I couldnt tell you, but probably somewhere in the middle.

If you're going with 20s then you might want the 4.10s. It will get mildly better in town mileage because with steeper gearing you are requiring the engine to do less work to accelerate from a stop all the time.

[burn_this_city]

Be prepared to shell out alot of money for tires if you got 20's.. I personally wouldnt get anything larger than 18's for that reason.. I'd say you would lose a couple mpg.. Its tough to say, if you boot it all the time, and drive alot on the highway it might be a significant increase in fuel usage..

[Indi]

Its a no brainer, the 4.10's for sure. With the size of the tire you will be running, you will need the low gearing to compensate. Really, the difference between 3.73 and 4.10 isnt that much, I really doubt you would know the difference. If you plan on doing any towing, 4.10's are the better choice. What you would lose in mileage (very negligable) you will gain in driveability. Running to high of a gear on the highway can actually cause worse mileage as the trans (auto) may have to drop out of OD for longer periods.....GM found this out the hard way when they used to put a 3.07 ratio in with the 700R4 automatic...severe drop in mileage.
If this was a car, then the 4.10's would be overkill, the rolling diameter of the tire is smaller, which theoretically lowers the gear ratio, or final drive anyway

[return to the red]

Originally Posted by Indi

Its a no brainer, the 4.10's for sure. With the size of the tire you will be running, you will need the low gearing to compensate. Really, the difference between 3.73 and 4.10 isnt that much, I really doubt you would know the difference. If you plan on doing any towing, 4.10's are the better choice. What you would lose in mileage (very negligable) you will gain in driveability. Running to high of a gear on the highway can actually cause worse mileage as the trans (auto) may have to drop out of OD for longer periods.....GM found this out the hard way when they used to put a 3.07 ratio in with the 700R4 automatic...severe drop in mileage.
If this was a car, then the 4.10's would be overkill, the rolling diameter of the tire is smaller, which theoretically lowers the gear ratio, or final drive anyway

now that's the kind of answer I was looking for

[automaton 3]

Just throwing it out there, but I suspect that the 20's come equiped with a lower profile tire with the overall wheel diameter coming out very similar vs. the 17's...as such equiping the truck with 20's should make little difference outside of any additional weight in the wheels themselves.

[Ironhorse]

Originally Posted by automaton 3

as such equiping the truck with 20's should make little difference outside of any additional weight in the wheels themselves.

You are correct. However, the further the metal rotational mass is away from the center of the hub, the more torque is needed to turn that wheel. That is the main reason for getting 4:10s when the wheels get that big.