question for a rear end mechanic
 

im looking at the new chevy trucks and it comes with the 3.23 gears and they offer two other gear ratio as well so I have a choice of

3.08

3.23

3.42

for the 4.3 engines

my question is, what gear ratio will give me the best highway mileage because im not worried about losing low end torque since I don't tow anything heavier then a flatboat

so does a lower gear number mean more low end torque or higher highway gas mileage?

I wouldn't trust those idiots at the dealerships to tell me how to turn on a light switch because they don't know anything about what they sell, only the mechanics know stuff worth listening to

the lower the number the lower the rpms youll be at when at highway speeds

thanks, so I guess my next question would be how much impact on city gas mileage would that be? in other words would the extra gas I burn in city driving offset any savings on highway miles?

just trying to get the most overall high gas mileage without considering torque loss and I don't know if im better off sticking with the standard 3.23 or going to the 3.08 to try and get better mileages.

I already drive like an old lady going to church so im very easy on the gas pedal since I don't need to get anywhere in a big hurry

ok well I guess its all moot now since I found out you only get those choices with the 5.3 v8 engines so I have no choice what to get with the 4.3 v6 engine

Depends on how much you drive city and highway

i suppose youll really have to think about how much city vs hwy driving and pulling in city vs pulling on hwy driving you will do.

id honestly say 3.43 just because the 4.3L and i wouldnt go lower that 3.23 for sure. youll get worse mileage with the engine having to strain harder while pulling with anything lower. even if its just a tiny boat. my friends truck used to switch between gears on every overpass when pulling a small trailer because of that and that ate the fuel like crazy. itll be much worse if you ever plan to drive in some hills like toledo bend area

dang... well theres always aftermarket gears

I suppose I could special order it with the 3.08 gears if I really wanted to but I doubt I would gain enough for it to be worth the trouble. its just not part of the "standard" packages

I was actually guessing that a lower gear ratio meant it would increase highway rpms so im glad I asked about it

The 5.3 in the new Chevy/GMC actually gets pretty decent gas mileage. Resale value would definitely be better I would think.

well the 4.3L has more power and torque then my 1998 small block v8 350 5.7L engine in my old truck which is a powerful beast of an engine so I didn't see a reason to spend an extra $1100 for the v8 for power i'll never use.

if money wasn't an issue I wouldn't have to think about it but money is tight which is why im going with the stripped down WT version

Understood

I had the 6 cyl. in a 2010 regular cab short bed. Kept it for all of 11 months. No power pulling a 16 foot boat , Decent enough to run around town. Got worse milage than the 5.3 I got now in a 4x4 crew cab. Just my opinion from my experience.

thanks, that's good info and will definitely be taken into consideration.

it is my understanding though that there were a lot of changes made in the new motors and they now produce a lot more power then those made just a few years ago.

I will be test driving both for sure before deciding on which engine to get but as for now im forming opinion based on the specs given in the engine details.

if I have to eat baloney for 6 months to get the v8 that's not a problem, just don't want to spend for extra power if im sure im not going to need it.

if I have to eat baloney for 6 months to get the v8 that's not a problem, just don't want to spend for extra power if im sure im not going to need it.

I ate the balony and lunch meat for 11 months. I believe they came out with the 6 just to try and compete with ford. I think they should have stuck with the 4.8 , or 4.6 v8. whichever it was. My wife had a 6 in her equinox and it got 28mpg. and more than enough power but you talking a front wheel drive suv. I also had a transmission temp gauge on that 6 that ran as high as 211 degrees in the summer pulling that 16 foot boat. Warranty don't mean nothing once its out. Try and find somebody who has one and see how they like it. If they doing any towing.

thanks for the tip.

I was just going by the numbers on paper thinking "hmmm maybe I don't needs the v8 :confused: " but from what you say, it might be the numbers on paper may not mean much in real world use

well it wasn't my first color choice but today I got the new Silverado truck with the 5.3 v8 and the 3.08 gears

good lord that truck is high up there, getting in and out isn't bad but the bed fender rails are shoulder height :eek: no way ever to put anything in the back over the rail unless you got a ladder. it looks like they raised the body sides on the truck a good 4-6" to give it a new look but it makes it very impractical to use the truck for general purpose like work since you can no longer access the bed from the sides.

im seriously thinking about if there is a way to put a 4-6" lowering kit in it without effecting warranty so its at the same height as my old truck that you could stand next to and comfortably rest your arms on top of the bed rails.

it feels like im driving a dump truck being up that high with that huge hood in front of me and I can see it will take a lot of getting used to.

I mean I had a normal full size 1500 truck before but this one is extra big and extra high like they took a 4wd 2500 or 3500 and just put the 1500 tag on it.

You'll get used to it. I went from an 89 toyota tacoma to a 07 crew cab 4x4 crew cab sierra. Now I wish the thing was bigger. I also got the w/t version. Only way I could get it non flexfuel and manual windows. The look on the salesmans face was funny when I told him I wouldn't but a truck with electric windows.

I have a 2007 crew cab 4x4 sierra slt "new body style" and it doesn't have the flex fuel.

Flexfuel sucks. When the ethonal ratio sensor goes out it turns your check engine light on. Its a pricey little thing too.