# Swapping Gears???



## gonewild (Mar 13, 2009)

HI all,

Unfortunately, my wife and I decided to get our Outback after having a TV. My TV is a 2005 Sierra 1500 Extended Cab/6.5" bed 4x4, has the 5.3 liter, is rated to tow 7900lbs, and has a 3.42 gear ratio







. On the highway I am pulling @1650 RPM at 60, but in order to maintain that speed while towing I am in 3rd revving just over 2000. If I shift into overdrive while towing the tranny is searching for gears.

We have the 210 RS which is not really a problem for the TV, but we are planning on a few long trips this summer. I am considering swapping in a set of 3.73 or maybe 4.11. Next year, I am planning on upgrading to a Diesel 2500HD. Does anyone have the same TV with either gear setup. What kind of milage do you get while not towing?

I was surprised to get 11.5 MPG while towing at 60 MPH.

Thanks for any feedback!

Floyd


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## Ghosty (Jan 17, 2005)

I had a 2005 1500HD with 3.73 and got 12mpg towing a 23RS at 60mph...

Of course I got so sick and tired of the gears constantly changing I finally went to a grown up truck and haven't looked back...

Personally -- if I was you -- instead of doing the gear swap, etc etc ... just go ahead and get the 2500HD NOW!!!! Otherwise you are going to be throwing allot of money toward a truck that you are NOT going to get back out of it when you sell it...


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## Joonbee (Jan 18, 2008)

Ghosty said:


> Personally -- if I was you -- instead of doing the gear swap, etc etc ... just go ahead and get the 2500HD NOW!!!! Otherwise you are going to be throwing allot of money toward a truck that you are NOT going to get back out of it when you sell it...


X2. If you are considering it next year, leave it. Around here it costs between $1500-$200o to re gear a 4x4. Great deals right now on new. I bought my 08 in Jan 09 and got $15k off sticker. Use the regearing money for more down payment.

or use it for down payment on bigger trailer, cause we have proved thats to be the pattern too many times.









good luck.


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## Rollrs45 (May 7, 2007)

Another thing you may want to consider when swapping out gears is the vehicle's computer. I had a GMC Yukon that I did a gear swap in. After the new gear was installed I went to pull out of the garage, moved about 10 feet, and then suddenly the truck squatted and wouldn't move......."what the $%&#????"

It wound up being the built in traction control. The new gear caused the computer to think the wheels were slipping because the rear end was traveling at a different speed then the front wheels and began braking the tires to correct the difference. My option was to never have the traction control on or change the computer program. The problem was solved after I installed a tuner package (Diablo Sport) and was able to change the parameters in the computer. Another option would be to have a dealership reprogram your computer. I'm not sure if you'll have the same problem but you may want to check into it prior to making a decision. In the end it cost me more $$$$$.

Good luck on your decision.

Mike


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

We had changed out the gears on our yukon from 3.42 to 3.73. It made a big difference towing and there wasn't much drop in mileage. It went to the dealer to have the computer re programmed after the swap out.

We always towed in 3rd gear to keep the trans from hunting between gears.

Mike


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## Southpaw (Jul 14, 2008)

Same here! Have a Silverado 5.3L with 3.73 axle; have decided to upgrade. There are a lot more F-250 trucks on the market then 2500's. Waiting for the right deal to come along.


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## Rollrs45 (May 7, 2007)

Southpaw said:


> Same here! Have a Silverado 5.3L with 3.73 axle; have decided to upgrade. There are a lot more F-250 trucks on the market then 2500's. Waiting for the right deal to come along.


That's because most of the 2500's sold are still running!









LOL

Mike


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## jzero (Mar 24, 2005)

If you re gear, put in 4:10's. then keep the truck. It will tow a 210 just fine and you'll still have a comfortable truck to drive around when your not towing. My F 150 is re geared with 4:10's and its also my daily driver. I think I run about 1850 rpm @ 70 mph, 2000 @ 75 mph, something like that. If you find that the 4:10's are too tall, you can always increase the tire size by one inch the next time you replace them.


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## Rubrhammer (Nov 27, 2006)

I did that swap and lost 1 mpg on unloaded driving but gained 1 towing. It also stays in OD now most of the time. My trailer weighs in at about 5600#. The hills that I used to crown in 2nd gear now I go over in 3rd. One thing I'll add, I also have 65 series tires on the rear when towing which effectively gives me 3.90 gears. It scews my speedo by 3mph but I know what it is and drive accordingly and also factor that into mileage computations. Here is a write up of the swap. Remove the dashes to get the link to work.
Bob
http://jims-camping-forums.com/forums/index.php?topic=149.0


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## gonewild (Mar 13, 2009)

Thanks everyone for all of your input. I will keep you posted whether I go ahead with the swap or jump into a new TV sooner.


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## Collinsfam_WY (Nov 9, 2006)

I'd say that if you were planning on keeping your TV for 2+ years then go ahead with the gear swap. If not, live with what you have until you upgrade TV's. That is the route we took. My old F150 had 3.55's. We bought our F250 about 20 months after we bought our 23RS.

-CC


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

If a new truck is 1 year away I wouldn't spend the money upgrading the old. Towing in 3rd gear at close to 2000 RPM is fine for that 5.3. Let it sing and save your money.


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