Silverado bigger gears?

[rruff]

The thing that is rarely mentioned are crawl ratios and engine braking.

But don't you use 4lo in off road technical conditions? I've never wanted that to be lower.

 

[Kingsize24]

The thing that is rarely mentioned are crawl ratios and engine braking. Returning to stock gearing or going deeper (or adding a doubler!) improves slow speed off-road control for both up and downhill technical travel. Having lower gearing is also easier on the drivetrain (assuming the new gears aren’t thinner or otherwise weaker than stock).

Trucks actually used off-road benefit from the lowest gearing you can stand on the highway, IMHO. Re-gearing has always improved the off-road performance in the truck’s I’ve done.

Agreed. I went as low as I could stand with my Ram 3500. 4.44's and run around 2100 to 2200 on the freeway. It does well offroad crawling, but I do find myself wanting a magnum box occasionally. It really is nice to get the gearing lower for both slow crawl and downhill engine braking.

 

[andy_b]

But don't you use 4lo in off road technical conditions? I've never wanted that to be lower.

Often. Just because you haven’t needed lower gears doesn’t mean it isn’t valuable. The heavier the truck or more technical terrain, the more valuable the right gearing is.

 

[andy_b]

Agreed. I went as low as I could stand with my Ram 3500. 4.44's and run around 2100 to 2200 on the freeway. It does well offroad crawling, but I do find myself wanting a magnum box occasionally. It really is nice to get the gearing lower for both slow crawl and downhill engine braking.

Exactly. I wouldn’t mind some lower gears for offroad via an underdrive although that is pretty low on my list. On road, both of our trucks have been totally fine, either because I added more power or planned ahead on the setup.

 

[Kingsize24]

Often. Just because you haven’t needed lower gears doesn’t mean it isn’t valuable. The heavier the truck or more technical terrain, the more valuable the right gearing is.

Agreed. I'm around 72 now. Which is okay. But I'd love to double it to 150ish one day with a magnum.

 

[andy_b]

Agreed. I'm around 72 now. Which is okay. But I'd love to double it to 150ish one day with a magnum.

LOL that would be borderline ridiculous, aka, “just right.” I think people underestimate how much vehicle control a low-low setup like this could offer. Also, it could be slightly cheaper than regearing (assuming you’re running a compatible t-case) and only need to custom make a slightly shorter driveshaft. Would be sick!

 

[p nut]

My 2c...

Everyone told me I needed a regear, both for decent performance and MPG. E rated AT tires are 9% bigger than stock and it's leveled with a constant heavy load and higher wind resistance. I'm not seeing the point though. I'm averaging a hair under 15 mpg on the highway, and it drives fine in all conditions. I push the "tow haul" button when cruising, and it eliminates any tendency for it to hunt for gears.

Of course, it would accelerate slightly better if I went from 4.3 to 5.28 gearing, but only slightly. I'd get a lower 1st and a bit closer ratios, and lose the high gear with 6th becoming about the same as 5th is currently.

If factory 5.28 had been an option then definitely... but considering the expense and lower reliability of aftermarket, I'm still sticking with what I've got.

Not really apples to apples comparison since your tundra already comes with 4.30. Which is great for stuff we do and I wouldn’t mess with that, either.
But 3.23, 35’s and heavy vehicle? I’d strongly consider regearing. In fact, I would have done that first, before cams or any other modifications.

 

[tacollie]

Not really apples to apples comparison since your tundra already comes with 4.30. Which is great for stuff we do and I wouldn’t mess with that, either.

That's not really true because the Tundra transmission is much higher geared. 4.30 is the Tundra is similar to 3.73s in my F250.

 

[p nut]

That's not really true because the Tundra transmission is much higher geared. 4.30 is the Tundra is similar to 3.73s in my F250.

I never mentioned your F250, since that’s not in question. The context was the OP’s truck, a 2017 Silverado.

Here is the comparison:

 

[rruff]

Here is the comparison

Oh, that is bad. Don't see the point of such high gearing at all... it's taller than mine even with the 35s.