lotzafun

My truck needs help with getting off the line, so tell me what you would do if you were me. The rearend now has 3.42 gears in it and it is slow off the line. Been told that the 10 bolt rearend will not stand up to 4.10 gears, but the 4.10's would help when launching at the strip. Some say that a high stall torque convertor would better suite my truck because of the rearend it has.

So tell me your experience on this subject. Help me make a good decision, tell your results of gear swap or convertor install. Truck has Comp Cam, cold air intake, custome tune, shorty headers, and cat back exhaust. Thanks.

goshawk23

if your looking for maximum off the line, i would go with a 3000 stall verter. yank or vig.

gears will help but not as much as the converter. and yes, your rear end would stand up to 4.10 gears

KeukaZ71

changing out those shorties for LT's might help you get more low end grunt.

there are pros and cons to getting either gears or TC.

here are my opions, might be different from others:

the TC could get expensive, plus it is a challenging install since you have to drop the tranny, you might end up paying someone to do it. the TC does give you a wicked awesome launch. it can knock .4-.5 off your ET. it dropped mine about .4 with a 3000 stall. the TC beats on your tranny. so it's life will be shortened.

as for gears, i would go for 4.10's if you want some low end. but your MPG will dropped obviously. the install should be easier than a TC. a job you could probably accomplish yourself w/o too many headaches.

if you want both a stall and gears, i would go 3.73 and a 3000 stall TC. any more stall or gears, you will have no traction off the line.

and finally, with either of these mods, posi is a must. hope this helps

vanillagorilla

iTrader: (1)

Is that why GM installs them from the factory.

Either one will give you more go off the line. I would do the stall first, because it won't affect gas mileage, or driveability (that much), and it makes it a lot more fun to drive. You would probably see more gain from a stall at the track too. I don't know who told you that 4.10's wil help you launch at the track, but it's quite possible the opposite is true. In fact either choice might create some serious traction issues.

Sport Side

iTrader: (6)

What sorta performance mph are you looking for? 0-60, 0-100, 50-120....

mzoomora

iTrader: (31)

I would say stall first. The gears are not something you should try yourself if you have not done nay before. You need specialy tools for doing a rear (pinion depth gauge, bearing pullers, press, dial indicator, magnetic base, in/lb and ft/lb torque wrenches, caliper for measuring shims) not to mention a pretty good impact wrench. The press isnt neccesary, but if you dont get your depth right the first time, you will be going back and forth. You can get away without some of these tools, but 1-2 thousandths in a rear can be the difference between quiet or howling. I assume your truck is a 2WD, so dropping the trans would be a little easier. My truck has 3.73, and it feels like it needs a stall for sure. It doesnt really come alive until about 2000 rpm or so, and feels even better at 2500. I am thinking about a 2600-2800 range stall. It shouldnt hurt driveability too bad, but will hurt city mileage for sure, highway mileage will be the same. If you do stall, you may want to step it up with trans cooling and add a gauge.

vanillagorilla

iTrader: (1)

These are a must IMO! Especially if towing. You can do a stall yourself, with basic hand tools and a rented tranny jack.

lotzafun

Seems most people like the convertor. If I went with the gears I would have a local race shop do the install, as I said it will see some 1/4 passes, as for fuel milage it does not come into play. The truck is for fun, can't keep my foot out of it as it is now. Another question would be, what is the best way to put a trans temp gauge in? Have heard that changing the instrument cluster is a direct way to go, that it is plug and play.

Something else comes to mind, if the transmission already has a shift kit, will that be enough to withstand the convertor pounding on the trans as one mentioned here? Need somemore feedback. Thanks.

BADMOFO

I think after you get a converter you will re-think the gears. I run a shorter than stock tire (28.9") with 3.42's and a Yank TT3000 and even without the nitrous it can be "challenging" getting it to hook. I don't think a 4.10 gear would be worth it for me as traction would be nil at that point.

lotzafun

If you are having trouble with it hooking up with 3.42's and a Yank converter, what would I need to make it hook up? Is there a good street radial tire that works at the strip for traction as well as giving good street performance? Is the G80 going to be a problem with this set up? Inquiring minds want to know. Thanks.