you need to decide right now whether you want to go FI or stay NA as that is gonna dictate your whole setup. I came from 3.23s to 4.10s and with some VERY heavey 22s it was the best SOTP mod i have done to my truck. Night and day difference. However, 4.10s wont be a very good gear if you are thinking about going turbo so you need to plan your setup out now so you dont end up gearing twice or wasting money on some longtubes just to swap to a manifold setup later if you go turbo. If you want to stay NA, 4.10s and headers with tune will be your best bet bc they will work with the larger engine later. Otherwise keep the 4.8 and 3.23s and just run the turbo kit. Its all up to you and your budget...

 

budget isnt a problem and im a tech and can do all my own labor, but in honesty having done a dozen different turbo setups on various other vehicles, if i do go FI on this truck it will be a blower setup not turbo. for now i think it will stay NA. my biggest concern with 4.10's is that about 90% of my commute is highway, and i dont want to be crankin out rpms just to go with the flow of traffic. my over all tire diameter is the same as stock. but obviously my wheels are a bit heavier. i think i said it before, im running a 285/45/22 and at 75mph im at 1900rpm, what id like to know is someone who has a similar tire size running 4.10's what they are at at 75mph.

i plan to do long tubes, a cam and a tune, and im thinking some trans upgrades. i dont like how sloppy the shifts are, and im sure a converter wouldn't hurt either. i also have thought about doing the intake manifold swap. but cant seem to find anyone who has done it and if they noticed anything from it.

 

keep in mind that depending on what style of blower you install it may require a differnent intake manifold so keep that in mind. ie, tvs vs procharger etc. im running 305/45/22 tires which are a little wider than yours but i spin 2000 rpms at 65 and about 3000 rpms at 80ish. its not bad imo and well worth the low end grunt it gave me.

 

yeah like i said 90% of my commute is highway around 80mph, and i take alot of trips to L.A. and i think 3k for a extended period of time would really kill fuel as well as make the trans run a bit hot. think may go 3.73 or 3.90

 

i make a 1500 mile trip to N. IL once or twice a year and i pull 16-19 mpg at various speeds of 65-85. My trans runs cooler than it did stock and mpg is about the same as well bc the tc stays locked more and the trans doesnt downshift as much with the new gear ratio. The gears take stress of the trans. With the heavy rims i would go for the 4.10s, the difference in rpms is minimal and you might regret it if you go less. Dont fear the gear!

 

It must be the 4.8 and less torque. I have the same truck with a 5.3 and according to my DIC I am averaging 18.0. This is all old man city driving, never really getting it over 3k RPM. My only mod is a GMPP sport cat-back. I live in AZ too so I know I am using my A/C just as much as you.

 

who has done a cam in their 4.8? also what long tubes are you running?

 

Really, no one has cammed their 4.8?

 

Lots have, but you'll have better luck in the engine section.

 

Hey man i was in your shoes, i have a 4.8 CCSB on 26's. overall diamter is 33.20" with ur 22's and chunky tires it should be about the same. my MPG before the gears and tune was horrible, id fill up every 3 days. Now I go every 8 days. Here's a recent video i took for another member with the similar question. It is me getting on highway with 1/4 throttle. I go from about 10 to 75 then back down to 70 and u see the converter lock up. 3200 Circle D 278mm. mods in my sig. RPMS are at 2100. Check it out, if u plan to stay N/A id go with the 3200 and 4.10's and a tune followed by long tubes and a cam. future mods are long tube pacesetters and a cam that is already spec'd out by PAt G. from what i hear the cam he gave me will work awesome with my setup and with the headers and tune i can expect a minimum of 50rwhp. 4.8's have no torque so we need a stall to get us in our powerband quickly. With the highway driving the circle D is not even noticeable. I drive 27 miles one way and it rides great, and when u get on it, its very very fun. Make sure u get a tru cool 40k and u shouldnt see temps above 170. anyways here u go, hope it helps. PM me if u need more info, i have been doing research on our trucks for months now and kinda have a good idea as to what it takes to get them moving without spending a fortune. even with our heavy rims

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