ok im looking into getting new gears for my truck. i just got the build sheet and its 3.55 w/ 9.25 rear. my plans with the truck are 3" lift, 33" tires, mild offroading, towing 20' motorcycle trailler about 200mi. (almost every weekend). and still be somewhat fast. i dont know what gears would be good 4.10's, heard of 3.97's. i dont know much about gears so i need some help. and yes i tried searching. thanxs guys.

 

33 will give a 3.29 final with 3.55s
With 4.10 you will have a 3.81 final which with the 33s extra wt will be only slightly better than what you have now with stock tires.
4.56 gears will give you a 4.23 final which will be much better for towing and be a fair bit faster when not.

 

im sorry RM_INDY but you are way over my head![sm=icon_beat.gif] ok hold on. ok, so would it be better to get the 4.56 gears instead? this is my daily driver so i dont want to go overboard but i still want to laugh at bowties. and i dont want kill my gas

 

Do you think you will ever go with larger tires than the 33"? If there is a likelyhood that you will, I suggest keeping that in mind when deciding you gear change. It costs too much to have to keep swapping out gears when you go bigger on the tires. On the other side, it sucks when you go with larger tires to make it look cool, but you lost performance because of wrong gears for them.

Look at this site, and click on the "Calculator" tab on the upper right. This was the best chart I found when deciding on what gears to get for my 37" tires. I decided on 4.56 gearing and I am very happy with the results.
http://www.accuautoparts.com/#

As for the info you need to put in, you need to know what size of tire you truck originally came with, your original gearing which you already know, and the 4 tranny ratios, which I think should be as follows.
1st: 2.45
2nd: 1.45
3rd: 1.00
4th: 0.69

I found this chart to be fairly accurate on what it tells you. Hopefully someone with first hand experience with a similar setup will be able to give their opinion on the choice they made. Since my setup is different, even though I'm very happy with it, we aren't exactly comparing "apples to apples" so my opinion won't help. The chart is the best help I can give.

My opinion for you would be to go with a gear ratio that gives a little better torque than stock for the tires you will be running. It will give better throttle response, better mileage since the truck doesn't have to work so hard getting up to and maintaining speed, and your tranny will appreciate the reduced stress. If you think you will get larger tires than 33", then keep that in mind in sizing the gears. I think it would be better to get the gearing to suit the possible larger tire size, rather than what you are thinking about now. If you know for sure you won't go larger than 33" tires, then you can base everything off of that size.

 

What transmission do you have?

 

im definately not going over 33" as im only 2wd and dont need larger. just want some clearance for mild offroading/ camping. but thanx for the info ron ill check that out. my goal with the gears is after the lift to drive just like stock if not better. Silver_Dodge- its 46re w/ 126078 mi. also while im at it i want to do a LSD or locker type that you can turn off kinda like the toyota tacomas. does anybody have any input whether to go LSD or full locker? (daily driver)

 

You're welcome. As for LSD or Lockers, you mentioned earlier that you would tow a 20' trailor. I have read a lot of discussions about NOT using a Locker for towing. I believe most manufactures will say the same thing. I personnally have never had one on any of my vehicles, but I had a friend who had trouble with his truck using a Locker and having it loaded with construction materials and/or pulling a small trailor. The rear end would make a loud popping sound when making a sharp turn, as in a cul-de-sac, and the inside tire would screech throughout the turn, leaving a long dark black tire mark. You could also tell that the truck was in a bind as he drove it through the turn. There are several discussions you can find through doing a search on this forum to see what others who ahve experience with this have to say. I'm sure you will get numerous replies indicating using a good LSD, as well as numerous ones voting AGAINST the locker.

 

Usually 4.10s is what are recommended for 33"s. As for the locker and towing I've also heard that is not a good idea. I don't know about the LSD. If you do mostly street driving it just doesn't seem like the lockers is the way to go.

 

ok kool so 4.10 gears and exnay on the locker. i was just curious about the locker cuz my friend has a 2004 toyota tacoma and he can turn his locker on/off w/ a switch. as for LSD will it spin both tires? thats my goal w/ that. i dont want the one tire fire anymore. plus thats whats gonna get me stuck in the desert. i really do appreciate all the help!

 

3.55 gears will only give a 3.55 final with 245/75/16 tires (or any other size that gives 30.5diameter) Taller tires give a lower final drive ratio.

410 gears and 33"tires as mentioned will give you a 3.81 final ratio. You wont be laughing at the bowties but it will help alittle bit. (1 truck lenght on the 1/4m approx)Probably your best bet seeing how you use the truck and that you wont be going to a larger diameter tire.
The lsd will spin both tires. If you dont have a traction problem though it can cost performance due to more driveline loss. Lockers arent really very good on the street but an air locker you can shut off maybe the best of both worlds though the cost would probably be a fair bit more especially if you dont do the install.