I mean lethal as in a good thing. 285s with 4.10 gears is just about perfect. Ask Silver_Dodge, he once ran that combo. He bought 4.56s for his 35" tires so he could achieve that feeling of the 285s with 4.10s. If you are going to do gears, get 4.56s since you have 35" tires. I have 4.10s because they came stock with the truck so I'm lucky, but at some point I would love to get 4.56s. You are going to save a lot of money when you upgrade. 35" tires with 3.55 gearing is incredibly undergeared. That's putting a lot of excess strain on your engine, transmission, and rear end, which is going to give you poor performance and bad mpgs.

Aimsquirrels, I don't think tires that small though would be practical for Ripto. He seems to have put a lot of work into that truck, and 285s is a pretty big street tire. I personally think a tire that small would eliminate any of the curb appeal that truck retains. I really just think he needs to either be conservative with his driving habits and money, and just roll with it. 265s aren't going to make that much of a differance, and anything lower will look pretty queer in my view. Unless you are committed to getting a little better mpgs, then sure you can take a hit in the cool department and go with a 225-245, but that's a really small tire. Best bet in my view is get through the summer, and just save up for gears in a fashion that won't put you out too much. And as mstephen said, it will be a modification to the truck that will forever impact its performance and emissions.

 

Lot of good points in this thread. I was not really aware of gears being around upwards of $2000, that does seem a little steep. The soft tonneau cover did come to mind as I was reading a few replies, I've heard good things about them.

It's a love/hate relationship I have with this truck. I really love it, how it looks, how it rides, how it sounds, but at the same time its such a dog and i basically have to push 2500 RPM constantly to go anywhere. I think its basically the fact that I think with all of the modifications I've done to it thus far, I would have expected it to be running better than what it is, but I assume that its due to the tire/gear combo, since my PCM doesn't have any deathflash sticker on it. My birthday is coming up thats why I've been thinking about this lately. I wonder how much of an effect going from 285's to 265's will actually have, and if it is worth getting them before my current tires are shot. I've been thinking about a toolbox in the bed, but I will also look into tonneau covers, were you talking about hard top or soft top? Not crazy about the hard top ones. How do the soft top ones mount on? Do you need tracks installed?

 

pfft, you won't see better mileage with 265s. It's what I've had for years and can't get over 13 mpg.

 

Ripto,

In the next few months I will be purchasing the Access Lorado cover by Agricover (soft tonneau). That's the best one I've seen thusfar.

If you're Truck is a pig, think about an SCT tuner. Search around for it here, (know you've been gone a while). I have one and it's incredible. Spanked the truck pretty good.

You're not gonna see much with a change to 265, but if you get a 245 with a very low rolling resistance and a tonneau, you should be picking up some miles quick.

Oh yeah, you can draft semi's in the short term to help out.

 

My '01 Ram came stock with 225s on it. It looked like absolute $hit:



I upgraded to 265s about 6,000 miles ago, and my gas mileage really isn't much worse. I want to eventually get 285s.

 

Hey Aim, I checked out some threads on that SCT tuner and it seems like a better version of the Hypertech, whereas its made specifically for modded vehicles, rather than stock. I emailed Hemi, so just waiting to get some more info on it from him. The Hypertech was the only thing I've done that I've seen improvement with, and it only improved my fuel economy, by about 2-3 mpg.

 

SCT seems like a good choice or a B&G flash <<cheaper , but like with anything if there is a weak link it will break...

 

My Ram came with 3.55 gears and 245 tires from the factory. I upgraded to 265's and lost 1.5 to 2 mpg when I had my 318 in it. Since installing the 360 I've only run the 265's so I don't have a comparable number.

However, as soon as I can gather all of my parts, 4.10's are going in the truck and I hope that improves the mileage as my 360 shouldn't have to work as hard.

You can buy 4.10 gears for about $200 - $250 per set. Then you need the install kits ($125 - $150 per axle). Now your at $650 - $800. Add new axle bearings and seals ($35 per side for rear) and your up to $720 to $870. If you're experienced with installing gears, or lucky enough to have a friend that is good at it, then all you've left is incidental costs, gear lube, etc and beer. If you're like me and are not that fortunate you'll pay $250 to $400 per axle for labor. Now you're at $1250 to $1670. Add $25 apiece for new u-joints front and rear, my truck takes 7, plus labor est. $100, and you're now at $1525 to $2045. So yes, new gears can easily run $2000 to have installed on a 4X4. Upgrading your rear axles will cost you another $125 each.

 

what do you mean by upgrading the rear axles...bigger axles, or better bearings. Just curious, because I'm going to regear this summer, and I tow alot so upgrading axles would be a good idea for me

 

Summit Racing offers the Superior Brand axles that are stronger than OEM. I am considering installing them due to the loads I haul.

http://store.summitracing.com/partde...84&FROM=MG