Buying a new 20' bass boat, should I consider putting 4.11's in? Would I get better mpg towing? Any help would be appreciated.

 

What gears do you got now? Give us more info bout the truck, like 4.7/5.9/5.7, gears (if you don't know try looking in the glovebox).

 

2008 Ram sport Hemi 5.7 4x4 35's ca, magnaflow

 

oh, I think 3.55's

 

I pulled a 19' with a 175 for years. Bass Boats are light. When not fishing tourneys, I would often carry the boat on vacations with the ex's Grand Cherokee with a lot less motor and 3.73s.

If you have 3.55s you should consider the jump to 4.10s with stock tires or 4.56s with anything bigger than 33s, regardless of the towing factor. If you have 3.92s then I'd not even bother with 4.10s unless you plan on going with larger meats...

 

Hey Hammer, I got 35's and I am planning of doing a lot of tournament fishing. So your saying 4.56's. How is that going to affect my mpg when/ or when I'm not towing??

 

I'd do 4.56s in a heartbeat, over-all my mileage is UP about 2 MPG in town, and about the same as before on the highway until I start cruising up over about 75 mph, then it's down about 1 mpg compared to when I had 3.92s.

So overall, the MPG thing is a non-factor, but I will tell you this, when towing, the tranny searches for the right gear SO MUCH LESS OFTEN than when I had 3.92s, and the acceleration when passing with a boat in tow on the highway is night/day.

Performance wise, the jump to 4.56 with oversized tires is a no brainer and you may just make back the cost of the gears with extended transmission life as well...

 

Hey man, I appreciate the advice greatly. Is this something an amateur should try, or should I look into finding a shop to do it. I was wanting to put some royal purple in the pumpkin anyway. I'm not exactly new to a wrench by any means, but I have never replaced any gears either.

 

If you've never done it in your life I wouldn't recommend it. The gear swap consists of changing the ring and pinion and then you gotta set backlash and all that, plus you gotta factor in your 4x4. That means you gotta do the front and back if you still wanna be able to engage your 4wheel without causing diff implosion.

 

Nope, don't even attempt to try gears. I'd not even trust a run of the mill mechanic to it. If you are gonna do it, find a reputable shop, one with a guy who has done gears. Setting the backlash is a bi*ch, and especially so in a AAM axle.

Going rate should be about $600 per axle for gears, install kit & labor. If you have the extra $, also look into a good quality LSD like the Auburn Gear or TruTrac. It's the time to do it while they are already in there. If you have the factory LSD it's a **** poor functioning ticking time bomb anyway.

To date, it's the only mod I've not attempted to do myself.