A 3.21 or a 3.55 are better than an 3.92 on slippery surfaces. That is why people use 2nd gear to start from a dead stop. If the issue is that the 3.92 has LSD, then that is a horse of a different color. On ice if both rear wheels are spinning with an LSD, then you will probably end up in a ditch, with the open you have less traction but more control.
With good traction, the LSD is far better than the open but unless you are trying to do too much, then you should have bought a 4WD to begin with. LSDs are pretty lame for the most part, the discs wear out fast and after a while they behaves like an open.

I went from a 2000 GMC extended cab with a 3.73 LSD to the 2009 Ram with a 3.21 open. My experience so far is that they are about equal on gravel roads going up hills. I was wondering why, until I realized that the weight distribution of the rear to the front was more balanced on the Ram than the GMC and the addition of the ESP.

 

I have a 3.55 open 4x4, my previous truck was a 2007 4x4 GMC SLT duramax 2500hd crew cab with the short bed. I make a right turn onto the same busy 55mph road every morning, rain, snow or shine. The diesel with the stock G80 locker would never lock doing the turn and it would happily spin one tire for 1/2 a mile if I chose to do so. It did have some sort of traction control but it didnt do much. But that locker would work when going around a sliipery curve with 12,000lbs of trailer on it and almost spin the whole mess out This truck with the ESP at least will stop it from spinning the tire so I dont mind the traction control doing its thing.

I liked the duramax, owned it for three years and never had an issue except one tail light falling off and the infamous GM steering clunk. I would avoid the new body style dmaxes, its the same truck as the older one with a nicer interior and new sheetmetal, plus that DPF that no one likes. Personally I like the older interior better, the NBS seats annoy the heck out of me but they are definitely dated looking inside.

You cant go wrong with a dmax, if you are towing big then they cant be beat. I got rid of mine because I sold my big trailer and daily driving a bigass diesel with a horrible turning radius wasnt for me, I could deal with it when I had the trailer but once it was gne so was the diesel. The around town mileage was pretty bad and diesel fuel costing more than premium was another reason for me getting rid of it.

The GM gas trucks arent much better than the hemi, I had a 2009 2500HD with a 6.0L gas for a while and that thing made this hemi look like civic.

http://www.gmc.com/sierra/1500/specsFuel.jsp

 

buy a truck with what you want in it, don't impulse buy from the lot unless it has all the bells and whistles, my first lesson on the first truck I ever bought. As far as chevy getting this wonderful mpg, BS, my dads 08 silv. Ltz cc initially got 20 on the first tank, he's getting the same I get mixed hwy/city at around 15 and hwy in the high 18s, and his foots not as heavy as mine. all trucks offer the open, unless you get with the option of the other rearends or a certain package, make the truck your own, good luck going back to the future.

 

So sell it....didn't need to write a book about it. Get what makes you happy, but you are gonna get raped at the dealer for trade.

 

sorry ALL trucks can be had with open diffs, so that is not just a dodge thing, if you knew you wanted a LSD should have made sure you got one with it. don't cry cause you did not make sure it had what you wanted before you bought.

as for gas milage, how much better is the chevys cause from what I have read not much if any. specially when you consider the hemi vs there perf. v8, I can't speak on the 4.7 don't own one never have.

 

i think your gonna lose THOUSANDS on a trade in on your truck

that said.. you could install 3.90 gears and even a air locker for a lot less than whatt you lose on a trade in..

just sayin...

 

Remind me not to tell anyone on here if I ever decide to get rid of my truck, lol! Doc...your truck rocks man, I get mesmerized watching you truck doing the loops in your sig!

 

thanks a lot!

pay attention because i get my center console back on mon-tues... its at the painters now getting the same treatment as my tail gate and hood... tribals.. oh yea...

 

mine doesn't do that. pretty sure i could whip cookies if i wanted to on snow

 

Might be a good idea to buy yourself a 70's pickup for a few hundred so that when you pile it up driving like a retard you won't be out so much money.

As for the OP - It's your truck, if you can afford to **** away thousands of dollars by trading off a 1 year old truck then go for it.