New '08 Chevy 1/2T; 3.73 or 4.10 gears?

[happycamper]

I'm about to replace my '98 F150 4x4 (4.6L/5spd/3.55) with a new 2008 Chevy 1/2T ext. cab 6.5' bed 4x4 with the 5.3L, tow package, camper mirrors and the 4.10 gears.

I occasionally carry my 1250lb. pop-up truck camper and tow my 2800lb boat at the same time, for a GCW of 9800lb with passengers. GCWR for the truck is 14,000lbs with the 4.10 gears & 13,000 with the 3.73's.

I'm looking for feedback from anyone with the same truck who's towing with the 3.73 or 4.10 gears.

Are the 4.10's overkill for my realtively light camper & boat?
How much gas mileage drop should I expect with the 4.10s (unloaded)?

btw, I've already driven and considered 3/4T trucks. I want something that gets better mileage and fits in my garage with the camper on.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: New '08 Chevy 1/2T; 3.73 or 4.10 gears?

i think what you have to look at is which one is going to give you the best mileage, as a regular driver, unloaded. unless you do a lot of towing all the time. seeing they both will handle the load. you may improve in daily driving, and loose in loaded. i know i didn't answer your question. just food for thought.

 

[bjcsc]

Re: New '08 Chevy 1/2T; 3.73 or 4.10 gears?

I think 4.10 is overkill for your intended use. As far as MPG goes, figure that 4.10 is ~9% lower than 3.73. Thus your RPMs will be 9% higher at a given speed (assuming the transmission ratios are the same with the two and only the rear end is different). How that would translate into fuel use I don't know as it's not linear...

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: New '08 Chevy 1/2T; 3.73 or 4.10 gears?

you also have to calculate how heavy your foot is on the take off.

 

[Mkos1980]

Re: New '08 Chevy 1/2T; 3.73 or 4.10 gears?

I personally would go for the 4.10's You never know if a larger boat is in your future and I would hate to be pushing the 13,000 mark and knowing that You could have had a 1000 safty barrier. + If you spending mid 30 to 40K on a new truck, you can afford the little extra gas that will be needed.

 

[happycamper]

Re: New '08 Chevy 1/2T; 3.73 or 4.10 gears?

Thanks for everyone's replies so far.

I should mention that I live at 7000ft, and travel through the mountains, over passes approaching 11,000ft on my way to my recreation spots.

Due to the windy roads, it's usually not possible to go faster than 55mph, so the truck rarely sees overdrive in those situations.

I have calculated the engine rpms with 3.73's & 4.10's, using the tire diameter & transmission gear ratios. There's nothing alarming about the rpms with 4.10's, and I don't plan to ever drive faster than 75mph, empty.

If the 4.10's degrade my (unloaded) hiway mileage by more than 1.5mpg, then I think I would prefer the 3.73's.

 

[MikDee]

Re: New '08 Chevy 1/2T; 3.73 or 4.10 gears?

I'd get the 3:73's How much are you gonna tow that you need to get the extra load from 13k to 14k? Just remember, if you don't have enough gear ratio, which I doubt, it is so much cheaper, & easier, to just go to a lower profile tire, 70 series to a 65 series, or 60 series, it is harder to go to a bigger tire, what with clearance issues, & all. At least, this was my solution!

 

[DJ]

Re: New '08 Chevy 1/2T; 3.73 or 4.10 gears?

That's a tough decision. Your altitude really plays a big roll in all of this. Plus, your camper has a lot of frontal area which robs horsepower.

I think 4.10's are a little steep.

There really is little comparison between your current 4.6 and the 5.3. The Ford 5.4 would be a better comparison.

My last F-150 (an 07) had the 5.4 Triton 3-valve. I had a 4X4 with 3.73's and limited slip. That gave it a max trailer load of 9300# and a GCWR of 15K#

The 3-valve engine is a horse. I pulled 8K with it and felt comfortable. Unloaded it averaged 15-16 MPG (including highway at 80+ MPH). The fuel economy was reduced significantly over 80 (wind resistance). We can run those speeds out here in the wide open expanses of AZ.


Towing fuel economy was between 12 and 14 depending on the load. I don't run over 65 MPH towing.

 

[Senderofan]

Re: New '08 Chevy 1/2T; 3.73 or 4.10 gears?

With your camper and boat combo....there's a fair amount of weight to be climbing at 11,000 feet. The truck you listed with the 4.10's would probably do o.k. but I think your mileage would be down significantly.

I myself use a turbo diesel 3/4 ton...I have no issues at any altitude as of yet. In the next year...you'll be seeing turbo diesel's in lighter duty pick-ups...so if you can wait...that might be a better option for you.

Just shy of 2 cents worth,

Wayne

 

[Ezrider_92356]

Re: New '08 Chevy 1/2T; 3.73 or 4.10 gears?

lots of hills id go 4.10's you might loose 2-3mpg unloaded but your millage will be better when towing as it will be less load on the engin espcialy when pulling lots of hills

 

[happycamper]

Re: New '08 Chevy 1/2T; 3.73 or 4.10 gears?

That's a tough decision. Your altitude really plays a big roll in all of this. Plus, your camper has a lot of frontal area which robs horsepower.

I think 4.10's are a little steep.

There really is little comparison between your current 4.6 and the 5.3. The Ford 5.4 would be a better comparison.

My last F-150 (an 07) had the 5.4 Triton 3-valve. I had a 4X4 with 3.73's and limited slip. That gave it a max trailer load of 9300# and a GCWR of 15K#

The 3-valve engine is a horse. I pulled 8K with it and felt comfortable. Unloaded it averaged 15-16 MPG (including highway at 80+ MPH). The fuel economy was reduced significantly over 80 (wind resistance). We can run those speeds out here in the wide open expanses of AZ.


Towing fuel economy was between 12 and 14 depending on the load. I don't run over 65 MPH towing.

DJ,
You're right about the Ford 5.4L ... I really want a new F150 with that 3-valve engine, but starting in '04, Ford made the bed too deep for campers.

My 10-year old 4.6L still runs smooth, burns no oil, and gets 19mpg hiway.

I'm only looking for a little more torque & HP, coupled with an automatic transmission. Even with the camper's frontal area, I get 16.5mpg in the mountains, and 15.5mpg on the plains at 70mph.

 

[Wide Open]

Re: New '08 Chevy 1/2T; 3.73 or 4.10 gears?

I have had several 1/2 ton GM's with the 4.8, 5.3 engines with 3.73 and 4.10 gears. With lighter trailers like what you are talking about I didn't notice any difference in performance between the 3.73 and 4.10 gears. Only when towing at the maximum rating did I notice the 4.10 gears kept the engine up in the power band a little better. As far as gas mileage...I haven't recorded any difference between the 4.8, 5.3 regardless of 3.73 or 4.10's honestly. Currently I am using a 6.2L, the new 6 speed auto and 3.73 gears in my 1/2 ton. Mileage is a bit worse, down to 15.5 from 17.5, but I think that is mostly because I am now using all wheel drive instead of part-time 4x4.
The 3.73 gears allow the engine to spin slightly less rpm and as a result the engine is a bit quieter.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: New '08 Chevy 1/2T; 3.73 or 4.10 gears?

Currently I am using a 6.2L, the new 6 speed auto and 3.73 gears in my 1/2 ton.

They have a 6.2L engine?

 

[Wide Open]

Re: New '08 Chevy 1/2T; 3.73 or 4.10 gears?

No, unfortunately not. I had to put it there