Towing camper will 4:10 gears be better?

[kwslvdo96]

Hey guys I have a 1996 Silverado with 5.7 Vortec 4X4 with stock 3:73 gears and stock 265/75/16 tires. I tow a 21ft Wilderness camper about 6 to 8 times a summer the camper weighs 3850lb dry weight by the time I load bikes wood and the rest of the stuff im guessing im towing around 4,500lbs my truck has a hard time towing in 4th gear or overdrive it seems if I hit a small hill or if its windy im downshifting a lot. So I tried to just tow in third gear and it works good in third but im stuck going 60mph and the rpm is around 2500rpm. So id like to upgrade to 4:10 gears which I believe would put me at 2300rpm at 70mph. I would like to hear from some of you camper guys out there id like to run 4th gear and run 65mph to 70mph as long as conditions allow. Im looking at $1400 to $1600 for the switch so id like some good input so I don't waste my money and not gain anything.

 

[slowburb]

Hardly justifiable for one step up in gear ratio, especially for two gear sets.

 

[5spd Z71]

That's a lot of money for not much more gear. When you're not towing, how do you use the truck? If it's gonna benefit you to regear even when not towing then it's justifiable. But if you don't need the gear when not towing, that's a lot of money to tow something only 6-8 times a year.



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[skylark]

You shouldn't be towing in overdrive. It creates a ton of heat.

 

[kwslvdo96]

I know I shouldn't be towing in overdrive but if I run in third gear I'm revving the engine to high for long distances I feel like. And if I did 4.10 gears I feel like I could run overdrive safely without down shifting as much. Or would I be better off doing 3.42 and running 3rd gear

 

[kwslvdo96]

as far as when I'm not towing I only drive the truck 2 or 3 times a week and I drive 70% city and 30% highway. And as far as the third gear towing thing so does everybody only use third gear to tow? If I'm towing 160 miles highway in third gear at 60mph is revving at 2400rpm I'd like to run at least 65mph and be over revving.

 

[slowburb]

Nothing wrong with 2500 or even 2800 rpm's. It's not good to tow in overdrive.

 

[drewcrew]

I know I shouldn't be towing in overdrive but if I run in third gear I'm revving the engine to high for long distances I feel like. And if I did 4.10 gears I feel like I could run overdrive safely without down shifting as much. Or would I be better off doing 3.42 and running 3rd gear

I think Randy's Ring and Pinion or Yukon Gear offer a 4:33 gear for your app. In my opinion that would be better than a 4:10 . Spending that much money to just go to a 4:10 from what you've got seems like a lot of money for that small of a change. First thing I would do is put a massive trans oil cooler on it wheather you change gears or not.

 

[kwslvdo96]

what is wrong with towing in overdrive as long as I'm not shifting all the time wouldn't that be better on my motor instead of revving it higher? I feel like if I had that extra 300rpm in overdrive that would be the sweet spot. I have a factory oil cooler on my truck already.

 

[poncho62]

You shouldn't be towing in overdrive. It creates a ton of heat.

Agreed

as far as when I'm not towing I only drive the truck 2 or 3 times a week and I drive 70% city and 30% highway. And as far as the third gear towing thing so does everybody only use third gear to tow? If I'm towing 160 miles highway in third gear at 60mph is revving at 2400rpm I'd like to run at least 65mph and be over revving.

Tow in OD if you like, but you will be replacing the transmission before long.
Also, take a look at your trailer tires, I bet they are not rated for more than 65 mph anyways.