3.08 Gear Ratio.

[McClendon]

Hello all. New to the sight and this is my first post.I bought a Chevy 85 K10 with a 350 recently. Its only major problem is the ring and pinion is stripped in the front differential. I bought a ring and pinion and was going to attempt the install myself, but I found a whole new front axle at colemans.com for $395 and now I'm thinking about going that route. It comes with tie rods, rotors, calipers, and locks, all new in a crate. I don't know much about gear ratio however and from what I've read lately 3.08 should be avoided like the plague. Is it really that bad? Should I be thinking of changing to a whole new gear ratio? Any input will be much appreciated.

 

[77 K20]

Probably the most important thing with the 3.08 gears is what size tires are you running?

My dad used 3.08 gears in his K15 for 15+ years. He was only running 235 tires.

Also: drive up many hills/passes? Ever tow anything? Do you have overdrive?

 

[MadOgre]

Yes unless running stock sized tires which is 235/85/16E or smaller I would never pay a dime for that gear ratio. In fact I would pay $ not to run that gear ratio!

 

[77 K20]

Depends on what you do with the truck. I've known a few that used their truck just for a highway vehicle and it did ok at that.
You'll just never tow any weight or win any races with it.