tires

[dee123]

i know this topic has been beat to death but i want real world opinion or experience, not formula's. i have an 85 3/4 ton 4x4. it has the sm465 and 14 sf rear with 3.42 gears and locker. will have 383 engine later with around 450 ft.lbs. of torque. the current tires are 31". i want to lift the truck 4" and put 33" on it. i cant drive the truck right now (torn down to frame) so i cant see how the gearing would be as is. does anyone run 33" tires with a 4" lift and 3.42 gears. will be daily driver and prob wont see mud. have another truck for that. drive to work is 20 mins one way. dont care about fuel mileage. think torquey engine might compensate for gears. anyone want to comment?

 

[crazy4offroad]

Sure it would compensate for gears, but other components will suffer like u-joints. 3.42 is pretty close to 3.73 so I think you'll be good as a dd. If you had 3.08s I'd say no friggin way. Highway speeds will be close to 2 grand on the tach so that will be good.

 

[dee123]

not worried about changing ujoints. thanks for the info

 

[78shortandwide]

I have a sm465, 3.73, and 35s. I've had it going about 100 running about 3300 rpm. Gears work great for the road, but too high geared for off road.

 

[dee123]

if i go 35's in the future, will regear to 4.10's

 

[78shortandwide]

I'm looking for some 4.10 or4.56 gears for mine since it don't see that much pavement

 

[dee123]

i've got a p.o.s. 91 ford for the mud. i hate it so i dont mind pounding the $#it out of it. the one im building now is to replace my 02 sierra as a daily driver. keep 02 for a winter beater

 

[78shortandwide]

Nice I've got a 05 searing for my daily and 07 silverado z71 for hauling stuff

 

[dee123]

02's a z71. still a good truck but im bored with it. not worth anything so i'll keep it.

 

[hirschdalechevy]

i know this topic has been beat to death but i want real world opinion or experience, not formula's. i have an 85 3/4 ton 4x4. it has the sm465 and 14 sf rear with 3.42 gears and locker. will have 383 engine later with around 450 ft.lbs. of torque. the current tires are 31". i want to lift the truck 4" and put 33" on it. i cant drive the truck right now (torn down to frame) so i cant see how the gearing would be as is. does anyone run 33" tires with a 4" lift and 3.42 gears. will be daily driver and prob wont see mud. have another truck for that. drive to work is 20 mins one way. dont care about fuel mileage. think torquey engine might compensate for gears. anyone want to comment?

I think you will problably be ok with that tq. number and those gear's but you will be on the edge.With the 465 you will notice the problem of not enough gear between 3rd & 4th , third will tacked up high and when you go to fourth you will be lugged out a little , (like you need a gear in between).
In my 73 3/4 ton , 465 trans with a 480 hp , 454 with 36 inch tire's and 4.10 gear's I could really feel that space between 3rd & 4th but it had enough tq. to pull through it , but I did'nt like that so I put 4.56's in it and it was way more fun to drive and I could still cruz at 65 no problem , at around 2,700 rpm and you could still rip it over 100mph , just not stay there for to long.
More gear is better , IMO

 

[78shortandwide]

Yea 3rd to 4th is a noticeable gap. She falls on here face every time.

 

[Sasquatch]

After i lifted my truck i had a SM465 with 3:42`s and 35`s and it sucked.

The one ton axles i put in have 4:10`s and it obviously made it better but as soon as i get some cash to waste i`m regearing to 4:56`s so i can stop driving around town in third gear all the time because fourth is useless under 35 mph.

 

[hirschdalechevy]

After i lifted my truck i had a SM465 with 3:42`s and 35`s and it sucked.

The one ton axles i put in have 4:10`s and it obviously made it better but as soon as i get some cash to waste i`m regearing to 4:56`s so i can stop driving around town in third gear all the time because fourth is useless under 35 mph.

Gears are great! so many people run lift's and big tires without regearing , it helps a lot , but without gears , a big block helps out a lot as well.

 

[dee123]

the HT 383 crate from GM is rated at roughly 450 ft.lbs. Big block territory. i will regear later but right now im focusing on getting truck built again. now is a bare frame

 

[hirschdalechevy]

the HT 383 crate from GM is rated at roughly 450 ft.lbs. Big block territory. i will regear later but right now im focusing on getting truck built again. now is a bare frame

Just my 2 cents , (not to be negitive) , but crate motors a lot of the time are not what they claim to be on paper.They are mass produced and a lot of the blocks are not casted well , machine work not that great etc...Your chances of getting a perfect one is like rolling the dice.IMO

If you know a good machine guy or shop , you could have build you a quench motor for pump gas (383 , or what ever) for close to the same money and it will scare the crap out of you .
Ever wonder why one guy has a pumped up motor and the other guy has a mild motor and the guy with the mild motor always beats him.
It's all about machine work and combination of the right parts.
Even when two dudes go out and both bought two new 69 camaro's from the dealer and one beats the other in the quarter mile , well one motor has better machining than the other , better volumetric efficiency , thus better hp , tq , mileage etc...
Luck of the draw on the assembly line , good or bad , who knows.

Anyway good luck.