Gear Swap

[Steel Horse Cowboy]

Just wondering if anyone here has had the gears changed out in their truck and a cost to have it done?

I will be buying new gears, not used pigs.......

I have 3.90's and want to go to 3.55's

[tracer]

Just wondering if anyone here has had the gears changed out in their truck and a cost to have it done?

I will be buying new gears, not used pigs.......

I have 3.90's and want to go to 3.55's

I had it done for slightly around $2,500 in Milton ONT. Took them 1 day only. The shop is called Halton Gear. He doesn't do the dismantling, but there's a shop next door that did it and the gear guy just picked up the gears, took them to his shop, did all the work, and brought them back to the shop where the truck had been waiting.

[Steel Horse Cowboy]

I had it done for slightly around $2,500 in Milton ONT. Took them 1 day only. The shop is called Halton Gear. He doesn't do the dismantling, but there's a shop next door that did it and the gear guy just picked up the gears, took them to his shop, did all the work, and brought them back to the shop where the truck had been waiting.

Yeah, i was figuring around $3k at the Peterbilt dealer..... not sure if it's worth the money right now. I'm getting about 8.5-9mpg currently, but only go 60mph @ 1450rpm. I'd like to go around 65-67mph at the same RPM so I can make better time on my runs.

I drive 10hrs non-stop currently and figured if I went 5mph more, i could save an hour each day and keep my MPG about the same, just not sure if an extra 4hrs a week is worth the $3,000

[tracer]

Yeah, i was figuring around $3k at the Peterbilt dealer..... not sure if it's worth the money right now. I'm getting about 8.5-9mpg currently, but only go 60mph @ 1450rpm. I'd like to go around 65-67mph at the same RPM so I can make better time on my runs.

I drive 10hrs non-stop currently and figured if I went 5mph more, i could save an hour each day and keep my MPG about the same, just not sure if an extra 4hrs a week is worth the $3,000

I don't think we should driver faster than 60 mph. It's the ideal compromise between time in transit, fuel economy and safety. You cover 1 mile per 1 minute so computing ETAs is a piece of cake. With my old 3.73 and low profile tires I drove 58 at 1,370 RPM but that was too slow. After I switched to 3.42 I drove at 62-65 initially but then eventually slowed down to 60 for fuel economy. Plus 65 felt too fast for me after driving at 58. My engine turns 1280 at 60 MPH now. If you drive 65, your average speed will never be that high. So, you'll win 2 miles per hour max.

[solo379]

Well, here is your solution. Run 65 mph with your current setup, look at a fuel mileage, and time "saved", after that you'll have a better idea, if it worth it!

[Steel Horse Cowboy]

Well, here is your solution. Run 65 mph with your current setup, look at a fuel mileage, and time "saved", after that you'll have a better idea, if it worth it!

Very true, and honestly it has little to do with MPG or time saved, I am just sick and tired of playing race-cars with JB, Schneider, Stevens sand Swifty..... I set my cruise at 60 and they want to pass me at 60.5
I then have to drop to 58 so they can get by and then I have to pass them at every damn hill they come to, so I guess I am just being a cry baby and should go 62-63. Well, i then do that, and that moves me into a whole new catagory of company trucks like Werner, PAM, and Heartland. It's a never ending vicious cycle.

I just figured, if I can get my truck to go 65-68mph and keep it around 1400rpm, my MPG should stay roughly the same (maybe just slightly less) but thats why I asked to find out. I run the EXACT same road and EXACT same weights everytime I go. Maybe I will do a 2 runs at 60, 2 runs at 65 and post the info. Then if I do change my gears, do the same and see how it turns out?

And Tracer, I drive 10hrs NON-stop on the interstate. I set my cruise at 60mph and the only thing I slow for is 2 construction zones and the split at 55/40 in Memphis. According to my GPS, my avg moving speed is 59.7 for the 600 miles I drive

[Mackman]

Well i run 65-70 with my 4:30 gears and i think i can see my needle on my fuel gague on down. lol.

[Steel Horse Cowboy]

Well i run 65-70 with my 4:30 gears and i think i can see my needle on my fuel gague on down. lol.

Well, I can get about 600miles per 1/4 on my gauge at 60mph.... at 65mph, I get between 450-475 so that's losing about 125miles or so per 1/4 tank. Roughly $400 a week extra to 65mph instead of 60mph. But with my 3.90's I am at 1600 rpm at 65mph, now add the fact is have 22.5LP instead of the 22.5 it should have on it and my gear go to about a 3.96 (thats where I had to program the guage to be accurate for the speed)

I honestly don't know, it was just a thought.

I am proboaly going to have to purchase a different truck if I keep doing this to help keep my taxes down anyways. According to my tax guy, I am looking at either paying Uncle Sam $20k this year, or spending it on a truck, and to be honest, I'd rather pay $45k on a truck and not just give $20k and have nothing to show for it.

[solo379]

I am just sick and tired of playing race-cars with JB, Schneider, Stevens sand Swifty.....

I'm in the same position, usually, i'll set my cruis at 61-63mph, i don't care if somebody wants to pass, it's not my problem. I might give them one brake, but that's it. If i'll get in a bad crowd, i might stop for a couple minutes, or speed up to 75-80mph for the same time. Normally, that would be enough not to see them for hours, or ever again.

[Steel Horse Cowboy]

I'm in the same position, usually, i'll set my cruis at 61-63mph, i don't care if somebody wants to pass, it's not my problem. I might give them one brake, but that's it. If i'll get in a bad crowd, i might stop for a couple minutes, or speed up to 75-80mph for the same time. Normally, that would be enough not to see them for hours, or ever again.

Yeah, and it really only comes into play when I'm on I-30 between LR and Texarkana. They go 67mph downhill and 59mph uphill. One night I kept mmine set at 60, and I had a Stevens truck pace me for 22miles (it was about 3:30am and no one else was behind us so I played around)..... he would come to a hill and I would pull ahead for a mile and he would tuck back behind me, then when it got flat he started to try n pass again but would barley make it mid trailer and another hill would come and he'd fall behind. Then he would get a downhill and pass me, then a hill would come and I'd pass him LOL

I had my CB on the whole process and after about 20miles he started getting pissed AT ME!!!! I told him it wasn't my fault he can't drive and he is stuck in a ***** ass truck. He told me to speed up if I wasn't goverened and I told him to slow down if he WAS goverened, which just made him angry. Finally I bumped it up to 65 for a mile and I saw him get off at the Benton, AR Pilot..... then I WAS PISSED!!!!! Oh well