I just saw this...
Just an FYI... the stock one will do it, too... especially since the I6 has a pretty loose converter as it is...
Mike
3.42 gears: worth changing?
[SOLVED]
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Just an FYI... the stock one will do it, too... especially since the I6 has a pretty loose converter as it is...
Mike
Philberto, looks like you have a plan of action that will get you what you're looking for at least cost.
About the other stuff... I'm not arguing just to hurt people here, nor am I the harbinger of THE storehouse of knowledge. Actually, it is the other way around. I'm trying to make sure that your off-road experience is GREAT and that you'll be satisfied once you shift into low range and head off the pavement. I hate nothing more than loosing another off-road enthusiast because they made poor choices that ended up costing them more --or hurting someone -- in the process.
One of the biggest issues I've seen in the off-road world is poor gearing choice for tire size, so I went to the wall on this one. My apologies if anyone was offended. :tiphat
About the other stuff... I'm not arguing just to hurt people here, nor am I the harbinger of THE storehouse of knowledge. Actually, it is the other way around. I'm trying to make sure that your off-road experience is GREAT and that you'll be satisfied once you shift into low range and head off the pavement. I hate nothing more than loosing another off-road enthusiast because they made poor choices that ended up costing them more --or hurting someone -- in the process.
One of the biggest issues I've seen in the off-road world is poor gearing choice for tire size, so I went to the wall on this one. My apologies if anyone was offended. :tiphat
Agreed, but with trailvoys and the labor involved in getting at the front diff, paying a shop to do gears is just so over-the-top expensive. And very, very few trailvoy members are set up and trained for a gear swap themselves.
I can't justify paying what AlekG must have spent to upgrade to 4.56. He will stand alone at the pinnacle of gearing for a LONG time. But if we run trails together, he has to choose ones that I can run, so essentially he's spent money on intangible safety margin, not on the ability to run trails I can't keep up with him on. :yes:
So for the rest of the compromises we're forced to make, living with suboptimal gears is one that most of us are just going to have to reluctantly live with. If I had an extra $1200-1500 and a week or two available for downtime, which is what a change to 4.10 or 4.56 would cost 99% of trailvoy owners, I'd certainly get more benefit and trail safety by spending it on custom underbody armor. Or others without a winch might choose recovery gear.
So the resistance you get to your excellent advice comes from us thinking: Yeah, but. We can't do the job ourselves. It costs REAL $$$ to pay a shop to do it. We don't know a driveline shop to do the gears competently who will also be able to swap the front diff out on this unique platform. And realistically for expedition driving, not rock crawling, it's hard to justify the investment in gears compared to armor.
Frustrating platform. :hissy: But I still love it. :weird:
Well said roadie.
Now I am new to the offroad TB, only been lifted for a few weeks, but I have the 3.42 gears and 32" tires. I have yet to be dissappointed with it at all.
That means offroad and on the road. I haven't noticed much of a power draw from this setup and aslo haven't lost any MPG yet either. Did a calc on my last 300+ road trip. I have also done a fair amount of trails as well and it help up great.
So if your just looking to get to camping spots you will be more than fine.:m2:
Now I am new to the offroad TB, only been lifted for a few weeks, but I have the 3.42 gears and 32" tires. I have yet to be dissappointed with it at all.
That means offroad and on the road. I haven't noticed much of a power draw from this setup and aslo haven't lost any MPG yet either. Did a calc on my last 300+ road trip. I have also done a fair amount of trails as well and it help up great.
So if your just looking to get to camping spots you will be more than fine.:m2:
FWIW
I went to Carlisle with about 32x 11's and 3.73s and came back with 33 x 12.50s and 3.73s. Both ways are hills/mountain with tons of twists and turns.
I noticed that my truck liked to run a bit faster on the way home to keep from downshifting. It really was not a big difference, but i could tell the tires were bigger-heavier-whatever. I ran about 65-75 mph for most of the trip and got 17-18 mpg out and 16 on the way back.
I do not think this is too much tire for the 3.73s but do not think i would want to run them w 3.42s. I feel like a tune will put me right where i want to be.
If you can do it money-wise, get yourself some gears. I when from 3.something to 4.10 in my suburban when i had 33's and the truck was much more enjoyable to drive. I know the vehicle dynamics are completely different, but its information.
With all stated, if i ever need a rear end, i will switch gears to something lower.
I went to Carlisle with about 32x 11's and 3.73s and came back with 33 x 12.50s and 3.73s. Both ways are hills/mountain with tons of twists and turns.
I noticed that my truck liked to run a bit faster on the way home to keep from downshifting. It really was not a big difference, but i could tell the tires were bigger-heavier-whatever. I ran about 65-75 mph for most of the trip and got 17-18 mpg out and 16 on the way back.
I do not think this is too much tire for the 3.73s but do not think i would want to run them w 3.42s. I feel like a tune will put me right where i want to be.
If you can do it money-wise, get yourself some gears. I when from 3.something to 4.10 in my suburban when i had 33's and the truck was much more enjoyable to drive. I know the vehicle dynamics are completely different, but its information.
With all stated, if i ever need a rear end, i will switch gears to something lower.
Thanks for the report!
Too bad the 7.25" H3 alpha cast iron front diff won't fit. I was holding out hope until I finally saw good pics of one. The ring gear might be the same diameter, but the housing is entirely different. No hope. :sadcry:
You might as well try to stuff a Tahoe front diff in there.
The trailvoy is the first one. H3 (aluminum) next. Then Tahoe.
If you're a SWB without an EXT rear end, that should be need enough. :raspberry
Too bad the 7.25" H3 alpha cast iron front diff won't fit. I was holding out hope until I finally saw good pics of one. The ring gear might be the same diameter, but the housing is entirely different. No hope. :sadcry:
You might as well try to stuff a Tahoe front diff in there.
The trailvoy is the first one. H3 (aluminum) next. Then Tahoe.
Attachments
Dirtychevymama is tracking down a shop rumored to be doing exactly this right now.
There was a guy that drove by in a lifted silverado at Carlisle that said he had a TB sitting on 40s with a SAS. Of course, he did nothing else other than scoff at my puny lift. 
From the looks of the vehicle he was in, the TB was certainly nothing more than a driveway queen, if it did indeed exist. So I didn't feel too bad.
From the looks of the vehicle he was in, the TB was certainly nothing more than a driveway queen, if it did indeed exist. So I didn't feel too bad.
Too bad it wasnt there.
You should have questioned why he didn't bring out such a rarity and called his bluff. If there is one it would be on here in some way shape or form. Even the lowered crowd would bring this information back to show off. I forsee a 2WD showing up on 40's even before a SAS project being completed. I could be wrong and more over would like to be shown that I am wrong.There was a guy that drove by in a lifted silverado at Carlisle that said he had a TB sitting on 40s with a SAS. Of course, he did nothing else other than scoff at my puny lift.
From the looks of the vehicle he was in, the TB was certainly nothing more than a driveway queen, if it did indeed exist. So I didn't feel too bad.
And the folks I usually see on hard-core trails are the no-shirt wiry youngsters who can wheel all day, drink all night, and wrench the rest of the time. The loud pirate4x4 crowd, to use a stereotype. Or folks who know fabrication well, and who are out there to test their fab and design skills, where the rocks are the destination. I just don't have much in common with either of those groups.
Personally, I like expedition driving to get AWAY from the crowds, camp alone in a quiet or historic place, not break things on the trails, and the challenge is to find the best view, not the most difficult way to arrive.
Personally, I like expedition driving to get AWAY from the crowds, camp alone in a quiet or historic place, not break things on the trails, and the challenge is to find the best view, not the most difficult way to arrive.
You know that you are stereotyping... :nono:
I can buy the fact that you may not have much in common with the folks you've outlined above, but that's you. Projecting your own style onto the entire TrailVoy community may be a tad short-sighted. I've seen that we're a diverse crowd, and I fully expect to see our ranks grow into some of the other forms of off-roading once the cost of our trucks starts to drop -- JUST like it has with every other manufacturer of an off-road-type vehicle under the sun.
In general, I've seen that people from all walks of life, with all sorts of abilities, ages, expense accounts, and qualifications equally enjoy the off-road world in any number of ways, from expedition and rugged trail camping to competition rock racing (and let's not leave out the folks that prefer their off-road experience to come on 2 wheels, atvs, pedal power, horses, and foot travel).
Some old guys I know just love to get their old flat-fender CJ3a military clones to go where modern guys fear to tread, while other old guys I know are top tier rock racers. Others bought some sort of off-road vehicle to get re-attached to their kiddos. Yes, there are the "pirate" off-roaders out there, and yes, there are the fabricators, but they are just a couple of the various sort of people that drive this sport forward. There are also pastors (like myself, for instance, old ladies (who never fabricated anything outside the kitchen oven or the sewing machine), and just plain people that love off-roading in any number of guises.
I helped co-found the United Christian Off-Road Alliance for all sort of people that enjoy all sort of off-road adventure, and amongst our members are a missionary from Africa, who off-roads to get from village to village, and a 22-year-old pastor's kid from Texas, who is in love with the idea of driving his Chevy truck into mud up to the windows. Between, we have representatives from every age group, every mechanical background, and every financial strata. Some can't wait to set up a tent in the middle of nowhere and rough it for a weekend, some book fancy hotels with hot tubs and take jaunts on the local rock gardens. Who knows? Can't tell based on color, appearance, region of the country from where they hail, etc. Just have to watch and wait to see what they do once they show up.
Why do you think I keep offering $1k to everybody with a blown engine or trans??
somebody will take it, at some point... :woohoo:
Mike
Mike,
I'd be there myself if I had the spare cash. I'd love to mod a TrailVoy for some serious off-road work. It would make the cover of every off-road magazine in the country.
I'd also LOVE to stick a 48 Ford pickup body down over the frame of an SS Trailblazer as a street rod, and I'll probably actually do that project as my next build, soon as I get my Ranger build out of the garage. One at a time, and that one will require some doing. I DO have my sights on a wrecked LS model with a 4.2 that I can pick up for about $1000. That may do... :yes:
I'd be there myself if I had the spare cash. I'd love to mod a TrailVoy for some serious off-road work. It would make the cover of every off-road magazine in the country.
I'd also LOVE to stick a 48 Ford pickup body down over the frame of an SS Trailblazer as a street rod, and I'll probably actually do that project as my next build, soon as I get my Ranger build out of the garage. One at a time, and that one will require some doing. I DO have my sights on a wrecked LS model with a 4.2 that I can pick up for about $1000. That may do... :yes:
My wife's still out of work (at least work in her field and pay level), so I don't have a ton of spare cash until she's working, again... I'd probably fix whatever's wrong with it, and drive it until the wife is back working again... while keeping an eye out for a D44 or 60 front end, and a D60 or corp. 14-bolt rear end, on the cheap... See them cheap locally every once in a while... or buy an old $500 truck, and take the axles out of it, sell the engine, and scrap-metal the rest... equals free axles and wheels...
The '02's are getting cheap enough on KBB, that one with a blown engine COULD be sold for $1000 to $1500 cash, if the person is looking at a $2500-$3000 rebuild or crate engine + R&R vs. selling it... Just biding my time...
Mike
Here is a thread from yesterday on UCORA.org.
http://www.ucora.org/forum_ucora3/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=4530
http://www.ucora.org/forum_ucora3/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=4530
Looks like a lot of fun!
I spend the weekend a couple years ago, with my sister, at the High Desert Roundup, in SOCAL... It was SO MUCH FUN! She had a 2000-ish I6, 5-speed Jeep with an Atlas II T-case, D44 front and rear axles, Detriots front and rear, Antirock bars, 4" suspension, and 2" body, on 37x12.5's... ETA: Pretty sure she had 4.11 gears, but the 5:1 T-case took care of a lot of that... ETA: also had a full cage
She sold it, because she broke up with the guy she had been dating (who also does crawling), and she got tired of playing the part game, and not having help fixing it... She's an Engineer, as well, but she would always get to a point of not being strong enough to get something apart or together... As a matter of fact, she grenaded the Detriot in the rear axle, the weekend I was there with her, which ended up tearing everything else in the axle up... $2500 later, she was back together (with new, upgraded internals)...
I'd like to have a vehicle that capable, but do mostly stuff like Bill does... I'm actually in the works of trying to buy my uncle's '90 W250 CTD (non-I/C) 5-speed, 4x4, with 106k miles... It's already got a front D60, and a rear D70u, so it should be as simple as lift/lockers/tires... I need to find him a cheap plow truck, though, so he doesn't have to put a plow on this, and keep it...
Her driving her Jeep
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Me, standing in front of her friend's Yota
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I spend the weekend a couple years ago, with my sister, at the High Desert Roundup, in SOCAL... It was SO MUCH FUN! She had a 2000-ish I6, 5-speed Jeep with an Atlas II T-case, D44 front and rear axles, Detriots front and rear, Antirock bars, 4" suspension, and 2" body, on 37x12.5's... ETA: Pretty sure she had 4.11 gears, but the 5:1 T-case took care of a lot of that... ETA: also had a full cage
She sold it, because she broke up with the guy she had been dating (who also does crawling), and she got tired of playing the part game, and not having help fixing it... She's an Engineer, as well, but she would always get to a point of not being strong enough to get something apart or together... As a matter of fact, she grenaded the Detriot in the rear axle, the weekend I was there with her, which ended up tearing everything else in the axle up... $2500 later, she was back together (with new, upgraded internals)...
I'd like to have a vehicle that capable, but do mostly stuff like Bill does... I'm actually in the works of trying to buy my uncle's '90 W250 CTD (non-I/C) 5-speed, 4x4, with 106k miles... It's already got a front D60, and a rear D70u, so it should be as simple as lift/lockers/tires... I need to find him a cheap plow truck, though, so he doesn't have to put a plow on this, and keep it...
Her driving her Jeep
Me, standing in front of her friend's Yota
Yah, I know. And I take heat for it at home. My apologies. A couple of offroad weekends ruined by the pirate crowd was enough to make me ultra-sensitized to anybody who might turn into them when the sun goes down. Since we all have a finite number of weekends left in our lives on earth, I'm being careful to not waste another one in the company of folks who recreate in a way that disturbs my way. That's all.
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