2014 Sierra 1500 Axlle Ratios 3.42 vs 4.73

[Panik]

Thanks for the reassurance. From what research I was doing Edmunds/Consumer Reports I was guessing somewhere in the 35-37K range for the options I was looking for. They aren't offering the All Star package for GMC but from looking at the Chevy site it's basically the same stuff I am looking at getting. They are sweet ***** trucks.

Hey, have you had the chance to play around with the auto setting for 4WD? Not that we have a huge need for it, but after N. Ga's Snowmaggedon I can appreciate the idea of being able to have an on demand 4WD.

I agree about the 6.2. If I needed that much power I would rather go with a 2500HD. Heck when I first started looking I called my cousin and asked her what she was driving. She had recently decided to slow down in life and made the transition from being one of the top ranked U.S. women's climbers to showing on the horse circuit. With needing to pull a horse trailer she traded a VW van for a Duramax/Allison 2500 and absolutely loves it.

You know I can kinda understand my local GMC/Chevy dealers not having any 5.3L's with the heavy tow option, but I don't get why they are only stocking the short bed option. I can't imagine that there would be that low of a demand for a standard bed as to not carry absolutely none. :confused3: Dunno, I was never bothered by the length of the 3500 Dodge crew cab dually I used to have to drive for Fish and Game.

 

[Panik]

Always buy 24 to 48 hours before the end of month. Expect to spend the time to visit at least 2 dealers in person. I ended up getting a loaded 2013 3500 LTZ for 54 K with $ 1000 in free accessories because I was a business owner. Sticker price was 64K almost 65K.
You are making a large purchase and it is worth your time to put time and effort into it. All of the Internet salesmen fell out around 60K or just did not return emails.
Good Luck

Thanks for the advice and the reminder to remain patient throughout researching and purchasing! I'm not sold on the idea that internet sales will work out, but if nothing else it will serve to get me back into the mode of negotiating without having to do in person immediately.

I had forgotten how much buying a vehicle can be an emotionally driven thing. I can spend anywhere from 2-4 hours a day driving and do a fair amount of "work" while driving. It will be nice to finally have something that fits my needs and creature comforts. That being I think I am finally getting smart enough and comfortable enough to be able to walk away from a deal if it is not exactly what I would like.....I hope anyways.

I just purchased a 2014 Silverado double cab.LT Z 71 with the 5.3 and 3.42 gears.Remember these trucks have six speed auto with a tow/haul mode.3.42 are standard and unless you order I doubt you will find one on the lot set up any different.The 3/4 ton's are generally set-up more for heavy duty towing.Again depends on your uses.For me just a 2,000 lb.boat and utility trailer.I have use my other trucks that were set up similar for camping,fully loaded box(1000lbs.)two canoes on top and towing a loaded utility trailer in the mountains with no problem at all.
On a second thought;I traded a 2013 similarly equipped and the 2014's are a huge improvement both in ride quality and lack of any cab noise.Still on the first tank and showing 18mpg.average ,all in short hops.

Thanks for the feedback on gearing! 18mpg is sweet to hear, even if it is only on the first tank. That's actually a huge improvement over the Heap right now - its generally been showing 14 with me not stomping on it (I think she's getting old and tired). When I hook up the trailer and load the tractor it drops to 8-10. Heck if I could stay at 16 with the 5.3 and 3.42 I would be happy especially if the 4.73 is going to be factory order. Its not like I am commercial, I use the trailer about 2-3 times a month and a lot of that is simply because I don't have a bed to put stuff in.

 

[s219]

I recently bought a 2014 Sierra with the 5.3L V8 and 3.42 gears. My understanding is that 3.42 is a bit worse than the 3.08 for MPG, and I'd expect the 3.73 to be a bit worse than the 3.42. How much worse, I have no idea. I have been getting 19-20 MPG in mixed driving, but saw a consistent 22+ MPG on a weekend trip cruising back roads.

The main downside with the shorter gearing is that you will turn higher RPMs for any given speed, and it would be most noticeable on the highway. You'll spin to 9% higher RPMs with 3.73 over 3.42, which itself spins 11% higher RPMs than 3.08.

I can say the 3.42 setup has plenty of grunt for daily driving and it towed my 7K trailer with 2 tons of gravel very well last weekend. I haven't towed anything heavier yet; I just got higher rated drawbars and balls and still need to set them up. For me, the 9500# rating will likely be more than I need for a while, especially with a 7K trailer.

I still think pickup trucks drive like barges, but at least the 2014 GM models have nicely weighted steering with good road feel and feedback and they steer very crisply. Big improvement over the numb molasses feeling in the Fords.

Definitely get the factory brake controller if you custom order -- it has some nice features, and the integration into the dash is hard to beat. I bought my truck off the lot, and that is the one option I wish it had.

 

[Panik]

I think y'all have sold me on the 3.42 setup. :laughing:

I can say the 3.42 setup has plenty of grunt for daily driving and it towed my 7K trailer with 2 tons of gravel very well last weekend. I haven't towed anything heavier yet; I just got higher rated drawbars and balls and still need to set them up. For me, the 9500# rating will likely be more than I need for a while, especially with a 7K trailer.

In all honesty I can't imagine needing to tow more than #9500. I was originally interested in the 3.72 and max tow package in response to my Jeep having some issues while towing well short of its max to capacity. Ehh, for my purposes I certainly don't need the extra capacity and can definitely benefit from the better efficiency for daily driving. Thanks for taking the time to explain the relationship in gearing in a clear manner.

Out of curiosity who did you use for your new drawbar? when I purchased the my current trailer I had to upgrade to a 2 5/16th ball so I went ahead and bought one of Diversi-Tech's adjustable aluminum 10K drawbars. I figured even though it was over kill for the Jeep, I would be ready to go when I traded it in.

I still think pickup trucks drive like barges, but at least the 2014 GM models have nicely weighted steering with good road feel and feedback and they steer very crisply. Big improvement over the numb molasses feeling in the Fords.

I agree about full size pickups being barges, but I would rather a responsive barge than my mother's Kia Sorento which handles like sludge. I do think things are nicely balanced in regards to the 1500's steering and feedback. One of the things I noticed in the test drive that I liked was that the accelerator had a modest amount of resistance to it. The resistance on the accelerator in my wife's Sienna is ridiculously light. Our main drive is steep enough to cause a V6 to hesitate transitioning from the main road to the incline, and its real easy to over do by quickly depressing the accelerator too much compensate because the resistance is so slight. The end result is a massive jolt as the motor catches up.

 

[s219]

The V6 trucks I drove had a much lighter accelerator pedal and felt real snappy. The V8 models all take a real push to get to the good stuff. I am sure that is part of their strategy to improve mileage, but it sometimes makes it tricky maintaining speed on hills/etc (I am getting better at this). Cruise control on the highway does a better job than me right now.

I ordered my draw bars and balls from etrailer.com -- they had free shipping a couple weeks ago, so I got everything I needed, including a new harness for my brake controller. All the stores in my area sell hitch hardware rated for 5000#, so I had to look online for the heavier stuff. Makes me wonder how many people don't even check the ratings and just slap on the 5000# stuff. Based on eyeball measuring against my previous tow vehicle, I went with 4" drop on the drawbars.

 

[jejeosborne]

The main downside with the shorter gearing is that you will turn higher RPMs for any given speed, and it would be most noticeable on the highway.

Definitely get the factory brake controller if you custom order -- it has some nice features, and the integration into the dash is hard to beat. I bought my truck off the lot, and that is the one option I wish it had.

The engine speed difference only takes place in the top (6th) gear. Having the lower gears ratio will just let the transmission up shift early in the first 5 gears. I actually think sometimes my 3.73 rear gets better mileage in town because it gets into upper gears with locked torque converter sooner. Highway speeds in 6th gear is when it is a disadvantage under light loads.

I also agree, get the brake controller. I know you can easily add the factory brake controller in the Ford but not sure about the GM trucks. Definitely worth checking.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Get 3.73 gears. You won't regret it.

Chris

 

[orezok]

Towing capacity of 11,000# is a myth created by the marketing people. It is based upon the receiver capacity of 1,100# or 10% of the trailer gross weight. In reality, most trailers run in the 12 to 13% tongue weight. That limits the actual trailer weight in the 8,500 to 9,000# weight before exceeding hitch capacity. Secondly, if you load it to the 1,100# tongue weight, it will probably only have 500# of cargo capacity in the truck before exceeding the GVWR of the truck. Add a driver, your wife, a couple of kids and some stuff in the bed and now you are overweight.

Check the yellow sticker on the door jamb for actual cargo capacity for the actual truck you are looking at. Most will be in the 1,500 to 1,700# range. Subtract the 1,100# and that is what you can carry including passengers and cargo.

Almost all half tons will exceed truck GVWR long before they reach towing capacity.

 

[Panik]

Almost all half tons will exceed truck GVWR long before they reach towing capacity.

Thankfully I have no real interest in actually towing 11K+. My original thoughts on the max towing package and 3.73 were to get those options with the idea that it would improve towing performance at more realistic loads (5-8K).

Get 3.73 gears. You won't regret it.

You and Jesjeosbone just had to stir the pot didn't you? :laughing: Honestly, I say that because I respect a lot of the opinions and info you have put forth in the forum. I'm gonna have to give this one some more thought

The V6 trucks I drove had a much lighter accelerator pedal and felt real snappy.

Thankfully I am beyond my go fast, accelerate hard phase in life. I suspect the pedal resistance will take some getting used to, but I think I can live with that

I ordered my draw bars and balls from etrailer.com

That's who I ordered from. Every time I have ordered and or spoke with someone there it has been an awesome experience. So far they have been all around good people to deal with.

..... get the brake controller. I know you can easily add the factory brake controller in the Ford but not sure about the GM trucks. Definitely worth checking.

I was planning on getting this option. I like my P3 controller but having an integrated brake controller is a no brainer. In fact I think at least half of the trucks on my local dealer lot had this feature. We live near a couple of large lakes so there is a lot of towing going on around town.

 

[nybirdman]

Also on the LT's anyway and maybe all the new ones;the have a manual operation for the trans if needed plus hill descent control.You didn't state what you anticipate your max load would be.As stated they are rated at 9500#.