Freeing up power and need some insight!

[hampsterzone]

I am having new 4:11 gears installed to make up the difference in running 35" tires. I have all the mods installed that are usually the first to do. My question is, are electric fans really that great at freeing up power? Are flex-a-lite 295 direct fit kits good for my truck? Any help would be great. I have spent a lot to get my truck to be as "bad" as possible but now I need some direction on what is next without going overboard or sacrificing engine longevity.

[hampsterzone]

What exactly do under drive pulleys do for my truck? :confused:

[Longshot270]

A friend of mine put some efans on a huge chevy 2500 with more engine than he deserved and he said the fans made a noticable difference. It will lighten the load the engine has to turn.

Underdrive pulleys change the gear ratio of all those pulleys powered by the engine. It makes them turn a little bit less for each revolution of the engine. This means that the engine does not have to pull as hard on those other pulleys to rev up. The easier the engine can rev up the better throttle response and power you will have. It does not add any more horsepower to the engine but it does help more of the total power reach the wheels. If you do a lot of idling you may want to bump up the idle speed a bit to keep the alternator at the charging RPM.

[BLFX4K]

You're making your truck work too hard with 4.10 gears

Go to 4.56's or 4.88's if you plan on 37" tires or for some extra city get up and go.

Electric fans make a huge difference and there are several routes to go. Whatever route you choose, just pick one and do it right the first time over

You will love the electric fans and gears, I would also recommend doing the underdrive pulleys while your fan is out and you have access to the engine bay and custom tunes to tie it all in together:thumbs up yellow:

IF you're mileage concerned the fans and pulleys should net you 1-3 mpg average. I saw 2mpg increase on the fans and the gears will help ease the stress on the transmission as well as gain back the hp/tq lost from those 35s

[hampsterzone]

Thanks, I really appreciate it. My mechanic says 4.56's will give me lots of off the line power/torque but my top end power will suffer from being at too high of rpms. What is the best route to go? in all honesty. They will be ordered today, so I kinda need to know what to buy soon. I just want good power and not to affect drivability. Thanks to whoever responds. :)

[Longshot270]

If you go with the 4.11 gears, you'll have a similar drive ratio of a stock truck with 3.55 gears. I would go one size bigger to give you more low end power that you were used to. That might even improve your mileage compared to the gears you've got now.

[hampsterzone]

One size bigger than 4.11? My truck has 3.73 in it now. So does that mean I should go w/ 4.56? Or 4.11? Thanks.....

[Longshot270]

When you went from stock 30ish inch tires to the 35's, you went to having something similar to an effective 3.11 gear ratio. If you put 4.11 gears in, that is similar to 3.55s.

Pegasus has a little gear ratio tool and the chart on this website Differential Gear Ratio Chart - Tire Size to Gear Ratio (http://www.offroaders.com/tech/gear-ratio-chart.htm)
That chart is pretty close to what I see going 70 with O/D off and the TC locked. You should play around with those to get a better idea of what the different gears will result in.

[BLFX4K]

If you haven't ordered already I'd go with 4.56s

How often will you be up in the higher rpms running sprints to 100mph+ with 35s it is not the safest idea

I believe there is a company that makes 4.30's but only the rear set last I checked.

going to 4.10s from 3.73s is NOT worth the amount of money you are going to spend. Do it once and do it right, 4.56s!:cheesy smile:

[hampsterzone]

Thanks a million! I already ordered the 4.56. I also ordered the electric fans from FF Dynamics which were the extreme duty ones. My question is, how much power will I noticeably feel with everything I have done one my truck. Keep in mind, I will be running 91 custom performance tunes, 4.56 gears, efans, along with all my other mods together for the first time.

[BLFX4K]

I've heard mixed reviews about the FF Dynamics Fans and most have chosen not to use them, I don't see any issues with them honestly.

It does not take much to keep the truck cool even under hard running, traffic etc.

If you're going to run them all together at the same time then you WILL notice a HUGE difference. I've slowly modded mine up and notice every small difference. The tuner was the biggest, then efans, gotts mod.

I'm sure the 4.56 will rate up above the efans since I have 35s on but no joke you will be amazed by the gains from tying in all the mods.

I was never able to smoke my 35s until the efans were put on, really freed things up

[hampsterzone]

SWEET! Sorry about not replying sooner. Did not realize there was 2 pages and always thought no one else replied. Thanks for your insight. I am sooooo anxious to have all my mods tied in together. Right now, I can feel the difference w/ my new 4.56 gears but won't test them out until my shift points are adjusted correctly by my Graphon, that has not showed up yet. Efans go on Friday. And having a truck like mine has cost me $13,000. No joke. Just don't tell my wife.... LOL!

[88Racing]

You are headed in the right direction with your ideas.....
Efans...
Udps....
Regearing...
Programmer....

Some other things you need to consider are general maintenance ones....

Cleaning the TB....
Cleaning the MAF...
Changing the fuel filter...
Do these every 15k....

[hampsterzone]

Thanks. I just had a complete fuel system cleaning. I maintenance my truck early because I drive it for work. I use only the best stuff. I just can't wait to get everything on and tied together. Patience is running low.

[LonestarROB]

Wish I had money :(( . lol . Can't wait to see/hear how everything turns out, hampster!

[hampsterzone]

I totally understand. Wish money was'nt an issue. I sooooo want a 6 inch lift and 20 inch rims/wheel package but used up my 3 yrs savings lately. It has taking me 3 yrs to develop my bone stock truck to it's state today. But that is part of the fun, waiting, saving, buying, waiting, wishing...

[Longshot270]

Yeah, I've got just about everything I want. It wouldn't hurt to upgrade my sub amp but I'm not going to spend the money on that. All that is left on the list for me to buy is UDPs, Efans, LT headers (maybe) and some kind of boost.

[LonestarROB]

But that is part of the fun, waiting, saving, buying, waiting, wishing...

Not fun when you've already done all those and left with just the wishing part. :thumbsdwn: :hehe:

[hampsterzone]

It would be nice to have enough money to go down to Spring Works and order up my lift and rims/wheel package. The way I figure it, if it is REALLY something I want and worth it, I will just have to work hard and save up the money. I was totally blown away when I added up the cost for all my mods. :hmmm: When you start one mod at a time it can really add up. Fixing up my truck is my healthy addiction, even though my bank account would not agree on healthy. LOL! The main thing to consider is if the mods you are making are worth it to YOU. Some guys never make mods to their trucks and are completely happy. I get a lot of enjoyment out of working on my truck and seeing it progress over time. I already have a 2.5" leveling kit combined w/ a 3" reddi lift and a 3" block on the back. So, I don't really need a lift because I already can fit 35" inch tires without rubbing. (I did have to make a small cut on the bottom of my front bumper skirt to prevent rubbing when backing up while turning.) Hope this helps you decide what you want to do. Just remember, once you start you will become addicted to modifying your truck. Good luck...... :cheesy smile: