newbie and confused

gmw photos wrote:
So bottom line is, it sounds like you are pretty happy with your set up ?

'My friend' is very pleased with the upgrade. :) Said that it was well worth the money spent given that the truck is a daily driver AND changing the truck was not an option. At the time of the swap the sales associate / enthusiast at 4 Wheel Parts asked why stop at 3.42? Why not go to 3.73 or even 4.10? The reason given was that (a) it was a daily driver so fuel economy while not towing was very important , (b) keeping to rms low when driving (towing or not) is less irritating and tiring, and (c) going up to the higher ratios does not result in the same percentage gain as going from 3.08 to 3.42.

Real world result is that the truck does a fine job of pulling the trailer which is nominally 7000#. Pulling is done @ 60 mph, cruise control, and tow haul mode - set it and forget it. Occasionally speed up to 75 mph to pass something slower but because the rig is tire speed limited to 65 mph the rig is slowed back down to the comfort speed of 60. Mileage has not changed much when towing - still around 10 mpg - despite the trailer jumping from 3800# to 7000#. Engine revs while towing did not change either - mostly less than 3000 rpm, and often around 2700 rpm. Shifting down causes revs to jump to 3500 rpm or so, max. When not towing revs are about 200 rpm higher @ 65 mph and fuel economy has dropped almost 1 mpg.

As for the OP's truck - hopefully it is a 6-speed since the lower gears are needed to pull off from a standstill. I think that he will be fine with a 1-Step change in the rear gear.