Can some one PLEASE explain to me what people mean when they talk about something like 4.11 gears or whatever. what does that mean? how does that number affect your truck's performance? how can u change them?

 

These are the ratios of the gears in the axles. For your 4.11 example, this means that the driveshaft will turn 4.11 revolutions for each revolution of the axle shaft.

One possible gear tooth-count make-up for a 4.11 ratio is that the ring (attached to the axle shaft) has 37 teeth, and the pinion (attached to the driveshaft) has 9 teeth.

A higher ratio (a larger number) offers more torque to the wheels, due to the effects of the gear multiplication. Thus, better off-the-line performance and pulling capabilities.

A lower ratio (a smaller number) offers greater fuel economy and the potential for less powertrain wear per mile - to a point.

When one modifies their vehicle with larger tires, this effectively reduces the engine revolutions per mile-per-hour, resulting in a noticeable loss of power and a possible loss in fuel economy.

To offset this, many times the axle ratio is raised, such as going from the ever-popular 3.55 to a 3.73, 4.11, or 4.56 setup. IMO, the goal would be to change the axle ratio by the ratio of the change in tire size, leaning toward the next higher commercially-available ratio.

Changing the gears is not cheap. The new gears need to be set up correctly through the use of shims in order to get the proper gear mesh/alignment. This requires that one knows what they're doing, and involves the use of runout dial gauges and bluing material to check the mating. For 4WD, both the front and the rear axle set need to be changed, effectively doubling the costs. Just changing the gears out is not that difficult, getting the gears set up properly is the challenge. Get it wrong, may be removing chunks and changing gears again.

 

where would i be able to find my current ratio? and what is a good one to be at for the stock tires and some mad drag power?

 

Great answer WDE.

I'd also add that going with a taller gear will give you more off the line and towing performance but also reduces your top end MPH due to the increased RPM on the engine. A shorter gear will allow you to go faster on the top end but it will take longer to accelerate to that point.

 

What year and model do you have? Besides telling from that you can rotate the rear tire once and while doing that count how many times the drive shaft rotates. My guess is that you have either 3.55, 3.73, or 4.10 but most likely 3.55.

 

There is a sticker on the drivers door with info on your truck. That is the listed code on yours?