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Gear Swap 4.10

22K views 38 replies 9 participants last post by  83Hokie 
#1 ·
Heard some horror stories about doing these, so im on the fence, but the car really needs gears, especially with a 28 inch tire back there its like having 3.23s lol, anyone know how much the installs are going for on these things?
 
#3 ·
yea its a tall tire back there lol, use the tire calc, thats pricey and im sure the gears are too
 
#13 ·
I just drove it normal like a grocery getter about 5 miles was hiway but the rest was 55 and some 45. But I see mid 20s quite often and 19 if i play with it alittle. But drive it around town 14. guess i got a good one. maybe I got a tune. some times i think the dealer that put 500 miles on it used it as a drag car.:mad:
 
#15 ·
i lost 2mpg. big wip. 23mpg @75
 
#17 ·
if changing the gears do u need to buy the installation kit as well, or can u get away without getting it??
 
#18 ·
only with the AAM GM gears aftermarket gears will require shims.
 
#20 ·
If your serious about it, do your self a favor and just buy a 1LE diff from the dealer. It's already set up and has gear lube in it plus comes with a 12 month GM warranty. The 3.91 gear is nice, besides you have to pull your diff out to have the gear installed anyway so it's just a diff swap. You also still have your factory diff in case you ever need it or can sell to recoupe some of your cost. My chevy dealer sold me one for $1425.
 
#23 ·
yes American Axle Manufacturing makes the gears for GM.
I only lost 2mpg. and the whole thing cost me $689 for all GM seals and pinion bearing gears and labor. I pulled the diff. took me 2 hrs to remove 1 1/2 to put it back in on jack stands doing it for the 1st time. Thats another thing you will a new pinion seal and might as well do the bearing as they tend to stretch when they come off the pinion. I did axle seals to.
Yea i wish i could come up with $1425 cause that sounds like a good deal, but just dont have it, also not bad with the warranty either

yea i guess it makes sense while ur in there to replace all the seals for insurance
 
#24 ·
well you have to replace the pinion seal. I bought the axle seals just incase and they were cheap. Mine were fine but my installer replaced them anyway. You do get a 1 year warranty if the dealer installs the rear. My installer gave me a 1 year warranty too.
 
#27 ·
Gear Swap

I'm highly considering swapping out the gears but I have one question first. The GM service department mentioned that after the swap I might not want to drive the car on the highway at higher speeds. He said the Rpm's may be too high. I would think that with the 3.91 gears when running at 70mph the Rpm's should only be around 2300 to 2700. What are your thoughts on the matter?
 
#28 ·
Okay, I will qualify I have no expertise, my premise might be totally off, and know nothing about this but ...

don't the 1LE's have 3:91 gears? If so, surely the 1LE's are not limited to 70mph? If not, totally disregard me.
 
#29 ·
the 3.91s are perfect for this car your like 1700-1800rpm at 80mph. you wont even be shifting into 6th below 60mph
 
#30 ·
Gear swap

That was my thinking as well but the 1LE also has a different transmision so maybe it compensates for that. There were a few people on here that have the 3.91 gears so I'm hoping they can tell me it's perfectly safe to run on the highway.
 
#31 ·
Thanks JCunningham. That's what I wanted to hear. So this upgrade doesn't necessarily add Horsepower right? It just changes the ratio?
 
#32 ·
it is i have a regular SS with 3.91s. its very safe on the highway. you could run well over 100 all day safely in this car. I still got 26mpg at 75 with the 3.91s. its only 180rpm more at 60. thats nothing.
 
#33 ·
ya no hp increase it just provides more leverage. it feels like a 60hp increase.
Features a GM OEM ring & pinion gear set for the 2010-2014 Camaro SS/1LE that were designed for long life and quiet operation. The manufacturing process used combined with a professional installation will insure quiet factory like operation of your differential unlike less expensive gears sets that often can cause gear whine even if they are installed correctly. The 3.91 ratio ring and pinion provides a 13% increase in effective rear wheel torque multiplication compared to the factory 3.45 ring & pinion (MT) and a 20% increase in effective rear wheel torque multiplication compared to the factory 3.23 ring & pinion that is found on the A6 equipped Camaro SS.

When cruising at 60 mph in 6th gear, a manual transmission vehicle will see an approximate increase in engine speed of 180 RPM or 13% increase while automatic transmission vehicles will see an approximate increase of 300 rpm or 20% increase. Automatic & manual transmission equipped vehicles will require ECM calibration changes to correct the speedometer.
 
#34 ·
the 1le has the same 5th and 6th gears.
 
#35 ·
Thanks, that was very helpful and thanks 83Hokie for your input. I will be ordering parts soon. Now i know this might not be the thread for this question but What throttle body upgrade would you all recommend for the 2014 SS? The only mod's I have done so far are cold air intake and Flowmaster American Thunder cat back.
 
#39 ·
I'm just glad someone could give you an authoritative answer ...
 
#36 ·
just port your stock tb. New Era does it for $75 but you have to mail to him then he mails it back. Turn around time is a day i think.
 
#37 ·
and on avg how much HP will that gain?
 
#38 ·
not enough to feel. none of them will. it will give better throttle response.
 
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