New Gears for my tahoe

2k2TahoeSS · September 8, 2002

Can you explain what the gear numbers mean? like 4.10 and what-not? I dont understand. Thanks

Ben

Dihappy · September 8, 2002

Basically, it is a ratio of wheel spin, to driveshaft revolutions.

If your wheels can spin at a ratio of say, 4.56 times per 1 revolution of your driveshaft, it is better than say a ratio of 3.55 to 1.

Going with taller gears usually helps move a vehicle with less effort.

MarkD · September 8, 2002

If your wheels can spin at a ratio of say, 4.56 times per 1 revolution of your driveshaft, it is better than say a ratio of 3.55 to 1.

No offense, but ya got it backwards Dihappy.

The number (3.55, 4.10, 4.56) indicates the number of DRIVESHAFT revolutions per wheel revolution.

There are two gears inside your differential housing one is connected to your driveshaft, and the other is connected to your rear axle (wheels).

The gear attached to your driveshaft, typically has 11-15 teeth. The gear attached to your rear axle typically has 40-60 teeth.

The best way to explain the principle is with manual roll-up automobile windows. If it only takes 2-3 turns of the window crank to raise the window, the crank is usually hard to turn. If it takes 20-1000 turns, it is much easier, but requires more turning to get the job done.

Low (numerically higher) gears are easier to turn than high (numerically lower) gears, but they require more revolutions of the engine to perform the same task.