Originally posted by Boulderado:
I have a '47 1 ton with a 5.14, 17 in. rims, and a stock 235. I am trying to decide if swapping out for a 4.11 would be worth while. If I could hit 60-65 without winding out the engine I'd be pretty happy. Is that what a 4.11 will do for me?
I have a 4-speed tonner; with the 5.14 I peaked around 35-40 in top gear and could pull a house in granny low. I had 4.11's installed to get a bit more speed and keep the low end grunt for hauling. New cruise speed is around 50, and I still only use 1st on steep hills. Made the truck much less of a traffic obstruction, gave me over 10 mpg, and might just give the valvetrain a stay of execution.
The main problem is the full-floating diff in the bigger trucks limits your pinion choices. I could have spent nearly double and bought a new set of 3.90's, but I decided the used set of 4.11's would fit the weight of a panel and the hilly terrain.
