I've read through a bunch of threads about increasing highway speed and fuel milage and the importance of trans and rear end gearing. I have a two part question.

1. My first question is does it make a difference where the gearing improvements are made? By that I mean do you get better results from a .50 overdrive trans and 3.90 gears vs. a regular 3 or 4 speed with 3.08s? Is a balance of say at .73 OD trans and 3.55 gears better?

2. I think I read that you can go with some higher rear end gears without sacrificing much at take off. Is this true? Is there a tipping point where a goal of easy crusing keeps you from getting the thing rolling in the first place?

Question 2 ties back into question 1. My overll goal for my 58 Suburban is to build a pretty strong truck that will cruise nicely on the highway but remain capable of towing and carrying a load when necessary.

I'm thinking a fairly tall (~.5) OD 5/6 speed trans (T5 or T56) mated to a set of 3.55 gears. That should give me some descent launching/towing power while also providing some descent cruising?


Thanks

Larry