Jay87LX

I am in the market for a new truck and have been reading and reading and have a few questions. Ideally I will get a '12 Crew Cab LT Z-71 5.3. I would do some occassional towing of a 6x12 aluminum trailer with 1-2 Harleys about 2000 mile round trip from New England to Myrtle and also locally here in New England

1. What would be a good gear ratio? If I am understanding correctly the 3:73 may hurt fuel mileage but are good for towing?

2. What information is in the DIC? Is there a trans temp gauge and if so how accurate is it?

3. In trucks with the same options is there a difference between the Chevy and GMC or as long as they have the same options they are identical or do they make different option groups?

4. Do all the new trucks have the 6 speed?

Thanks in advance!!!!

Jay87LX

Anyone?

airforceret

if you're only towing 2 harleys on a small trailer i doubt you'd need 3:73s. i've pulled a 26 ft travel trailer with 3:55s in my F150 without a problem. the DIC in my 2012 2500HD is pretty accurate, so I'd expect the DIC to act the same in a 1500.

Can only speculate on the rest of your questions!
Roger

Jay87LX

So "trans temp" is one of the functions shown in the DIC?

country_09

if you're goin to leave it completely stock tire size wise then I'd go for the 3.42 gear ratio. 3.73s won't hurt while pullin anything, but they'll use a little more gas down the road for sure. Havin a 6 speed over a 4 speed will help a lot as well. Yes there is a trans temp gauge, i'm unsure if it only comes on a truck with a towin package though. Just flip through the DIC and it will be there if there is one. I believe they have the same options, but are called different packages. And yes, all new chevy's have the 6 speed.

Is the z71 you're lookin at 2wd or 4wd? not all z71s are 4wd now a days so that's somethin to look at. I'd imagine, either way you're lookin at around 14-15 mpg not pullin a trailer and around 10-11 pullin it with the 3.42 gears and around a constant 13-14 loaded/unloaded with the 3.73 gears. So not much of a difference in the two. Just get either one you want, then contact justin at blackbearperformance.com and he can hook you up to get some better mpg and more power while pullin the trailer.

Jay87LX

Thanks for the reply, Up here in New England you would be hard pressed to find a truck NOT 4x4 so yes it will be 4x4.

mrnoyb

1. The 3.42 rear axle ratio delivers the best combination of performance and fuel economy.

2. The DIC includes acurate automatic transmission fluid temperature display.

3. There are differences in options but no difference in performance between Chevy & GMC.

4. A 4 speed automatic transmission is standard. The six speed is optional.

ericnottelin

Just FYI, all crew cabs come standard with 3.42. I don't believe it is even an option anymore in the 2012 for 3.73. I think the only way you can get that for the 2012 model year is with the max towing package which puts you into the 6.2l engine.

Eric

country_09

Wrong, 6 speeds come standard now. From like 2010 and up. And like said above, 3.42 comes standard. I think they've even gone as high as 3.23 in their regular plain jane trucks

Boucher187

1. I have the 3.42 (2009 Sierra V8 5.3) and I really like that ratio. I am not towing but I do not think you will see a major difference in fuel. From what I read if you are towing you may be better off with the 3.73.

2. It should have
- Instant Fuel Number
- Average Fuel Number
- Fuel Range
- Oil Life Remianing (Time Until Oil Change)
- Fuel Used
- Timer
- Tire Pressure For All 4 Tires
- Engine Hours
- Trans Temp


3. The only difference I think is the interior is a bit different and some odds and ends (Hood etc) … Have to let the experts chime in on this.

4. No. Check the RPO Codes Comprehensive Chevrolet, Saturn, GMC, Hummer, Cadillac, Buick, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Geo, Dodge, Plymouth, Jeep, Chrysler, Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Mazda Truck, Mercedes VIN Decoder