Just have your dealer order you what you want! I know they are under pressure to get rid of inventory but I had the same problem, everybody has trucks on the lots with 3:73 gears and you tell a salesman that you want 4:10's and they try to talk you into 3:73's! It only took a month for my new 08 to come in ordered with everything I wanted and without the stuff I didn't want. And by waiting an extra month they came out with more rebates so i even saved an extra 2250.00

Changing the gears will cost WAAAAY more than the 150.00 x in the box on the option sheet.

 

I found out upgradinga 3.73 to a 4.10 was very expensive, so we elected to keep looking for a 4.10. A dealer was able to locate a 2007 4.10 for us for the price wewanted to pay. We picked it up yesterday and love it. Now I need to learn about installing running boards, but that will be a separate post.

Thanks, Dave

 

I need the change to pull a 13000# trailer

 

I was in the same situation. Got a larger travel trailer and wanted to be sure I could pull it safely. I made the swap in my '06 Suburban 2500 last summer. Took my towing capacity from 8100 lbs to 10,100 lbs. My fuel economy when not towing went from around 15 mpg to 13.5 mpg. Towing economy went from around 8 mpg to 9.5 mpg.
I was able to find a good used axle for $200. I went this route because, in researching, I learned that factory gear set is widely regarded as being of the highest quality and an entire used axle was less than half the price of a new gear set. I pulled the gears myself and took to a local transmission shop that installed for $240. Also had to supply an install kit which was another $120. I then took it to the dealer to get it reprogrammed for speedometer and shift point correction (the transmission shift points are based, in part, on the gear ratio programmed in at the factory). They were able to do it no problem but said that it depended on two things: 1) whether the gear set you swapped in was an original factory option. The 4:10 ratio was available in '06. 2) the year of the vehicle. I was told that the newer the vehicle, the less likely it would be that it could be reprogrammed. They said my '06 was right at the cutoff point. Programming was an additional $110. I then sold my 3:73 gear set on Craigslist for $125.
So, total price ended up being about $545. Well worth it as my 'burb does pull much better now. I know this is an old post and probably more than anyone wanted to know but hope that helps someone researching this.

 

My issue with 410 gears was they are awful on the highway.

Awe-full. Drives your RPMs over 3K at 70 MPH. They also suck

gas around town.

If you never take any long trips, and you don't mind losing a couple MPG

in gas mileage, go for it.

 

Gears are mechanical advantage. 4.10 over 3.73 is like 200 rpm difference at 70. No way should you be at 3k at 70 mph either. 2200-2400 max accordin to my dads 2007 1500 6.0 with 4.10s. He gets 12-13 but drives the crap out of it and hauls regularly. It'll pull what he wants it to as well. If you go to put larger tires on it later, then the 4.10a will have been a great choice. I run 4.88s with my 35s and love every second of em

 

Well, I specifically went to 342s for the lowered RPMs on the highway.

And in my 04-2500 with the 6.0 and 4L80 transmission, sorry, 3K plus RPMs

at 70+ MPH, with 410s.

Upside is 342s are a real mellow gear. @2K at 70MPH now.

Yes, you do get a lot of "mechanical advantage" in the low end with

410s. You also lose that "advantage" at higher speeds, as well as

sacrificing gas mileage.

 

Agreed you do lose top end. But it's a truck, pushin through head wind. I'd take the lower gears any day. And to be honestly sounds like you had somethin wrong with your 2500 because every single 6.0 2500 with 4.10s I've driven/rode in have been around 2400 at 70. Gear charts put 4.88s and 35s at the same rpm as 4.10s and stock 31s. I'm runnin 2300-2400 at 70. Still pullin 14 mpg all day. Now I know drive ratios are different in the 60e and the 80e, but it won't make up for a 600-700 rpm difference. Ultimately gonna do what you want but a change from 3.73s to 4.10s isn't a big difference, like I said 200 rpm's or so give or take a hundred.