What will accelerate better, a 2003 'crew with a 5.4L, 3.55 gears and 245/75-16 rubber, or the 3.73 and 265/70-17? I come up with an rpm, in od at 62mph, for the 3.55/245 combo at 1,694rpm, and the 3.73/265 combo at 1,724rpm. The 3.73/265 combo is a bit lower, but has larger tire mass which may hamper the advantage. Maybe a 3.55/255/70-16 combo, which should be 1,780rpm? Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

I have the 3:55LS rear withe the 17" tire/rim combo on FX4. The stock tires are among the worst tires I have ever had on a vehicle so I ditched them(and the rims) and opted for 33/12.5R17 procomp mud terrain. Wishing I would have gotten the 3:73 rear end.

 

Without a doubt, go for the 3.73's. I had them in my 99 with the 265's and it was awesome, my new 02 with 3.55's and 265's is a dog - even with the Superchip it can't match what the 3.73's give you.

 

My has the 3.55LS and while it is powerful and very capable, I can tell that the 3.73's would be stump-pullin strong with the the 5.4 while towing... Really does well above about 1800 RPM's and I can't complain with the highway towing w/OD off, i just think the 3.73's would give it a little more umph if ya know what I mean...

Chris (ReelWork)

 

Thanks for the info ppl. I think I'll lean towards the 3.73's and 17" rubber compared to the 3.55 and 16". The bigger rubber looks way better also. Thanks again.

 

My 01 SCrew was a 5.4L w/3.55 rear end, 17" tires & wheels. I now have a 03 SCrew with 5.4L w/3.73 rear end, 17" tires & wheels. There is a noticeable difference for the better in the 03 SCrew. I would say go with the 5.4L - 3.73 - 17" option.

 

Hey guys...are the 2003 4x4 Supercrews coming with the option of 3:55 or 3:73 gearing?

I thought all you could get is the 3:55 in the Supercrews.

 

Yep, you can get 3.73's with 265/70-17's and 3.55's with all 16" rubber. 4.10's would be better though.

 

Hey Mtnmike! Is your 03 a 4x2 or 4x4? Were the 3.73's standard or are they an option. I'm trying to find out because the Kell Blue Book website shows that the 3.73 aren't even an option for the XLT model which I noticed in your sig that your 03 is an XLT. It only shows the 3.73's being an option on the Lariat which I really don't want to get because of the leather interior. Can I get the 17" rims and 3.73 Limited slip in the XLT.
Thanks alot!
Jim

 

I priced out an 2003 4x4 XLT FX4 with 5.4L/3.73's on saturday. The salesman had trouble figuring out all the new 2003 codes and combinations to suit my option load, but all in all, the 3.73/265-17" package is legit. He dug around for awhlie, figured it out, and it worked. From what I can tell, the 3.73's are standard with the Lariat package because the 17" rubber is standard with the Lariat. The 3.73's come with the FX4 pkg due to the 17" that come with the pkg.

 

Definatly get the 17"s with the 3.73s. You may not get as good of gas mileage but you will have better acceleration.

I wish my truck had the 3.73s but unfortunatly for me to change out the gears would just be too expensive, I will wait for the 2004s when they also upgrade the engine.

Also ZYG if your still out there, what do you think of the procomp mud terrain on the 17" wheels? I am thinking about getting them myself but am concerned about wear, noise, gas mileage, and performance. If it only effects these a bit then I can live with that. Did you notice a big diffrence with those tires in any way? Please let me know much appreciative.

 

Of course its "legit"! I am driving my 2003 SCrew XLT FX4 with 5.4L V-8, 17" tires and wheels, and a 3.73 limited slip differential, and have been for exactly 128 miles. I again went with an XLT because I did not want leather.

If you order the FX4 off road equipment package (code 55R) you will get P265-17 OWL ALL- TERRAIN TIRES; 3.73 LIMITED SLIP AXLE, SKID PLATES; 17' CAST ALUMINUM WHEELS; AND RANCHO SHOCKS. This is not Ripley's Believe It Or Not; this is a fact.

My 2001 4X4 Screw XLT had the 3.55 rear axle w/ 17 inch tires. Believe me there is a noticeable difference. By the way I don't believe the 3.73 is available in a 4X2 but on that point I may be wrong.

 

I have an 2002 FX4 and are you saying that it should have 3.55's... Becuase I looked at the sticker and it shows 3.55's but, if the FX4 is 3.73's then that's great!

Enquiring minds want to know...

Chris (ReelWork)

 

I want to get an XLT 4x2 Crew, I'm still trying to find out if I can get the 17" rims and the 3.73's in a 4x2 XLT Crew. I talked to a dealer a few weeks back and he didn't know much about the 03's yet.
Jim

 

I just ran out to the truck and it has an "H9" axle code on the pillar and like I said the window sticker shows it as a 3.55 LS... I can't tell what code the FX4 package is unless you tell me where to look...

Thanks,
Chris (ReelWork)