[wipikafish]

Its possibly time for a new clutch for my 13. leafy...
Symptoms: boggy on take off - feels like its slippery, no chirp on take off

Just put 31's on with a standard engine and drivetrain (still looking for some 4.x gears) and Im concerned that its going to die sooner rather than later...

Driving conditions are on the dunes and steep, gravely inclines when hunting plus normal day to day driving.

What clutch would people recommend - brands and suppliers.

Cheers

Andrew

[Gwagensteve]

You need gears, not a clutch.

You can put a HD clutch in it, but that's just a band aid for the fact your gearing is a mess.

A standard, factory sierra clutch will last forever if the gearing is right.

Steve.

[TryHard]

yerp gears are the Answer

[Fatzook]

Gwagensteve wrote:

You need gears, not a clutch.

You can put a HD clutch in it, but that's just a band aid for the fact your gearing is a mess.

A standard, factory sierra clutch will last forever if the gearing is right.

Steve.

X2.

Adress the ACTUAL problem.

[oozuk]

Fatzook wrote:

Gwagensteve wrote:

You need gears, not a clutch.

You can put a HD clutch in it, but that's just a band aid for the fact your gearing is a mess.

A standard, factory sierra clutch will last forever if the gearing is right.

Steve.

X2.

Adress the ACTUAL problem.

X2, save your money from spending on the HD clutch and fit a std clutch, start saving quickly for reduction gears

[wipikafish]

Thank you for your replies.
The reason I suspect clutch is that the last sierra I had had 31's as well and although 5th gear was fair useless, I didnt mind the ratios for the other gears. I really had no problem with that car at all and this car doesnt really feel like the last one. I dont particuly want to change the ratios back to standard - Im hoping for an 'inbetween' ratio...
Can someone explain why a new gear set would be so benificial. All I can think of is that the bigger wheels need more torque to turn them which is provided with the new ratio gears.
What am I missing?

Cheers, Andrew

[wolf_rt]

the tires are also 'gears' in there way, so by putting bigger tires on, you change the gearing.

your 'old' sierra might have had 3.9 diff gears instead of 3.7 like the WT models have???

there are different ratio transfer gears that will give you 'in between' ratios.

the 6.5 gears will return you to 'stock' gearing when you upgrade from 26" to 31" tires.. as most sierras in 'stock' trim actually have 27"-27.7" tires on them, it will likely rev a bit higher than you're used to...

here is your other options from 303zuke



plug the figures in this calculator and see what you think.
http://www.lepayne.com/gears.html

[303zuke]

wipikafish wrote:

Thank you for your replies.

Can someone explain why a new gear set would be so benificial. All I can think of is that the bigger wheels need more torque to turn them which is provided with the new ratio gears.
What am I missing?

Cheers, Andrew

Ask yourself why you don't start off in 2nd gear instead of first? Excessive slipping of the clutch to avoid stalling, poor low speed start-offs?

The overall effect of fitting 31s has made your stock 1st gear more like 2nd gear. By getting the correct ratios in the Transfer (or alternatively, Diffs), you will bring it back closer to the original overall first gear ratio, saving the amount of stress on your clutch. Going to a HD clutch won't resolve the issue, it will just hide the problem. If your clutch has already worn, gearing might not save this clutch now, but it will give the next one a longer life.

You say you don't want to return the ratios back to stock, but would prefer something in-between. You will actually find a performance improvement if you reduce them slightly LOWER than stock. Gearing is not simply about tyre dimensions and axle rotational speeds. It also involves factors of inertial weight of larger diameter or heavier wheels and tyres, and the rev range of the engine at a particular road speed and the power output at that engine speed.