Quote:
Originally Posted by Firebirdjones
Easier to run a taller tire on it if you haven't tried that already.
My 79 1 ton has 3.73's and with it's original tire size of 9.5 x 16.5 they are listed at 30.5" tall. It'll cruise easily at 65-70 mph at about 27-2800 rpm. The 454 runs perfect like this, I've criss crossed the country like this a couple of times going more than 2,000 miles with it and knock down 14 mpg doing it.
A couple of my other cars also have 3.73's with 28" tires and they cruise along at 65mph pretty easily as well. I just don't get in a big hurry. 65-70-ish is all I care to go anyway.
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The numbers on my tires work out to 30.5 and with the 350/350 it really feels to me like I'm spinning it fast past 60... but then again, I'm used to newer cars and overdrive transmissions, so maybe I'm just not used to what I have to spin it at. I'm not sure what size I can manage to fit without rubbing on the utility bed I have, I'll have to make some measurements and figure it out (how much travel I have to the bumps, how much compression of the bumps themselves I expect, how much travel I have until the tire hits something.
At this point it'll spin a tire off the line with a utility bed full of tools, I'd rather have it do better on the freeway instead. 3.73 probably makes more sense than any taller than that, it's almost exactly a 10% difference and I'd be surprised if I could fit 34s without rubbing which would do the same to gearing.