thanks again for the help. every time i check this im learing more and more yawl have been alot of help. now like i said earlier i just gota figure out what i wana do. but why were on this subject. what gear would you run. in thinking about takeing the 3.73 out and put in a 4.10 gear.

 

the 4.10 wont make a big difference unless your towing alot, your mileage will go down and your rpms will go up while cruising at hwy speeds, the dmax makes plenty of power to displace the need for 4.10's unless you really feel the need to change them... 4.56 would be much more noticable, but only if your running big wheels or towing heavy

 

just because your dodge rode like a tan doesnt mean all sfa trucks will. come ride in my chevy youd think your in a cadillac. and as for having the best ifs for the same price, you have to remember they serve completely different purposes, they do what theyre designed to do, and yes they have better ride but the second you lift them you love that and then you start the problem after problem deal. and remember here, he is talking about wanting to wheel his truck, IFS just plain and simple doesnt do that. and the
keyword to your last statement is this:
i'll spend a few hundred on my soft ride and still be able to do everything i want to do with my truck

exactly, what you want to do with your truck, you say you spend 80% on the freeway.


X2

i dont know where your getting your wheel bearings at, but my wheel bearings cost 40 bucks a piece at the local napa auto parts and i can get 100-150 thousand miles on them.

but the biggest thing about him striaght axling his truck is he would not the use the dodge straight axle that you keep talking about. the CAD system is a horrible design, guess is he would a ford or chevy axle, which is a completely different beast than the CAD axles used in the dodges

 

the dmax does have the power to not regear, but I would consider it. I know my padre's with just 35s could benifit towing so you don't have to dog it to keep it rollin 80 loaded down.

 

i would be usein a ford axle most likely. and the reason i ask about the gear swap is that ive heard that it helps out when you have 35s or 37s on your truck which is what i am wanting to run. because ive heard that it brings it back down to what a 373 would do with stock tires.

 

i have 4.10's on my cummins which probably makes around the same power of your duramax(givin it isnt all beefed up). and i also have 35's. i wouldve stayed with my 3.73's all day long if it was just a driver, the only reason i went to 4.10's is because i have to tow horse and cow trailers alot. and it does help when towing

 

I have seen plenty IFS trucks lifted and used for wheeling, I dont want to jack my truck up, its a PITA to get in when your only 5'7", and it serves no purpose for me, for you it may, and SFA may very well be the way to go for that, but if your only going to be wheeling occasionally like I do, and you dont need a lift to fit large tires underneath then it really isnt worth it To each their own, who am i to say what you should do with your truck right?

 

Wait, How come no one ever brings up TTB swaps?

 

exactly its all for him to decide just tryin to point out the ups of each side. typical rule of thumb for IFS trucks is 4"< lifts are just fine, but a 6"> lift is when you start hitting big problems with cv joints and all your other bushings and ends. i had a 6" on my 91 before i straight axled it, and i was replacing idler arms, pitman arms, tie rod ends, ball joints, etc every 6 months it seemed like

 

well ive have learned the ups to both ifs and sas thanks again for yawls help. ill post pics and what not when i decide what i wanna do. thanks again and if i have any more questions ill be sure to post them. cause yawl helped out alot.