Would 3.73s be a solid upgrade
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Teching In
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Would 3.73s be a solid upgrade I have a 2002 35th Anniversary Edition SS Camaro
Just installed bbk shorty headers,slp airlid with k&n air filter,ssra ftra,slp loudmouth exhaust catback,and i have purchased a diablosport intune i3 platinum for tuning.Would 3.73s compliment this build?
Just installed bbk shorty headers,slp airlid with k&n air filter,ssra ftra,slp loudmouth exhaust catback,and i have purchased a diablosport intune i3 platinum for tuning.Would 3.73s compliment this build?
Joined: Nov 2001
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From: Schiller Park, ILL Member: #317
You didn't mention transmission type, but I wouldn't recommend that gear swap no matter which transmission you have.
If you have a manual, then you already have 3.42 gears. In this case, you'll definitely want to step up to a 4.10 gear as the 3.73 swap is just not worth it when 4.10 will give you much better gains and make 6th gear much more usable at highway cruise. There's really no downside with going straight to 4.10s.
If you have an auto, then you already have 3.23 gears (standard on an auto SS car). The swap to 3.73 would be very expensive (unless you can do the labor yourself) while showing only a very modest improvement. You also may introduce new problems (such as gear whine, etc.) if the install is not perfect and/or depending on the brand of gears. If you have the auto, I would highly recommend upgrading the torque converter instead. A top shelf unit in the 3200-3600 rpm range would be an excellent choice for a bolt-on street machine/daily driver. You want to go with a good brand here, like Yank or FTI or Circle D, etc., as that will make all the difference in how the converter behaves. Get a good brand and the gains will be exponentially better than a gear swap while still driving very close to stock at part throttle. And with an LS1 + 4L60E setup, once you have a converter stall speed of 3500+, the gains from a 3.23 to 3.73 swap are limited to no more than 1 tenth of ET reduction (so very little is left on the table). With the converter swap, your highway MPG won't be impacted (unlike with the gear swap) because rpms will remain the same as stock once you're at converter lock-up speeds.
If you have a manual, then you already have 3.42 gears. In this case, you'll definitely want to step up to a 4.10 gear as the 3.73 swap is just not worth it when 4.10 will give you much better gains and make 6th gear much more usable at highway cruise. There's really no downside with going straight to 4.10s.
If you have an auto, then you already have 3.23 gears (standard on an auto SS car). The swap to 3.73 would be very expensive (unless you can do the labor yourself) while showing only a very modest improvement. You also may introduce new problems (such as gear whine, etc.) if the install is not perfect and/or depending on the brand of gears. If you have the auto, I would highly recommend upgrading the torque converter instead. A top shelf unit in the 3200-3600 rpm range would be an excellent choice for a bolt-on street machine/daily driver. You want to go with a good brand here, like Yank or FTI or Circle D, etc., as that will make all the difference in how the converter behaves. Get a good brand and the gains will be exponentially better than a gear swap while still driving very close to stock at part throttle. And with an LS1 + 4L60E setup, once you have a converter stall speed of 3500+, the gains from a 3.23 to 3.73 swap are limited to no more than 1 tenth of ET reduction (so very little is left on the table). With the converter swap, your highway MPG won't be impacted (unlike with the gear swap) because rpms will remain the same as stock once you're at converter lock-up speeds.
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Dec 2025
Posts: 3
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You didn't mention transmission type, but I wouldn't recommend that gear swap no matter which transmission you have.
If you have a manual, then you already have 3.42 gears. In this case, you'll definitely want to step up to a 4.10 gear as the 3.73 swap is just not worth it when 4.10 will give you much better gains and make 6th gear much more usable at highway cruise. There's really no downside with going straight to 4.10s.
If you have an auto, then you already have 3.23 gears (standard on an auto SS car). The swap to 3.73 would be very expensive (unless you can do the labor yourself) while showing only a very modest improvement. You also may introduce new problems (such as gear whine, etc.) if the install is not perfect and/or depending on the brand of gears. If you have the auto, I would highly recommend upgrading the torque converter instead. A top shelf unit in the 3200-3600 rpm range would be an excellent choice for a bolt-on street machine/daily driver. You want to go with a good brand here, like Yank or FTI or Circle D, etc., as that will make all the difference in how the converter behaves. Get a good brand and the gains will be exponentially better than a gear swap while still driving very close to stock at part throttle. And with an LS1 + 4L60E setup, once you have a converter stall speed of 3500+, the gains from a 3.23 to 3.73 swap are limited to no more than 1 tenth of ET reduction (so very little is left on the table). With the converter swap, your highway MPG won't be impacted (unlike with the gear swap) because rpms will remain the same as stock once you're at converter lock-up speeds.
If you have a manual, then you already have 3.42 gears. In this case, you'll definitely want to step up to a 4.10 gear as the 3.73 swap is just not worth it when 4.10 will give you much better gains and make 6th gear much more usable at highway cruise. There's really no downside with going straight to 4.10s.
If you have an auto, then you already have 3.23 gears (standard on an auto SS car). The swap to 3.73 would be very expensive (unless you can do the labor yourself) while showing only a very modest improvement. You also may introduce new problems (such as gear whine, etc.) if the install is not perfect and/or depending on the brand of gears. If you have the auto, I would highly recommend upgrading the torque converter instead. A top shelf unit in the 3200-3600 rpm range would be an excellent choice for a bolt-on street machine/daily driver. You want to go with a good brand here, like Yank or FTI or Circle D, etc., as that will make all the difference in how the converter behaves. Get a good brand and the gains will be exponentially better than a gear swap while still driving very close to stock at part throttle. And with an LS1 + 4L60E setup, once you have a converter stall speed of 3500+, the gains from a 3.23 to 3.73 swap are limited to no more than 1 tenth of ET reduction (so very little is left on the table). With the converter swap, your highway MPG won't be impacted (unlike with the gear swap) because rpms will remain the same as stock once you're at converter lock-up speeds.
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Joined: Oct 2005
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From: olympia, wash
Converter, cooler, drag radials and a tune will give you a dramatic and very noticeable gain in performance.
And don't be nervous about a 3400-3600 stall for daily driving.
I have had my yank SS3600 stall for years now and daily drive my car anytime the weather is half way decent
And don't be nervous about a 3400-3600 stall for daily driving.
I have had my yank SS3600 stall for years now and daily drive my car anytime the weather is half way decent
