Per,
A better solution is to go with 3.42 rear end and a U.S. Gear underdrive
unit. This way you could stay out of OD when towing and you still go 1:1
from the engine to the rear end gears. You can go to underdrive to pull
a long grade comfortably. Effectively this gives you a choice of rear end
ratios on the fly... the 3.42 or somewhere around 4.60, or whatever the
specs are on the unit you choose!
>Another thing I have been investigating myself is getting one of those
gear
>splitters. The reason I wanted to tow in OD was to extend the distance
>between gas stations and to reduce noise. I have tried to run mine
in OD
>for a short stretch and there was a noticeable drop in noise ('93
3/4 ton
>burb, 454). The gear splitters appear to offer a good compromise in
that the
>highest ratio in 3rd becomes only a few percent lower than stock OD,
which
>in most cases should equal some lower RPM and noise. The gear splitter
>should also make me a bit more agile when towing, without exposing
my engine
>to the risks of a supercharger.
>
>>Per