3.73 to 4.xx?

[bstill]

I know gear questions get asked a lot but I've searched everywhere and couldn't get a definitive answer for my question.

Currently I have 3.73s with a 30" tire. I will be swapping in an 80e and 6.0 in the coming year. I plan on a smallish cam,(lower 220s duration) for the 6.0. The trans will be swapped first because the 60e has 200k on it and has shudder and a couple weeks ago, I heard a loud clang on the 1-2 shift.

Anyways, I drive 60 miles round trip to work (open roads but a lot of stopping and slowing down to turn) and tow my blazer occasionally (~6000 lbs) to local mudbogs. Won't be racing the truck at all. I have read numerous times that stepping up from 3.73 to 4.10 really isn't worth it. So, I'm leaning towards 4.30 or 4.56. Gas mileage is certainly in the back of my mind. Currently I get around 14 mpg with the 4.8 (used to get 19 to 20). As long as I can stay close to that, I'm good. My thoughts are that with the 6.0, having more torque, mpg should be close to what I'm getting now.

So, what do y'all think? With my ride to work, plus towing on occasion, will swapping gears benefit me?

[farmtruc]

i'd keep what u have; the sixo will move the truck much better.

i've also seen 4.8's with too much gear; they are slightly slower vs a taller gear.

[bstill]

Yeah, with over 100 more hp and torque, it ought to move much better. It's something that I've been wondering about for some time. If the rear end ever goes out, I'll step it up to 4.10s and a trutrack. I just need to focus on the trans swap first. My 60e must have been made with four leaf clovers and horseshoes to last 200k abused miles.