Dave,<br>Axle ratio makes a big difference, because it can create, or reduce resistence for the transmission. Like any gearbox, it makes it easier to turn the higher the number gets numerically. Sounds backwards, but it's so. For instance, 5.10:1, is a lower ratio than 2.56:1. These are the somewhat extreme ends of the scale for light duty trucks. The truck with the lower ratio (higher numerically) will have a lower top speed than the higher ratio. At the same time, the 5.11's will start the tires turning from a dead stop much faster than 2.56's. You transmission has gears with various ratios, as does your transfer case. The axles are the last "differential" before the power the engine produces gets to the ground.<br>I had a friend with a Chevy K/10. He had 36" tires. He spent big bucks to have his motor worked. After he dropped it in, he couldn't understand why the truck didn't feel any more powerful.He knew the motor had more, but it wasn't getting to the ground. He had 3.56 axle gears. We all told him to put in 4.11's when he blew an axle, but the fool put in 3.56's again, since he couldn't afford a set of gears for the front axle as well.<br>Also, both of my trucks have 4.11:1 gears, and have plenty of power, and torque. The downfall is my transmissions are not overdrive units, so the mileage sucks. One truck I plow with has 33" tires, and the other has 36" tires, which I don't plow with.<p><br>~Chuck<p>----------<br>Chuck's Chevy Truck Pages - Snowplowing Central<br>http://members.aol.com/csmith669/plowcentral.html