Just Bought Another 2000 Bonneville, Gear Swap question..

[2KSexsei]

Hey Guys,
I just picked up a 2000 SLE from a buddy. It has less than 1000 miles on 3.69 gears, It also has a single chain, although Im not sure what size?

I'm wanting to put these gears in my 2000 SSEi, and put the SSEi 2.93 gears in the SLE to get better mileage than the factory 3.05s that also came with it. Im wondering if this would be beneficial? Or if I would have some weird probably with the Torque Convertor or anything..? Any help is appreciated.
Thanks in advance!

I have HPTuners so we're covered there..

[FIND]

I doubt you will see a lot of improvement, that isn't much of a change, and the power of the NA engine is pretty well balanced for the gearing we have. One of the reasons we get the fuel economy we do is because the 3800 has the power to push these big cars around.

[SSEiMan01]

I don't recall them being able to be swapped, actually. Someone who is more versed on transmissions should chime in here. Something to do with how the HD and the Non-HD differ that inhibits this.

[2KSexsei]

I was under the impression that basically the only difference between HD and Non has to do with the diff? Sitting side by side, the 2.93, 3.05, and 3.69s all look interchangable besides the obvious diameter differences.. Sorry if i put this in the wrong section, it wasnt really performance..

[00Beast]

You need to swap the housings and axles, as the -HD diff is longer...

Why did he have 3.69 gears in an SLE? He must have had some serious mods?

[2KSexsei]

Okay guys.. all I want to do is know if the 2.93s in the SLE will have a negative effect on gas mileage over the factory 3.05s... He had the 3.69s in the SLE as he was planning on doing a L67 swap, then he must have gotten sick or something because he went and bought a 04 GXP. :/

[00Beast]

No, 2.93's will gain you mileage and top-speed, at the expense of a slight decrease in acceleration (over the stock 3.05's). But, the 2.93's are the -HD diff, versus the 3.05's which are not -HD. I'm not sure whether the 3.69's are -HD or not...

[freneticburn]

Aren't the 3.69s from the Comp G? In that case they would be HD.

[01bonneSC]

If you put 3.69 gears in an SSEi, you won't be able to keep the tires on it. And you will be working the Trac Control like no other. Not to mention your top end will be a complete loss.

[2KSexsei]

Well as is, it shifts into either 4th or overdrive at 157ish... so i feel it would be a good thing for me. haa... And there isnt a difference between HD and Non HD gears.. is there? The SLE is going to be a daily driver (100 miles a day), so loss in acceleration is no big deal at all. Thanks for all your help so far!

[Jrs3800]

You realize that there is no 3.69 Diff right? The 2.93 and 3.69 are actually the 3.29 diff, One Over driven and the other under driven.....

The only way to get a 3.69 is to change the drive and driven gears behind the side pan( under the Valve body / Channel Plate )

Same goes for turning the 3.29 into a 2.93...

[freneticburn]

Well as is, it shifts into either 4th or overdrive at 157ish... so i feel it would be a good thing for me. haa... And there isnt a difference between HD and Non HD gears.. is there? The SLE is going to be a daily driver (100 miles a day), so loss in acceleration is no big deal at all. Thanks for all your help so far!

The gears themselves don't really have anything to do with whether or not it's an HD trans. Really the differential is the only difference (and axle length since the HD diff is physically larger) between HD and non-HD trans. You can buy kits to change your gearing to whatever you want pretty much. But when it comes to stock equipment certain trims of cars had different gear ratios.