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i did a little research on different gear ratio's and fuel consumption. ive spoken with a few people, one guy said he ran 4:10's and now has 3:73's or something and he said he didnt noticed any difference. anyway im looking at a brand new truck and i do alot of highway miles commuting to work. 110 miles round trip and about 90 of them are the highway. i was looking at diesels but weighed my options and i figure id get a gasser, since ill only be towing 2 to 4 times a year about 20 miles one way. im looking at 2010 f-150's. so what gear ratio guys, id like to hear some input with people that have owned trucks with different ratios and there own expierences they have had. thanks guys.
My 2000 with 4.10 got around 17. The 2002 with 3.73 gets around 19.
For your application there is NO choice....you want the 3.73.
Pulling my boat out of the water with either of those trucks took idle speed with the 4.10 and a bit of throttle with the 3.73. Unless you're going with the smallest engine package, I can't see any reason to not get the diff that gives you the best MPG.
__________________ Rick
Alabama's Gulf Coast
Chaparral 240 Signature (Sold)
110 miles a day commuting and less than that in a _year_ towing?
If you're concerned about mpgs I'd suggest you get something that weighs less and is more aerodynamic than a full size truck. What are you planning to tow?
I'm thinking a used truck (maybe a 3/4 ton gas or diesel) and a car for the highway miles. My inlaws just bought a jetta TDI (clean diesel car) that gets 43 mpg highway for $22k new....another $10K for a decent used truck and you'd have spent that much on a new truck alone.
Over 500 miles a week commuting? Man, I would be buying something like a base Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic for the commute and a used truck for the weekends. Seems like a shame to pile on the miles like that on a new truck.
I'm thinking a used truck (maybe a 3/4 ton gas or diesel) and a car for the highway miles. My inlaws just bought a jetta TDI (clean diesel car) that gets 43 mpg highway for $22k new....another $10K for a decent used truck and you'd have spent that much on a new truck alone.
thanks for your replies. yea i know i thought of a car. when im not towing the boat i tow a trailer with a dirtbike and a quad or two dirtbikes. a car with a trailer hitch wouldnt work either, where i go is tough to get into with the explorer. i have a 2004 ford explorer. it does ok on the highway. it has 97,000 on it now, im going to see how long i can make this thing last for now. weighed out my options and its probably smarter to keep the explorer so im not rolling over loans. thanks again guys.
Driving around those little tiny cars that get good gas mileage is great until you get into a car accident with one of those many, many big trucks on the road. Just sayin...
I drove a Jetta TDI for a couple of years and did not like being the smallest car on the road.
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This may be more complicated than simple gear ratio. On digitally controlled engines, they run off a calibration "map", which adjusts timing and injector pulse width (a/f ratio) based on various inputs, one being "load". If the throttle is opened more and the manifold "vacuum" drops, generally the timing will retard and the mixture will get richer for power and durability. An engine running at lower rpm's (taller gears) under higher apparent load may actually get poorer fuel economy because of this engine management effect. Also, with all the improvements in internal engine friction reduction, there is much less parasitic loss, so the rpms of the motor do not affect fuel economy as much as it once did.
Driving around those little tiny cars that get good gas mileage is great until you get into a car accident with one of those many, many big trucks on the road. Just sayin...
Too many soccer moms have bought this argument and upgraded to Suburbans. I think I need to commute in one of these so I'm even bigger than they are...
I think I'll have to talk to my employer about parking lot improvements first.
I have a 2010 F150 Lariat 4x4 with 3.55 gears, I just drove 600 hiway miles last week on a trip and it got 16.3 mpg's. (and this is miles driven divided by gallons) not their computer. Most of it was 65 to 70 mph. Before this I have gotten between 13.5 to 14.7 everyday driving. The truck drives good and sits good but I hate the ht/ac system , you always have airflow in the floorboard regardless of control positions. I would advise you to buy an older model truck for your hauling and towing and get you something comfortable and economical to commute in like a 2 wd CR-V.
Zigzag,
Have you tried punching the center of the HVAC button? On my Lariat, this shuts off the system, no airflow in vehicle at all. I am getting better than your mileage with a 5.4L, 3.73. Sorry to hear of your troubles.
I've got a '10 Lariat 4x4 with the 5.4 and 3.73 rear. It's only got about 800 miles on it, so its really not broken in yet (I'm hoping the mileage gets better), but on a ~150 mile highway trip last week I got about the same mileage as you (per the computer) while doing 70-75 mph. Around town I'm getting about 14 - 15 mpg. Not very economical compared to a compact car, but I guess that's the sacrifice for having towing ability.
Driving around those little tiny cars that get good gas mileage is great until you get into a car accident with one of those many, many big trucks on the road. Just sayin...
I drove a Jetta TDI for a couple of years and did not like being the smallest car on the road.
While I understand your point of view it still doesn't help the small car guy if he/she is in an accident with a big ass SUV, sad part is the majority of SUV drivers that I see around here drive like idiots. I would have to say it would be a shame to see someone in a small car get killed because the soccer mom driving her SUV was on the phone and not paying attention.
Back to the discussion, I like the small car and used truck idea. Remember fellas, it is not just the fuel that you have to figure in for 500 miles/week. Everything on a truck is more expensive: tires, oil changes, fuel filters, brakes, even suspension components.
gear ratio's and mpg's. 
