F350 vs F450 towing and fuel economy

I don't know if you remember my Excursion with 4.30 gear that got better empty and towing mpg's than what others reported.. Granted I made sure it was in tip top shape and used cruise control but I honestly believed that gear allowed the engine to stay in its torque peak more allowing the engine to work less. I later got a E350 van with V10 with stock (3.55?) gears but since the engine was lugging at 65 mph the mileage sucked. That was my hope with looking at the F450 but it doesn't seem that way from reports.

carringb wrote:
Going from 3.73 gears to 4.56 gears in my V10 improved by towing fuel economy by about 15%. Of course it also went down by that much not-towing. In the end it was a wash since I tow so much, and it definitely performs way better with the 4.56 gears.

Also, the wide-track front axle is another benefit of the F450 (and the Fatboy F350). It allows for a smaller turning radius due to more wheels cut angle. I have an F550 axle waiting installation into my van...