Changing from 3.73 to 4.10 gears
Hello all, After towing our new Reflection 320MKS from Eastern Iowa to Estes Park Colorado and back, I need more power for the hills. I have a 2015 F-250 with the 6.2 Liter engine. I have 3.73 years...
Forum Discussion
4x4ord wrote:First off, I will be the one with the 4.10s... And 10 MPH slowing isn't much at all. Either truck would do an acceptable job with such a mild slowing. The ones I am talking about, as I originally posted is when I am zipping along at the speed limit of say 65 MPH, and come up on two semis drag racing up the hill at 10-15 MPH..Huntindog wrote:4x4ord wrote:Except that he would no longer be alongside me, or going as fast as me. By the time he is ready to upshift, I will likely be ready for the next shift as well.Huntindog wrote:mkirsch wrote:Never said you had to stay in any gear.
What's saying you MUST stay in that gear?
As long as you aren't in 1st, you can always drop down another gear to accelerate. If you're running out of power in 1st, you probably shouldn't be where you are, OR you've got serious mechanical problems.
In the case of the OP, where he's locking out 6th AND 5th for a majority of the trip, I agree, a gear change is a good idea, and I agree, 4.30 or nothing.
The point was that once you slowed down on a steep grade that a lower rear end ratio will allow you to regain speed easier and quicker in all gears.
If you do not believe this... Then there are a lot of drag racers that have been doing it wrong.
You are a little bit off track. It's true that with a lower gear ratio a race car will pull harder in every gear than the same car with a high rear end however, this does not mean that it, or a pickup truck for that matter, with a lower speed rear gear will pull harder at every speed. So if you are towing with two similar trucks both in the say 3rd gear at 45 mph and one has a lower speed rear end, the low speed rear end one will out pull the other for a while until it shifts into 4th at say 50 mph. Now the higher speed rear end truck has the advantage.
The only way your argument works is if both trucks run flatout unimpeded by slower traffic.
Once the trucks slow for any reason, the lower rear geared truck will leave the other one in the dust.
This is an apples to apples comparison. Same trucks, same trannys, same size tires. Just different rear axle ratios.
Ok, we've got identical trucks only difference is mine has 4.10 gears and you have 3.55. I'm right behind you and all of a sudden traffic slows us down by 10 mph. The traffic in front of us turns off the road and we both floor it. Yours drops down to third mine stays in forth and I can't keep up to you even though I have the lower speed axle.
You with your 3.55s will be left it the dust by me with my 4.10s. In fact you may not ever make it back to 65 before topping the hill.
In many cases you will not even be visible in my mirrors.
Your narrow example of how you can win, just isn't much of an issue at all.
Slowing as I describe it (which seems to happen a LOT) is very frustrating when it happens and you are struggling to get back up to an acceptable speed.
This is WHY lower rear axle trucks are most always rated to tow more. The manufacturers have standards that they use to make sure that their customers have a good towing experience.
