Well, I guess my previous vehicle was older technology than I thought! LOL

Ok, I am gonna be stupid for a moment, but when I think of shorter gears, I literally think of the O.D. of the Ring & Pinion gear set. 3.08 would definitely be "shorter" in height than 4.10 gears, so that is why I say shorter gears. Is that backwards from the norm?

 

The OD of the ring gear is the same regardless of the gear ratio. IIRC, the difference is in the pitch of the gears (i.e. number of teeth per revolution). The specifics of gear design elude me at the moment....

-Joe

 

Generally:
- Shorter means higher numerically (a bigger number)
- Taller means lower numerically (a smaller number)

So...
4.10 is shorter than 3.73
3.08 is taller than 4.56

 

I guess my understanding is not up to par. That is why I usually speak in ratio numbers because I dont know my taller from my shorter gears. If I ask for certain ratios at a garage I would expect to get what I ask for, if I just ask for shorter gears, unfortunately I might still get what I ask for, but not know what I asked for.

 

I'm keeping the 4.10's.

1- I drove a friend's truck with the 3.55's. did not like it at all.
2- My research shows minimal gains with gearing etc. The big gains are in aero/frontal area, which, obviously, I can't do anything about.

thanks for the input.

 

There might be some trim effects you could add to the frontal area that would lower the coefficient of drag. Air dams, spoilers, air deflectors, etc. You could pimp your ride and increase mpg at the same time.

 

The sets all cost the same dude.
http://www.accuautoparts.com/

Wierd
Dont go backwards, you will feel like you lost a ton of power. And dont count on gas mileage. You will NOT see a difference. The truck will work way harder around town. Just drive 65 and stay out of it.

 

did some runs with my brand new scangauge. some surprising results.

-all variables other than engine rpm constant. 10km distance.

60MPH/4TH GEAR/2000RPM/AVG. 18.4MPG
60MPH/3RD GEAR/2850RPM/AVG. 14.4MPG

-a change from my 4.10 to 3.55 gears drops engine by 250RPM at 60MPH.
-based on above data, reasonable to assume highway gain of approx. 1-1.5 MPG.

-not cost efficient at 50/50 city/hwy. driving/yr. at approx. 20000 Miles/yr.

 

Unless you are running a 460 under the hood, dropping rpms is not always a good thing. It's all about the torque and power curve. If you are below 2000 on the tach then you are way below your power curve and it will suck *****.
Period.
I have been running a 3.08 for 5 years and that is 5 years too long in my opinion!
THEY SUCK A$$!

 

I have 3.08's in my 97 4.6 5 speed and you do not ever want to go there. While is not so bad. Sometimes on a windy day i can't even use 5th gear.. I'll trade you in a fast minute.

 

i will trade you a 2.73 from a 1993 f150 4.9L I6

 

I like my 4.56's myself. My truck had 3.31's stock and yea it sucked with the 35" tires. Made my gears like a 2.73 stock equivalent.

 

My 06 F150 4x4 scab with 5.4L v8 and 3.73 limited slip rear end gets 20 mpg on the highway and about 16/17 in city and back hilly roads. My truck has the 32x11x18 tires/rims too... No tonneau cover, which if you are worried about gas mileage GET A TONNEAU COVER they increase MPG by atleast 10%!

Roger

 

At What speed are you getting 20 mpg/hwy?

 

65 mph with the cruise set. If i speed up to 72/75 I still get 17-19. I was HELLA surprised at the gas mileage in this truck, it gets BETTER gas mileage than my 05 v6 stick shift ranger got. In my ranger I got 17 MAXIMUM mpg, normally 12 mpg. Now with a 300hp 5.4L V8 I get 15-17 driving poorly (fast and lots of pedal on and off) and 20 driving on the highway. Its not ALWAYS 20 but its normally 19/20 highway driving casually.

Also, my mom had an 05 F150 5.4L V8 3.73 like mine except didnt have the 275/65/18 tires had the 17" rims and unsure of tire height... and she got 19 highway all the time as well, and sometimes 20..so it not just mine...
(My dad is service manager @ local ford dealer, and I worked there for a while too, we've driven TONS of these and they have all gotten good mileage)
My truck gets better than my dads 05 F150 5.4L V8 FX4 Super Crew with 3.55 Gears.....

I am EXTREMELY happy with this motor and truck... the only thing I dislike is the transmission... it does not shift how it should, the timing is retarded... I wish f150s came stick 4x4, but only v6 2wd come stick... so I am forced to buy an f-250 5.4L stick next.... cuz i cant stand drivng an fkn automatic anymore!!! its so lame after having all my other vehicles stick.

For a truck with 3.73 gears and 32x11x18 tires this thing rides perfect, gets good mp, and has lots of power. Best truck I have ever driven overall... but I like the new 08 F-250 Superduty cuz of height and the 6 speed tranny of course

Just my 2 cents, if you want mpg f150 5.4 3.73 is the way to go. Engine works less meaning lower rpms....