[pwrstrkit]

I'm really thinking of trading my 450 back in for a 350 with taller gears.my Question is (I'm doing this for better MPG"S) so do I go for the 3:73 or the 4:10s, I do have a heavy toy hauler to pull. thanks.

 

[bigcountrysg]

The 3.73 will get you better fuel mileage. But the 4.10 will give you faster acceleration.

 

[pwrstrkit]

I had a problem with one of my 7.3s that kept going back and forth out of overdrive at 55 or 60

 

[Dusten]

how heavy of a toy hauler. if the toyhauler is heavy enough for the tranny to hunt, you hsould have locked out OD anyways

 

[ardi villiard]

I also am getting rid of my 08 450 (due to tranny issues so Ford is replacing it) and getting a 350 w/ 3.73's. My last truck was a Dmax w/ 3.73's and 35" tires and that truck would out pull this 450 w/ 4.30's anyday, and do it with better fuel economy. But I like this SD (except for engine) so I will get a tuner to help out with the economy and the better towing ability.

 

[Pahrump]

I hae the 3.73's and with 37" tires is tows my Toyhauler loaded out at about 9500lbs very easily.

 

[pwrstrkit]

Thanks for the replys,I may have to special order my 350 I want the extended front axle. I'll miss that more than anything else.I'll see if I can put my truck on the lot this weekend on consignment rather than just trade it in.

 

[Hamiltonbuilt]

Is what you'll lose on selling your truck and buying a new one worth the millage? :dunno: :icon_ford:
I love my truck.
I pull a 7000 lb trailer daily and get 12-13 ave mpg.
I pull a 10,000lb boat and I don't even notice it back there.

 

[pwrstrkit]

Good point, but I paid invoice for it and put 4k in extra stuff.right now theres $4500 rebates on them and with lower interest I'll still
eat something but not much.I'm good friends with the owner and he has always taken very good care of me.

 

[Hamiltonbuilt]

:nod: :nod: :nod: :thumb:

 

[pwrstrkit]

One more thing, the other day I was doing the math and when diesel reaches $5 a gal. it will be almost $1 a mile while towing and
.50 a mile driving empty. numbers dont lie. if i can get the 15- 18 with the 3:73s it will be worth it.

 

[Hamiltonbuilt]

At 65 MPH I averaged 17.5 on the computer. 17 with math
200 mile trip.
I'm heading to Seattle from Spokane this weekend and I will check both ways of computing millage. At 75 MPH if I can afford to go that fast. :ranton:

 

[pwrstrkit]

Thats what I'm talking about.

 

[gleesonkd]

get a tuner from kem with dpf delete. that will get you some mpg and get a job 3 front air dam from your friend that is the owner of the dealer that too will get you some more mpg...... just my 2 cents. trust me you will see a great improvement. i'm getting 18.5 mpg empty doing 65 mph up here in bc canada.

That way you still keep the bigger tires rims and bigger brake for safety.

 

[rmzrider]

You could install a GV overdrive unit. That will bring you down to a 3.73 ratio if you have 4.88's. It will be even better if you have 4.30's.. The OD unit has to cost less ($3K) than what you'll lose on swapping/selling the 450 for a 350.
One question: what did you need the airbags for on a 450???

 

[pwrstrkit]

I did check with gear venders and there unit is for running empty not for towing. I was very surprised when they told me this.
the air bags is needed for my lance 1030.I put it on first due to a back order issue and it squated down to only 1.5 in. of room between the axle and bump stop. my toy hauler is 3750lbs. hitch weight and the air bags keep the head lights level.

 

[caissiel]

Ford has the 3.55 ratio now available. What are they thinking, fooling us again with a truck that has no torque by gaining 1.5MPG. I sure like the 4.10 for towing. I find mine with the 3.73 ratio has no more pulling power then my old GM 6.5L. with the 4.10. The load on the GM was at 85% or more steady, while the Ford is at 54% or more. The millage is still the same while the Ford is a smaller engine. I was told there are a lot of 450"s traded in on 350's lately but beware of the new 3.55 Ratio gearing. It was a desk engineer that tought of that one for sure.

 

[pwrstrkit]

I saw that ford wont offer the 3:55s for the 350 dually. It probally has very little tow rating.

 

[rmzrider]

I am very surprised too. When I talked to GV, they told me that thier OD unit had a towing capacity of 30k lbs. I was looking at the same truck as what your running when I called them..

 

[jhamlin164]

Their Website Seems To Imply Something Different.......

I did check with gear venders and there unit is for running empty not for towing. I was very surprised when they told me this.
the air bags is needed for my lance 1030.I put it on first due to a back order issue and it squated down to only 1.5 in. of room between the axle and bump stop. my toy hauler is 3750lbs. hitch weight and the air bags keep the head lights level.

Their website doesn't seem to be in agreement with what you were told. Here is an excerpt taken directly from their web page:

"GEAR VENDORS provides overdrive product to racing cars and trucks up to 2000hp and trucks towing heavy RV's up to 25,000lbs gcvw. Whether you are trying to move a couple tons up a steep incline or moving just a couple thousand down the track — the fastest way is with the right gearing. Add the benefits of a final overdrive ratio to reduce engine rpm and increase fuel mileage by typically 20-28% and you have a product that is the single biggest innovation you can bolt to your car or truck. With fuel costs high the overdrive can pay for itself in mileage and engine wear reductions."

I will be purchasing one of these units this fall, and it is because of the advantages that this unit provides for towing that I want one..........not to mention the gas mileage increase.:thumb: