My 93 F-250 has a 410 rear-end in it. Instead of going with the time and trouble of changing it to a 373, I would like to put larger wheels and tires on it (at least on the rear). Does anyone know the feasibility of it. I would obviously have to get a compatible bolt pattern. Does anyone know what wheels would fit (17" or 18" ?) Thanks for your help.
Tom

 

Do you do lot of high speed driving? Are you trying to improve fuel economy? While taller tires will decrease your overall gear ratio, the extra rotating mass will work against you as far as fuel economy goes. I would think it would take a long time to recoupe the cost of tires and wheels, if you ever did. What size tires are you running now?

 

Also, going from 4.10's to 3.73's is pretty insignificant. If anythiing I'd get a used rear with 3.55's (most common ratio). They go for $200 and up around here. You may be able to find someone to trade rears with you... I would consider it if you were close.

 

The 3.55 gears sounds like a good idea. I am running LT235/85R16 now. You are right, it would be pretty pricey to buy wheels and tires and I never considered the mass.
Thanks for the info. I should have thought about that.

Tom

 

285/75/16 for wider/ taller 255/85/16 for taller. The 255s will work on your current wheels, i suppose the 285s will too but the rim is a bit narrow for them. Or you can just swap the rearend, especially if youre 2wd, that is probably the best / easiest way to do it.

 

Out of 105 views, you were the only one to bother answering. Thanks, I appreciate that.
The best I get on highway with no load is approx 15mpg. If I put any load on it, the mileage drops to 10mpg. I don't do a lot of towing,just an occasional run with my 27.5 5th wheel. Can't figure the mileage drop.
My friend has a Dodge diesel and he gets better than 20mpg on the road and around 20mpg with a load (not a big one). I like my Ford so I will continue to "bite the bullet and buy fuel"
Tom

 

You and bashby both have the same opinion. I just thought wheels would be easier but rear-end swap is the sensible thing to do. Thanks

 

I have no experience with this, but i wouldn't think you'd gain more than 2-3 mpg. If you are towing the 3.55's are going to require more throttle to get it moving. Maybe your timing is out or the injectors and/or pump are bad.

 

If you live near south Carolina I will trade you mine with 3:55s

 

i wouldn't swap out 4.10's if i owned a 28ft 5ver.
be careful the cummins stories.they always say they get 20mpg towing max gross uphill.
they're buying fuel just like you are,rest assured.your economy takes a dive moving that,not just due to it's weight,but it's large frontal area.
next camping trip,ask to trade trucks and take the cummins.you'll see how it really compares.

 

Mine gets about 16-17 empty and 13-15 loaded with ZF / 4.10s and ATS 088

 

I love having a 3.55 rear end. The most I ever tow is a 10-foot truck bed camper and a 5x8 trailer. Most of the time the truck is empty and a daily driver. Lets me turn about 1750 RPM at 65 MPH and the truck gets consistently 19 MPG.

My 84 and 86 had 4.10s combined with a T-19, so 1:1 final ratio in 4th gear ... about 2500 RPM at 65 MPH, which killed my fuel economy (15 MPG on a good day). I don't miss having the extra power.

 

If the issue is poor mileage when towing as opposed to empty, I don't think 3.55's will help you. The swap would be best if your issue is poor mileage due to excessive RPMs. But since you are saying it is poor mileage towing vs empty, I don't know if it is going to change much. Although if your RPMs are indeed too high, the swap should help towing AND empty. Just my thoughts.

 

I had to change gears when the pinion broke. I went from 4.10 to 3.73 and there was a slight difference, worth doing but not if your gears are good I would think. My '96 PSD has ZF5 3.55 and I love it, except when backin up a load. I have to go to low range on the transfer case. With an auto you are limited to what you can do. Perhaps look for a Gear Vendor over drive?

 

two things to remember:
dodge guys like to lie about the fuel mileage they get.
and dodge guys like to lie about the fuel mileage they get.

my 88 used to get 20 mpg back when diesel still had a high cetane number. with the crap fuel they are pushing on us these days, it is down to 12-14 mpg.

there are 4 dodge owners here in my side of town, ans they all swear on a stack of bibles they constantly get over 30 mpg while towing their 32 foot trailer that weighs 27,000 lbs.
and the engine is making 700 hp with the bullydog stacked on the edge juice with attitude stacked on the banks six gun.