I have a 96 f250 w/ a 460 that I use to pull a 28 ft sport utility trailer. I feel I lack torque and gas mileage at 5.5 mpg on the highway. It has a 3.54 ratio now. Would it pay to go to 4.10 or should I just buy a powerstroke? also which is better, a 250 or a 350 as far as maintainance?(new Vehicle)

 

Regearing will be much cheaper than purchasing a new truck. Your truck should handle that trailer just fine if you regear. I currently pull a 30' 5er which weighs in at 10,800 empty. I pull it with a '95 F250 w/ the 460 and 4:10 gears. I have done a few performance enhancements to the truck to get a little more power. I have replaced the factory paper air filter with a K&N filter, I have removed the air silencers, which are little air horn shaped devices between the air box and the throttle body. I also added a Banks Transcommand module to clean up and change the shift points in the E4OD tranny. Lastly, I added a set of Banks TorqueTubes exhaust manifolds. The tq and hp this truck creates now is outstanding. We're pulling our 5er up to 9,000 ft in a month, we'll see how it does.

 

What is your current gas mileage though? diesel in salt lake is cheaper than premium. I worry the mpg will offset the cost of going to diesel and the even lower mileage if I re-gear.

 

On average, I get about 10-12 mpg. I run the plain ol' 87 octane gas, couldn't tell a difference when I ran premium. Something to think about is the cost of the diesel. Yes diesel fuel is currently cheaper than gas, but for how long? The diesel costs about $3,000 more to purchase than a gas truck, and you can buy A LOT of gas for $3,000. Just some thoughts to ponder.

-Rich

 

Take the plunge. The 350 dually PSD will run forever. Here in south Jersey, diesel is $.30 cheaper per gallon than regular. At worst it'll go back between regular and plus. I had a 93 F-250 SC 4X4 352 with a 4.1 rear and got 9MPG , 10 was best ever. Took out a home equity loan, shopped the internet, went to Kansas to get my new truck, saved $2500 over Florida, Maryland, Delaware and Jersey dealers. and, the interest is tax deductable. The rates are super low these days and still heading down!!. I now get 17 MPG with this monster 7.3 dually SC 4X4 carrying a 3300 lb slide in camper. . God I love this truck! Do It!