I would say that if you don't plan on towing any more than 20K get the 4.30's. There has to be lower wear and tear on the drivetrain with the lower RPM's at highway speeds. Plus you get a few extra HP and TQ. 4.30's should also net you better fuel mileage, especially when not towing.

 

I would strongly agree. The 4.88 is a required spec only if you are ordering the heavy duty 33,000# tow package. From both a milage and engine noise standpoint (we have a 99.5 F-450 with the 4.88), we would recommend the 4.30 if you don't need to tow heavy.
Dave

 

engine noise at 75 MPH isn't bad with the 6.4 and Mileage is what I expected

 

I bought one with the 4.88 and haven't regretted it yet. the power you lose is minimal to me.

 

The 4.88's will actually have greater "seat of your pants" accel... (it has 13.5% greater reduction - meaning you actually have 5.5% more tractive effort - DESPITE the power/torque reduction)

 

Thanks for your help, everyone. Deciding which gears was the toughest part of the purchase decision.

If one really needs the 4.88s and heavier rear axle it's a bargain at $350 MSRP when buying new. That was quite a draw even though I don't need to tow that much weight right now, on a ranch it's hard to tell what the future will bring.

But in the end I went with the 4.30s and ordered it yesterday. I know it will still tow like a beast, yet it will hold a little lower RPM at highway speeds and perhaps be slightly quieter and have slightly better fuel economy.
Either way there wasn't a bad decision to be made either way, just varying degrees of good.

Now I just need to wait 10-12 weeks for delivery. On second thought, that will be the toughest part.

 

Congratulations on ordering your new ride! Keep us updated on the anticipated delivery and be sure to post pictures when it arrives so we can all ohhhh and ahhhh with you!

Tania and Dave

 

Thanks buddy! As attractive as I think the green over gold is I ended up going with all silver so it doesn't look dirty as fast. It came down to the lighter colors; white, gold, silver. I've driven white trucks for 20 years and wanted something different this time.


I think it will look nice, although I've yet to see a photo of a silver one.

 

I had originally ordered 4.88's and changed it to 4.30's also. Mine came in Saturday night, the bed liner is being sprayed in today and will pickup tomorrow. For the same reasons I went with the 4.30's. The minutes are dragging by.

 

I can sense your anticipation and enthusiasm, firehawk! You know it's still going to tow like a raped ape.


What color and options did you go with?

 

Oops, should have checked your signature, which shows the color. That's going to look sharp.

 

Congratulations, that F-450 will make one nice ranch vehicle. Although I would not hold my breath on delivery in 10-12 weeks. Right now the F-450's are running 14-16 weeks on average, if your lucky. But the wait will be well worth it in the end.

 

I hate you.

 

Big Sky, Welcome to the club of waiters. Had the same delima with the rear end as well as transmition. (I wanted the 6 speed but was forced to settle for the auto)
I ordered mine the First of March. Still do not have a build date. I was told the build date might be in May with a delivery at the end of June. We will be leaving for Alaska end of June with the new truck, that will be its break in period unfortunately.

Its tuff to wait....

 

Odered 1-27 with build date of 3-19 arrived dealer 3-31. Color was a tough choice, I do like the solid Dark Toreado red. just added some pics to my gallery. Lariat, elect sof, heated seats, 6 cd Audiophile, tailgate step up, rev aid sensor( for my wife) best of luck, hope it is within 9 weeks like mine