MPGs Suck
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,346
Likes: 4
From: Rapid City, SoDak
around town city,probably would get better fuel economy with some 4.10's rather than the 3.55's with them massive meats yeah.hwy economy will likely just go down though.
gearing at this point,will not make your truck that is "barley affordable" much more affordable no.
this is why people are suggesting you return it to stock,so you can afford to drive it.
you want your cake and be able to eat it too.but i guess, who doesn't?
it takes a lot of work to just recover FE from a hard hitting modification that lowers FE.a large lift with big tires for you,SRW to DRW for me,and iv done a lot,and still not quite recovered from the alternation yet.with these fuel prices,i couldn't image going to DRW just because i wanted to.id be in the same boat,a truck id have a hard time affording to drive.luckily the DRW saves trips,which trumps and then some,the FE hit.
gearing at this point,will not make your truck that is "barley affordable" much more affordable no.
this is why people are suggesting you return it to stock,so you can afford to drive it.
you want your cake and be able to eat it too.but i guess, who doesn't?
it takes a lot of work to just recover FE from a hard hitting modification that lowers FE.a large lift with big tires for you,SRW to DRW for me,and iv done a lot,and still not quite recovered from the alternation yet.with these fuel prices,i couldn't image going to DRW just because i wanted to.id be in the same boat,a truck id have a hard time affording to drive.luckily the DRW saves trips,which trumps and then some,the FE hit.
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Freshman User
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 38
Likes: 0
I can get an axel from the junkyard with 373s in it for $85 and do a simple swap. Or I could get the gears and an install kit off ebay for around $200. I'm thinking I'll get both axles from the junkyard for less than doing a swap on just one. Thanks for all the input guys. I appreciate it.
FTE Legend
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 31,930
Likes: 1,499
From: Ottawa, Ontario
3.55 to 3.73 isn't enough of a change to make it worth your effort I say put your $$ into aftermarket 4.30 or 4.56 gear sets, and if you salvage anything from the scrapyard make it a D44 pumpkin so the gears can be installed on a workbench and you can swap in the whole center section at a later date.
Also note that 3.73 gears was never a factory option in these truck so either somebody has changed gears in the axles you're looking at or you're getting bad info(more likely).
Also note that 3.73 gears was never a factory option in these truck so either somebody has changed gears in the axles you're looking at or you're getting bad info(more likely).
Post Fiend
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 6,214
Likes: 13
From: New Jersey
Another option, though not a cheap one, is to install an auxiliary overdrive unit.
Depending on the unit & manufacturer, some install on the tail housing of the transmission and others go inline with the driveshaft.
Then you can use taller rear-axle gears for towing and off-roading, and in 2wd you can change on the fly the rear end ratio with the overdrive unit.
You can also do the reverse - flip the unit around and run lower rear-axle gears for highway and change on the fly the overdrive (now underdrive) unit for taller gears for towing.
You just can't be in 4wd with the unit engaged, for you'll have different front and rear final drive ratios.
Depending on the unit & manufacturer, some install on the tail housing of the transmission and others go inline with the driveshaft.
Then you can use taller rear-axle gears for towing and off-roading, and in 2wd you can change on the fly the rear end ratio with the overdrive unit.
You can also do the reverse - flip the unit around and run lower rear-axle gears for highway and change on the fly the overdrive (now underdrive) unit for taller gears for towing.
You just can't be in 4wd with the unit engaged, for you'll have different front and rear final drive ratios.
Senior User
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 363
Likes: 0
Depending on how much you drive, it may pay off to buy a bare-bones Escort, Ranger, S10, something like that, that will get 25-30+ MPG and save the full size for weekends. You'll have to figure out if you want to do that, but that's my recommendation. You'd be paying half as much to travel the same distance. Plus saving the wear-and-tear on the F150 which can add up big time, especially in tire cost
Senior User
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 219
Likes: 0
IMO...none of us have the right to really complain about fuel mileage if anyone is with me on this one. Bad fuel consumption is apart of the package! Can't expect too much from our trucks. I bought a little beater honda civic to beat around in to compensate. Just like you I'm NEVER going to part with my truck!
I got a 5.0 HO in my f250, I did the infamous 6 litre tune up and it made a world of a difference for me, not to mention just a tad bit more pull on the bottom end. Hell i can get sideways in second gear at 2500rpm. I was getting 11 mpg prior to the changes and now getting almost 16mpg believe it or not. Stock 4x4 height on 33s with 3.55. It was cost effective, easy to do with great results.
I got a 5.0 HO in my f250, I did the infamous 6 litre tune up and it made a world of a difference for me, not to mention just a tad bit more pull on the bottom end. Hell i can get sideways in second gear at 2500rpm. I was getting 11 mpg prior to the changes and now getting almost 16mpg believe it or not. Stock 4x4 height on 33s with 3.55. It was cost effective, easy to do with great results.
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,346
Likes: 4
From: Rapid City, SoDak
IMO...none of us have the right to really complain about fuel mileage if anyone is with me on this one. Bad fuel consumption is apart of the package! Can't expect too much from our trucks. I bought a little beater honda civic to beat around in to compensate. Just like you I'm NEVER going to part with my truck!
I got a 5.0 HO in my f250, I did the infamous 6 litre tune up and it made a world of a difference for me, not to mention just a tad bit more pull on the bottom end. Hell i can get sideways in second gear at 2500rpm. I was getting 11 mpg prior to the changes and now getting almost 16mpg believe it or not. Stock 4x4 height on 33s with 3.55. It was cost effective, easy to do with great results.
I got a 5.0 HO in my f250, I did the infamous 6 litre tune up and it made a world of a difference for me, not to mention just a tad bit more pull on the bottom end. Hell i can get sideways in second gear at 2500rpm. I was getting 11 mpg prior to the changes and now getting almost 16mpg believe it or not. Stock 4x4 height on 33s with 3.55. It was cost effective, easy to do with great results.
I honestly believe that if you ran a milder tread pattern and a slightly narrower tire you would see more mileage gain. It's amazing how much difference tires can make, i've seen a solid 4mpg's documented between mud terrains and really "streety" michelins. This is my assumption since you haven't listed what tires you're running right now, but most guys that put on 35's get hairier meats than stock.
Cargo Master
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,000
Likes: 4
From: Nowthen, MN
I have a 93 f150 with a 6" lift and 35" tires. I'm getting about 11.5 mpg. It's getting to the point where I can barely afford to drive it. I don't wan to sell it because I'll never find another truck like it. I've got the stock 3.55s in the axles. I've heard that putting in 4.10s will give me a boost in the go juice. Can anyone confirm this? If so, how much of a boost could I expect to see? Any input would be great. Thanks in advance.
I was considering a gear change in mine. If I remember right, I figured that 4.56 gears with 35s would be very close to the same effective ratio as the 3.55 gears with the stock 235/75/15 tires.
Senior User
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 219
Likes: 0
AAAHAHAHAHA...................... I ate KD for a week....nothing ground beef cant fix.
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