New to the forum and have gained a lot of knowledge thus far on these new SD's.

I have a Cummins 6.7 that in the next few months will be approaching time when it is no longer under the service plan (free oil/filter changes) that I got as part of the purchase. I never planned on keeping it past that point, simply because I am admittedly one of those guys who bought a diesel because I wanted one, I have no need for its towing capabilities. That being said, paying out of pocket for the high priced maintenance plus the added fuel costs isn't something I will likely do. I don't regret the purchase and honestly have no complaints about the engine/tranny whatsoever, for the record....well the deadpedal is a bit irritating for the few times I've experienced it, but that's about it. It's provided a very enjoyable driving experience.

I've taken a real liking to these new SD's, and am particularly interested in the 6.2 with a 4.30 rear end. Without a doubt it will have larger tires on it from the start so I'm looking to offset any hit I take in that department by going with the 4.30, not because I will be hooking up a heavy trailer to it.

Looking for some honest feedback from those who have a gasser with the 4.30.....what are your impressions? Have you changed tires from factory size? The chances of me getting to test drive one with the 4.30 is almost non existent here in metro ATL, as all the dealers go with the standard 3.73, so this would be one I order if I decide to go this route. I drove a 2015 6.2 4wd ccsb with the 3.73 and it felt adequate with the factory 275/70-18, but I've owned enough trucks to be able to tell it would be less than adequate once I throw some 35's on it.

 

I've had 2 SD's with the 4.30's.
It is the only gear set that I would consider with a gasser. And if you are going to big tires then these are the gears for you.
You won't lose any mpg. In the city you will probably pick up mpg.

 

I have a 6.2 without the 4.30s. Keep in kind these trucks come stock with 275/65s on them. That is really damn close to being a 35 inch tire.

I wanted the 4.30s, and if you are going to put an order in, go ahead and get them. I needed my truck by the end of the year for tax purposes so I had my dealer look nationwide for one. I had mine shipped from Iowa. It has everything I wanted except 4.30 gears and cab lights. Both of which I could add after the fact.

My truck only has 150 miles on it, so I haven't towed or really got on it to hard but the power seems adequate for what I will be towing with it.

I guess it comes down to what you need the truck to do. I am coming from a 5.4 gasser to the 6.2 and the biggest thing I will be towing is a 25 foot deck boat.

City driving on back roads is all I have done with it up to this point and I am averaging right at 10 MPG.

 

I think the 4.30 gears are over rated on here. I'm only averaging 10mpg with a mix of highway and city. If your towing really heavy or putting huge tires on then they would help. For everyday use I wish I had gone with the 3.73.

 

All good points Shane. By the way I'm right down the road from Woodstock. I'm curious what dealer you went with and how they worked with you on pricing? It's been a few years since I've bought a Ford and am not sure where to get the best treatment around here now.

In regards to the stock tires being 34" and change....I think that's correct for the 20in wheels but I will be ordering one with 18's and I'm fairly certain that tire is either a 32" or 33 stock. So, going up a true 35" tire from there would put the feel (in terms of rear end gearing) down to a 3.96 or thereabouts.

That, coupled with coming out of the feel of a diesel's drivability characteristics into a gas had me leaning strongly towards the 4.30. Not at all claiming I will tow near enough to justify it....

 

I've had all the diesels and now I'm on my second 6.2. My first was an off the lot special with 3.73's. Soon after the purchase I realized the gears were my biggest complaint. I only bumped up to a 285/70/17 and took a power and mpg hit. This truck did feel a little doggy. I had to tow in 2nd quite a bit with my smaller 7500lb toy hauler. I drive mostly city with a little back roads on my way home. This truck was a consistent 11mpg truck.

Now with my new truck, what an improvement. I can't believe the 3.73's are stuck in so many dealer ordered trucks. The 3.73's were always a great diesel gear, where the motor made so much more low end torque. You need the help of the 4.30 on the 6.2. I am running 295/70/18's right now. I just took off 285/65/20's, both of which are very close to a 35 for height/weight, just a tad thinner. With both of these tire set ups, my truck still feels strong towing and running around. I do not notice the tires as I did before. I also never had to tow in 2nd on my last Elk trip. The mpg thing is widely discussed down in the 6.2 forum. I have picked up an average of 1.5 on my new truck. IMO, the time a 3.73 could be a benefit, is if one is trying to buy a commuter SD and run interstate with small hwy tires.

Going to a 35" tire on the 6.2, the 4.30 is a must. For comparison, the stock 6.2 3.73 truck with 31.5" tires vs a 4.30 with 34.5"(35's) is only going to turn 90 more rpms at 60 mph. So, try to find a basic XL truck with the 31.5" tires it will be the closest comparison to what you would order.

 

I have a little over 1K miles on my 6.2 with 3.73. I have owned a SD diesel for the last 30 years. I have not noticed any issue with power but I have been babying it thus far. About a 1/3 of the 1k has been towing my 4k boat rig to and from the coast. I think my current overall mileage is around 12mpg. On this current trip 2 screen, I reset every fuel fill, I finally broke 14mpg over about 280 miles (none towing). Hand calculated it was closer to 13.8mpg. Running the stock Michelin 20's.

 

I was a long time customer to Cherokee Ford. The sales guy over there this time around rubbed me wrong. Made me feel dumb for looking for a gasser 350. I wanted the transmission that the diesels had vs the new beefed up F150 unit.

Needless to say, he went "looking" found nothing and basically said my truck didn't exist. I then asked for a list of 350 gassers so I could see if I could find one close. This seemed to upset him like I was wasting his time.

I went to Tidwell, they found me a truck and a couple others that were close as well. Idk if they have a larger dealer database to choose from or they just wanted to sell me a truck more than the other guy.

Paid $1195.00 to ship it. 55k plus tags title and some goodies added. I really didn't haggle to much on pricing as I knew this was a new model along with what it took to get it in my hands.

I used my Costco membership when it was time to do add on warranty stuff and that saved me some money as well.

I am putting 295/65/20s on it this week. I will let you know if I notice much of a difference. I doubt I will though.

 

Thanks for the info. I will check out Tidwell. I'm always turned off by the dealers who make it seem as though what you want (when it's not on their lot) "can't be found".

I'm sure yours will look fantastic with the 295's. As for you deciding on the 350 vs 250, did you do that because you wanted the added payload capacity on the 350 or was the transmission a deciding factor. I understand the 350 gassers get the diesel torqshift tranny whereas the 250 gasser get the new torqshift-g.

 

I made the decision for a 350 specifically because of the transmission. I knew if I ever wanted to add a power adder to the truck it was definitely built to handle any extra power I wanted to throw at it, as well as it is a more proven unit at this time. I am sure the new transmission in the new 250s are great though.

 

That's what I had assumed. I've been contemplating that myself, and have been keeping an eye out for any negative feedback on the new torqshift-g, but have yet to see anything. From what I've researched online, a 250 ccsb 4wd and a 350 ccsb 4wd optioned identically are extremely close in price.....less than $1k if I remember correctly.

 

My lease is coming up on my 150 and kinda want to go back to a 250, not another diesel though so am really interested in this combo also, tow around 10k right at my 150 payload limits.