Today we took the '07 to town. It's a 5.4-3v. It idles, runs so quiet. I use either Synthetic blend or full synthetic, 5w30 in it always, and MC filters. 79,600 miles on it.

As I drive around, I very often see others "*******" their trucks, punching them to make noises, even diesels rolling smoke, etc.. I watched one guy with a '05-'08 today pulling a trailer with a load of block on it, he was full into at every stop light, He was pulling that trailer harder accelerating than I was, but somehow, we would end up side by side again. I got to thinking about all the stories, failed guides, etc. It occurred to me, and I thought back on it, I can't remember the last time I used passing gear. I know I did one day going to see my Mother, was a good 10 years ago down on 501, passed a slow TT. Today, I watched the tach a lot, driving my normal, light footed manner. Was only on a grade coming up out of a 45 zone into a 55 zone did I even cause it to kick down from OD to 3rd, the tach run up a little over 2200 rpm, but otherwise on the 14 mile drive home, the tach never reached 2,000, mostly 1700-1800. It's rare for me to get on the Interstate, but there are often many running 80 or better in that left lane, and they rarely spare the horses which is why I try to stay off interstates. I worked them for 31 years, it was enough..

I have come to think rpms have a lot to do with various timing components giving up in time. No doubt miles contribute, but thinking too ...of chains whipping around sprockets & being guided by guides, etc. I'm sure that directing chains at higher rpms is tougher than directing them at low rpms. Chains have weight, and when hitting the guide, they just came off a sprocket. The guides adjust for slack as they also seek to tame the inertia driven whipping of the chains.