rear differential covers
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New User
Joined: Mar 2006
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rear differential covers
I would like your thoughts on larger capacity differential covers???? Are they helpful on keeping your rear cooler or not?? I usually only tow short trips and next month I will drive about 550 miles one way pulling about a 9000lb goose neck horse trailer. I will probably only stop for gas and food. So will larger capacity with cooling finned cover help?? I am considering either mag- hytec or Off road unlimiteds aluminum cover both have about the same capacity other than a $100 difference in price. Thanks as always for your knowledge!!
Laughing Gas
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,166
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From: Chino, California
Large capacity diff covers are well worth the investment. Get the plain jane variety, don't spend big bucks unnecessarily. I paid 150 for mine. Forget Mag-Tech. Buy cast aluminum un-polished. Polished ones run hotter. I think mine was CP...dang getting old sucks!
Logistics Pro
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 3,733
Likes: 38
Tim's10
True enough that the aftermarket gear covers can drop the lube temp some... how much is highly debated.
What usualy gets lost in the debat is if lowering the temp does anything good for the typical truck usage...
In this case, your inferqunet towing of only 9000 lbs for a realitivly short 1000 mile +/- trip is not going to affect the already well designed and massivley big Ford/Sterling 10.5 inch gear set and the alread large lube volume... all you rellay get for the time and money is a good looking rear cover...
The full synthetic lube 75W140 that Ford uses can take high temps for extended periods with no appreciable break down or oxidation... if you were running an old skool dino type 80 or 90W hypoid gear oil then there is a good argument for lowering the operating temp 10-20 degrees (what most covers can provide)
I fully instrumented my 2001 V10 to include differential oil temps front and rear... waste of time and money I might add
I almost always over loaded her and the 3.73:1 gears were not the best for the mountains I was towing in... still the temps were always in the middle of the gage between 170~210F on a 100~250F degree gage.... these diffs had the factory covers repainted by me because I hated the peeled off factory coating and resultant rusty look...High temp BBQ red looked good to me...
I never could justify the added cost of the larger capacity covers on looks alone and firmly believe that for "typical" tow and haul use they are net really needed for any added cooling capacity... the factory system does not run "hot"... IMO
True enough that the aftermarket gear covers can drop the lube temp some... how much is highly debated.
What usualy gets lost in the debat is if lowering the temp does anything good for the typical truck usage...
In this case, your inferqunet towing of only 9000 lbs for a realitivly short 1000 mile +/- trip is not going to affect the already well designed and massivley big Ford/Sterling 10.5 inch gear set and the alread large lube volume... all you rellay get for the time and money is a good looking rear cover...
The full synthetic lube 75W140 that Ford uses can take high temps for extended periods with no appreciable break down or oxidation... if you were running an old skool dino type 80 or 90W hypoid gear oil then there is a good argument for lowering the operating temp 10-20 degrees (what most covers can provide)
I fully instrumented my 2001 V10 to include differential oil temps front and rear... waste of time and money I might add
I almost always over loaded her and the 3.73:1 gears were not the best for the mountains I was towing in... still the temps were always in the middle of the gage between 170~210F on a 100~250F degree gage.... these diffs had the factory covers repainted by me because I hated the peeled off factory coating and resultant rusty look...High temp BBQ red looked good to me...
I never could justify the added cost of the larger capacity covers on looks alone and firmly believe that for "typical" tow and haul use they are net really needed for any added cooling capacity... the factory system does not run "hot"... IMO
