Another Gear Swap ?
 

I know there are numerous questions on this topic on the internet but mostly over which gears to get when ordering the truck, in my case I already have the truck but would like to get the 4.30 gears installed. I have 20" wheels and the 3.73 gears seem a bit weak. This is on a 2013 F250 CCSB and I only have 6k miles on it...Most of my towing will be under 8k but occasionally over that and would estimate 2500 miles towing annually. I have not been in or driven a truck with the 4.30's yet but a friend of mine has a new chevy 3/4 ton gasser with 4.10 gearing(also 20" wheels) and it feels stronger when pulling than my truck does. I plan on keeping this machine for at least 8 years so the cost to get the work done doesn't bother me so much as long as It will make a difference in overall feel. I don't plan on going any bigger than the already hefty 34" tire that is on the truck, actually considering going to 18" wheels in the future which should do nothing but help. I guess what I am most curious is if I am going to notice much improvement? I know the 6 speed tranny is a big help over previous motor/tranny combos but has anyone gone from 4.30 to 3.73 or the other way around and noticed a big difference? Not too worried about mileage and since a lot of my driving is short commutes with a lot of stops I think the 4.30's would probably improve mileage.

Thanks,
rpolar

I'd look for a truck with 4.30's and test drive it.

you will get a lot of different answers but for what your doing I would say leave it alone unless you want the gear swap based on what you like.

I say that because your truck will operate just fine for daily use and towing that weight with 3.73's all day long

Now if you are wanting more off the line grunt just for feel then yes do the swap.

The gearing is most important for off the line tq when you are towing. Its much easier on everything if you have more gearing to get your load moving. This does not apply as much once its moving especially since we can manually select what gear we want with our six speed tranny's

Your buddy with the GM is apples and oranges.....his truck is lighter and his engine has less power. Depending on the year he also does not have a 6 speed trans so more gearing is needed. Also with the truck being lighter it will feel more peppy.

I also have a CC4x4 SB and I have the 18" wheels with 3.73's and it feels great and tows my 9k trailer no problem. Now I do plan on putting on 20" wheels with 35's I know it will change things a bit but I think the engine makes plenty of tq to compensate especially since it does not tow that weight very often. If it does have an issue then I will re-gear but probably go to a 4.56 gear so with the 35" tires it would be closer to stock tire size with a 4.30 gear.

I finally got to drive the a f250 with the 4.30 gears today and there did seem to be a little more on the low end but I would say nothing that would make me want to jump into that set of gears this soon. I am 5 star tuned and this is the first time i've driven a 6.2 stock for quite a while and throttle lag is definitely more apparent now that I have put quite a few miles with the performance tune. Thanks for the replies, I will be pulling a 8500lb enclosed trailer from AK to MN this summer (moving back home) and was thinking that I would like to do the regearing before I head out but will hold off and use this trip to see how it pulls.

just FYI....I pull a 40ft Raptor toy hauler with my SD; 6.2 gasser/3.73 gears.
The lower gears are deep enough that it leaves stop signs and lights easily.
I generally just roll along at 55-60 mph, and if in flat country and no wind will get up to 65. with the 3.73's,. I probably spend more time in 4th and 5th gear rather than 5th and 6th. would the 4.30's do it better... undoubtedly.....but worth the expense of a gear change.... probably not.
Also, as a side note; I am pulling that load mostly in the Rocky Mountain states, so it does see a lot of big hills, and I am very happy with the setup.

With what you are going to pull I wouldn't even consider 4.30 gears unless you plan on constant heavy pulling. With the new 6 speed you do have lower gears on the bottom end for off the line power so for occasional pulling 3.73 work great. I run 4.30 gears but I pull very heavy 90% of the time, in my case the lower gears puts less stress of the drive train over the long haul but I can't get the empty mileage that you can get with the 3.73 on the hwy.

Denny

Thanks for all the replies. I was finally able to tow a what I would call heavy load with my F250 (9500 lbs) and it never had a problem getting off the line and up to speed on the ramp to the hwy. I only put about 200 miles on and locking out 6th is a must or it will be constantly shift but still keeping rpms @ 65 mph right around 2k. I think the 5 star tune does assist in holding gears a little longer than stock but have not pulled anything stock yet either so can not compare. I do wish I would have not got the snow plow package as the heavier springs up front keep the truck nose high by about half an inch with no trailer. Air bags help me keep it level but maybe when I get new shocks I will look into installing lighter springs? Not sure if anyone has done this but would like to give em a shot to see if it improves the ride a little and I can have some strake.
On a side note I got better mileage by almost 1 mpg on the way back as I did going by running premium fuel, driving conditions were the same. showed 8 on the way and 8.8 for the drive back.

I ran a 4000 mile trip from Saskatchewan down though Tennessee and back through Indiana last year pulling a 34 ft travel trailer that weighs about 8500 and 4 adults in the truck with a stock tuned truck running 91 octane the whole way and even in the Smokies I never wished for more power or gearing.

I'm hoping one of you can share your thoughts on this. Just got back from a quick camping trip this weekend up the coast here in California. My truck has the 3.73 gears. My travel trailer weighs around 5,000 lb. Probably 100 lbs of firewood in the bed. For the most part this truck is a beast. Actually spend a lot of time trying to stay at the speed limit. That being said, this trip took me up a 6% grade (2 miles). Truck had to downshift to 3rd to maintain a 55-58 MPH speed. RPM's were in the 4k range. Not sure if this is what others are seeing but what concerns me is that my wife and I are in the final stages of acquiring a fifth wheel that has a dry weight of 9,400 lbs per the yellow sticker. Loaded I suspect I will be around 11k. Since this new rig will be twice the weight of my current rig I can't help but wonder how my truck will perform? I don't have any issues getting 4.30 gears if I know for a fact that it will help in these situations. Worse case scenario would be to trade in my 6 month old truck for a Diesel but I prefer not to if I don't have to. We try to camp every 4-5 weeks and usually cover 5,000 to 6,000 miles a year towing. Truck is my daily driver as well. Thoughts?

Wanna test drive my 250? I have a 6.2 4.30

Hi Rubicon - you might start another thread to get more feedback, I know there are guys on here who tow exactly what you're looking at getting with the 3.73 gears and I'm sure they encounter 6% grades.

My suggestion is to hitch it up and if you think it's struggling, switching to 4.30 gears would only make your towing performance better.

Some links to help you out:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...th-3-73-a.html

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...xle-ratio.html

:)

I made the trip from AK to MN end of june with a 22' enclosed trailer weighing just under 9k and there were a few long grades where i was in 2nd gear hittink 5k rpm's maintaining 50-55 mph, at first it bothered me but after a while i got used to it, for the most part i didn't go below 3rd gear while in the mtns. I was running the 91 perf/tow tune and avg'd 8.8 for the first half of the trip(mtns) and 10.3 on flat land giving a overall avg of 9.5 mpg which is better than i expected. I am very pleased with the 3.73 but also have no immediate plan to get a big travel trailer any time soon.

The rim size is not your concern. You can have 34s on a 20 or 18 inch rim. Your concern is the tire size. I have 37s on 18s because of the overall more tire rubber look compared to a 20inch rim with 37s. Purchased my 250 6.2 with 4.30 because I knew a 6inch lift and 37s were going on instantly. Also this truck gets used for towing and snow plowing (except I size down to 33s for winter). My 150 had factory gears with 9inch lift on 35s. Blew the gears and trany. Upgraded to 4.88 & 9.75diff with beefier trany.

The 250 with the 4.30 handles my requirements well. Hope this helps.

I can't comment on the 6.2 because I have the 5.4 in my 08 f250 but I can comment on the gear change. I pulled my 5th wheel (7500lb) from East Tennessee to Vermont with both the original 3:73 and then changed to 4:30 and made same trip. (CCSB and 2wd) I was hoping for better towing MPG as well as power and got only power. Got somewhere in the neighborhood of 9.5 mpg with either gear, but unloaded the 4:30 helped in local driving. Was getting 10.5 to 11 and now 13.5 to 14.5 local. Stays in OD in the hills here in East Tennessee instead of downshifting. Can tell you that the hills aren't as hard on truck and MPG as flat lands and wind. Towing from one end of state to the other at 65mph (cruise mostly) 9.5 to 10 mpg. Made a trip to New Mexico and the farther west we went the more wind and less MPG we got at same speed setting. Traveled I-40 and in Texas to New Mexico ran a tank and a half of gas through truck averaging 6.6 to 7.0 and could not hold OD so in my book the hills are the least of your worries. I look at hills this way, you pull up one side and coast down the other. Flat land and wind you get no relief. Hope this helps in your decisions.