300 in the mountains
 

This is Arizona! (No not that 300, but the I6 kind:)

Hey you all, I hail from Chandler AZ. I am currently in MN for the school year attending college here (have been for the last two). At least I get to go home for summer and christmas break! I am wondering how does the 300 I6 do in the mtns? Would it be better if I were to have 3.55 rear gears. Don't care what your rear end or trannies are let me know how the I6s do speed wise, rpm wise. Right now my truck doesn't like any hills at all with the 2.73. I am probably going to buy a truck there or bring this one back after next year when I graduate. Thanks for your help/and or relating your experiences!


Paul

And no, I don't want to hear about the temps right now in AZ!:-D

on less you plan on just driving in the valley you cant avoid mountains in this state.

Yeah I have lived in AZ pretty much all my life. My dad has an 06 f150 and it does awesome in the mtns, 90 up the grades!!! Anyways, just wondering if hte 300 does only 45mph in the mtns or more. Does it have trouble because of its power band? Just wondering, I know if you pull a trailer it probably will go slow. Thanks.

its all in the rear end gears

a 3:55 rear would be better for mountains, worse for gas mileage

my 95 f150 with the 300 and 3:55 rear end still had problems in the mountains

if I got stuck behind a truck doing 35 mph...i would be lucky to pass it and maybe get

it to 55 mph

if i could keep it at 70 mph it could hold its own all the way up the mountain

Mark

I have a friend with a 300, 4sp, in an 85 F250 4x4. He lives in Nevada we hauled hay once with it and one thing I can tell you there was nothing fast about it, but it would climb a wall with 2 tons of hay on a trailer.
I have a modified 460 in an 86 F250 4x4. on a 6% grade empty I run 70 up it with no problem, but come on with a stock 300 in a truck. I agree if you want to run fast up hill put 4:10s in it. Then you can run 65 to 70 MPH up hill, down hill. That will be about your TOP END SPEED. Then you can do like me with my 460 pass anything except a gas station.

my 01 f150 5.4L 3:55 has done 90 up the mountainside coming back from San Diego on Route 8 <g>

between my Father and me we have probably 20 300 6 cyl engines but most are in farm equipment. a couple are in trucks, they will pull a load any mountain just not very fast.

the 300 in your truck has similar power as the 302 it is a i 6 so tourqe not HP is what is all about i would check your tune adv the timing to 12 0r 14 and in joy the milage savings over a larger motor or much deeper gears. i had a 92 150 w/ 300 for 6 years and 350,000 mi O2 sensors in good working order are key to this motor holding its own.
I lived in Idaho and Alaska and drove the alcan several times in this truck and mountains arnt that big a deal. 3.55's are a good gear with this motor and up to 33'' tires. P.S. check your cat for plugage

Thanks guys for all your postings. The thing that gives the modulars such great performance is their pretty big power band. Towing does lug them down, but not that bad.

bigunred thankyou, I am right now going to check for EGR problems. Check engine came on and before it was, but went off, now its back to stay, get 1100rpm idle!! Some days it sticks, others it doesn't. What stinks is AZ emissions so I can't block it off! I think the cat is okay. If after this egr, I don't see an improvment I will probably do the 02.

How does the timing effect the starting in cold weather? In warm weather? Does it give you more power per fuel?

Thanks for the help! Really appreciate it.

Yeah I think the 3.55s are the lowest gears to go, otherwise you are out of the 300 torque band. How many rpms is okay to pull going up mtns in 300?

Paul