Miscellaneous Truck Questions

mharde2

stobar...The higher the number the lower the gear ratio. In other words, higher number such as 3.73 gives you more pulling power. Faster off the line. The engine turns more RPMs at a givin speed.
I hope this helps you..

stobar

To: mharde2; thanks for the info., but what about a much stiffer ride and lower gas mileage with a 3.73 vice 3.08, is this true? I reviewed the Chevy brochure and see the difference in towing capacity, but believe I can still do some heavy duty towing with the 3.08, just nothing over 10K lbs., I believe.

beltao

"but what about a much stiffer ride and lower gas mileage"
Stiffer ride: because they come with heavy duty suspensions.
lower gas mileage: only when trailering or loaded; assuming it is the same size engine.

mharde2

Barry, What gears you have has no effect on the rid of the truck. Now a 3/4 ton and 1 ton truck will ride stiffer than a 1/2 ton because of heavy duty springs, but a 1/2 ton with 3.09 gears will ride the same as a 1/2 ton with 3.73 gears. As for gas milage, you might get 1 or 2 mpg more with the 3.09, but thats abought it

Doncoyote

I am looking for a head pad to stick to the rear window of my regular cab pickup truck. It doesn't have a normal head restraint and I don't want my head to strike the glass if I get rear ended.
Anyone know where I can get one?
mmaster@ibm.net

bnesb

I am looking at purchasing a new Dodge Dakota Sport, but I need some assistance. I would like it if someone could E-mail me with some info. Like what they like about the truck, advantages, dislikes, and anything else that would help on the decision of what to purchase or not.

Thanks Bnesb
bnesb737@nextsteps.com

deisel

Question for deisel owners:

Has anyone accidently added Kerosene to deisel fuel and run it in their truck?

I made the mistake last weekend when I had not had my first cup of Java. I pumped 8 gal. of kerosene
into my Dodge before realizing I had picked up the wrong nozzle. Thought I was going to get stuck
on a trip to V.A. with a nasty mechanic bill but
found out instead that some truckers actually mix
kerosene with their deisel fuel because it burns cleaner and hotter.

Just a thought but I would like a responce.

mharde2

I have read where some truckers add kerosene to prevent their fuel from gelling in cold temperatures. Also someone else did the same as you and had no adverse effects. As a mater of fact he thought he got better millage with it.

jat

mharde2: Why would someone opt to get a higher gear (3.73) ratio given that a lower gear ratio (3.08) gives the truck more pulling power and makes it quicker off line?

Also, I've heard some vehicles being described as having a tall gear ratio, does this mean that it has a high gear ratio (e.g. 3.73) or vice versa?

mharde2

Jat, You have it backwards...The higher the number, the lower the gear ratio. The 3.73 would be quicker off the line, and have a much higher tow rating.
Tall gear ratio means higher 3.08. I know it can be confusing, I'm glad you are asking questions...
For Fords the tow rating for 4.2L V6 with 3.08 is 1900lbs. With 3.55 its 3600lbs.
I hope this helps..If not keep asking questions.

jat

Thanks for the clarification mharde2. So, why would someone get a truck with tall gear ratio (3.08) versus a truck with a short gear ratio (3.73)? I guess there is an advantage for getting a truck with a tall gear ratio. Do you know what that advantage is?

Brutus

jat,

Glad you asked the questions about gear ratio. I was equally confused. I have found some answers in other chat areas also. If I understand it right, the offset of getting the additional towing power and power from the start is that you are running at higher RPMs at all speeds. My guess is that you might see a little improvement in gas mileage on a long highway trip since you would be pulling less RPMs. If you travel a lot of highway miles, the engine may also be working less on a taller gear over the long term since it's pulling less RPMs at the highway speeds. Theoretically this would mean that the engine might last longer or require less maintenance. But remember, I'm not anywhere near an expert in this area and I could be wrong. I'm looking forward to hearing mharde's response. He appears to have the gear ratio stuff figured out.

mharde,

I'm giving some serious thought to ordering one of the new 1999 Superduty trucks. The gear ratio question is one I'm unsure about. It appears that the V-10 comes with the option of a 3.73 or a 4.3. I read in one chat area about a guy who had a 4.0+ gear ratio and said that it really lowered his highway cruising speeds. I'm guessing that the 3.73 is more than adequate for my needs. I probably won't tow much for the first couple years and when I eventually do tow, it will probably be a camper on top and boats or snowmachines on back. I won't be towing a fifth wheeler or anything that heavy. What's your opinion? Is the 3.73 the way to go?

By the way, I currently have a 1992 F-250HD 4x4 with a 3.55 gear ratio and the 5.8L. I've got 81,000 miles on it with lots of highway miles. The truck runs great on the highway at 75+mph for extended periods. That's one of the reasons, I'm thinking the lower 3.73 gearing might be the way to go. At one point would someone consider a 4.3?

mharde2

Sounds like you got it down pretty good Brutus. You are correct, the higher(or taller)gears will give you lower rpm and better gas millage. The 3.73
would be the best for your application. It was a hard choice for me also, I'm still not sure I made the right decision when I ordered my Ram 2500 turbo diesel. I ordered it with the 3.54 instead of 4.09. I wish they offered a 3.73. I would have jumped on that one. I was afraid the 4.09 would be a little to low.
I now have F150 5.8L w/3.55 and I tow a 26' 5Th weel.
There is so many choices and combinations it makes your head spin....
What kind of price are you figuring on the Ford 250 superduty. I had a hard time choosing between the Ford and the Dodge too. I hope I made the right decision. I get very nervous spending this much money for a truck. My deal came to $28,646 + TT&L. That was the Turbo Diesel Quad Cab, short bed with everything except the leather.

lwf

There's a lot of good tips above; however,
everyone seems to be calling these "gear" ratios
and I think they really mean "axle" ratios. The difference is that gear ratios pertain to the transmission and axle ratios (3.54, 3.73, 4.3, etc.) pertain to the differential. One other point mharde2 might have made is that an easy way to remember how to choose between a small or big number when selecting an axle ratio is that it represents the revolutions the engine makes for one turn of the rear axle (I think but am not sure that applies when in high gear). So....., you'll want that number to be small if you're looking for efficiency and big if you want to do some serious
hauling or towing.

reset9

Could someone please explain the difference between "gear" ratios and "axle" ratios.?
For a 97 S-10 what would be the gear ratio of a 4 speed automatic transmission?
If 3.42 is the axle ratio!?

Tumbleweed

I have a '68 long bed chevy truck that I am interested in selling. It has an 84 350 block with all the original 327 bolt ons. will run, needs some minor body work. Has original working factory A/C. Anybody know approx. what it is worth?

lwf

In regard to reset9's questions (#66)
"Could someone please explain the difference
between "gear" ratios and "axle" ratios.?
For a 97 S-10 what would be the gear ratio of a 4
speed automatic transmission?
If 3.42 is the axle ratio!?"

I thought I just answered the first question the other day. I can't tell if you are pulling my leg or you really don't understand the difference,
but I'll try to elaborate on what I had previously described as the difference between between "gear ratio" and "axle ratio".

gear ratio......This pertains to the transmission which has an input shaft that is coupled to the engine's crankshaft and an output shaft that is coupled to the driveshaft (the steel tube installed between the transmission and the differential through a couple of universal joints). For a 3-speed transmission there are 3 gear ratios, for a 4-speed transmission there are 4 gear ratios, etc. Typical gear-ratio values are:

2.8:1 for 1st (usual value but it might be slightly different) and this means the crankshaft makes 2.8 revolutions for each
revolution of the driveshaft,
1.7:1 for 2nd (usual value),
1:1 for 3rd (always).

For the S10 4-speed automatic you are interested in, I'm almost positive the 4th speed is an overdrive gear and the gear ratio is probably somewhere around 0.9:1 (someone from Chevy will have to provide you with the actual value).
Some of the manual transmissions today have 5 speeds and in these I'd guess that 4th is 1:1 and 5th is the overdrive


axle ratio......I probably added to the confusion the other day when I defined this as the number of revolutions of the engine crankshaft for 1 revolution of the axle when the transmission is in high gear. That's not really incorrect, but it would be better to think of it as the number of revolutions of the driveshaft for 1 revolution of the rear axle when the vehicle is going straight so that both of the rear wheels are turning at the same speed. You have to keep in mind that the primary purpose of the differential is to transfer
power from the driveshaft to the two rear driving axles (left & right) in a manner such that when in a turn, the outside wheel rotates faster than the inside wheel. On the straight-a-way, they rotate at the same RPM, but it is never at the RPM of the
driveshaft. It's always slower, and in the examples provided in earlier postings
those numbers representing driveshaft-to-axle revolutions were 3.54 to 4.09.

All of what I just wrote pertains specifically to rear-wheel vehicles. With the front-wheel vehicles I'm acquainted with, the transmission and differential are combined into a "transaxle" and there is no "driveshaft" per se; however, I believe the principle is the same.

Now to turn to your to question about the S10's 3.42 axle. I hope it's crystal clear
to you by now that the "gear ratio(s)" of the 4-speed automatic transmission have absolutely nothing to do with the "axle ratio" of the differential, whether its 3.08, 3.42 or 3.73. I think all three are available with the S10 4x4
but only the 3.08 and 3.42 can be provided with the 2WD versions.

Good luck.

reset9

Thanks lwf! I really appreciate your help!

jat

mharde2, brutus, lwf:

Thanks for explaining axle ratios and gear ratios I wish I knew more about that stuff before I bought my truck, I guess next time I will know better.

richflynn

Brutus,
I just ordered a 99 super duty w/diesel. XLT but not Lariat. I couldn't see the extra for leather. My dealer added $1300 to the invoice. (How do I know? We both sat in front of the Ford computer screen and typed in the options and ordered it.)

Just be aware that what you don't see in the pricing services is $640 for shipping, $22.41 for fuel and something like $50 or $75 for joint Ford/Dealer advertising. If you're in the LA area I can give you the name of an honest dealer/sales manager. This is the third vehicle I acquired from him.

Rich

Brutus

Rich,

Thanks for the info. It sounds like everyone is getting the new trucks for about the same amount over invoice. The lowest I've heard is $1,200. I've also heard 4%, which is about the same depending on what options you get. I was prepared for a destination charge in the $700 range. I guess we can assume the advertising charges are for the future, because I haven't seen a lot of advertising of the new trucks by Ford yet. I think alot of people are going to be surprised when they start showing up on the streets, especially the new F-150 owners. I don't think most people know about the Superduty body style changes for the F-250HD and F-350.

As for living in the LA area, I spent the last 4 1/2 years in Southern CA (one in LA County, the rest in Orange County). My job transferred me to Dallas in November, so I won't be able to use your dealer. I will probably try the Auto-by-Tel on this site and see how that works. I plan to pay about what you and the other people have paid, and I have a price range that I expect to get on my trade-in.

mharde2

Brutus, I didn't have a trade-in, my son-in-law is buying my old truck, so I can't help you there. They are right on everywhere else though, so I would expect they would be pretty close. Be sure to read the descriptions of excellent, good, and fair condition though.

mharde2

Brutus, I forgot about the finance part. I decided to invest my life savings instead of making a loan, but 8.4 sounds a little high though.
You should try State Farm Finance, (you probably never new they had such a thing) they are usually about 1% below the bank rate.

mharde2

.....that State Farm Finance is through State Farm Insurance...I think this truck buying is causing me brain damage.

weazel

CNN's web site posted a story about pickup trucks if any of you missed it its at: http://www.cnn.com/US/9802/16/wheels.pickup.passion.ap/

Joel

Motormouth

Thanks for that link, Weazel!

It's a great article.

Automotive fads come and go, but pickups still rule, and will continue to evolve since they provide not only transportation, but the most versitility of any mass production vehicle.

Even SUVs are limited by comparison. You can always virtually duplicate the functionality of the SUV by putting a cap on a pickup, but you can always remove that cap for carrying larger items.

It will be interesting to see what the next generation of pickups have to offer...

GHUTCHIN

Does anyone know if Dodge is ever going to make a
true 'crew cab' again, not just a 'quad cab' but
one with 4 real doors that holds 6 real people
like the Ford but with a good diesel?
The back seat of the quad cab will at best hold 3
well behaved small kids on short trips.

Brutus

mharde,

How's the new truck other than the engine noise?

ghuchin,

I don't know that much about diesels. Do you think the changes Ford made to the Powerstroke for the 1999 SuperDuty will make a difference? Some of the changes are outlined in an article on the 1999 SuperDuty trucks at www.truckworld.com. What are the some of the bigger differences between the Cummins and the Powerstroke?

Brutus

OK, here's a dumb question. When looking over the tire options for a new truck, what is the difference between a BSW and an OWL? The difference in price is about $21 per tire. Does it have to do with whether you want the white lettering on the outside or if you want the black wall on the outside? If so, which is which?

jdb

You are right and BSW stands for black side wall

ljrt

Can anyone tell me what would be better, 4.10 or 3.73 rear end. I am going to order a new F350 Power Stroke 4X4 Dually and can't decide what axle ratio I need. I tow a 34 ft fifth wheel a lot during the summer. I currently have a '93 F250 4X4 with 460 and 4.10 axle ratio. I have enough power to cruise on the freeway at 60 mph but the mileage is down to about 8 mph. I know it will be better with the Power Stroke but unsure of the gearing.

jlflemmons

BSW=Black Side Wall

OWL=Outline White Letter

Jim

mharde2

Brutus, I'm really starting to like the Dodge. The Cummins is a 5.9L enline 6. Its susposed to be very reliable. It has 5 year 100,000 mile warranty, and is rated to go 400,000 miles between overhauls. It has a gear driven cam, uses a heating grid instead of glow plugs. The Power Stroke is a 7.3L V8. Its manufactured by Navastar ( formally International ) It is also susposed to be very dependable. ( no extra warranty though)They are both turbo charged and intercooled.
The Ford is rated at 235 HP@ 3000rpm & 500lbs of torque@ 1600rpm (I think). The Dodge is 235 HP@ 2500rpm & 460lbs of torque@ 1400rpm. They both get around 20 mpg. They will set you back in your seat...
They are both great trucks, we just liked the looks of the Dodge better. I havn't towed my trailer with it yet so the jury is still out for a few more weeks.

Brutus

I was reading the other day that, in addition to an early extension of their current contract with Ford, Navistar just signed an agreement with Ford to design diesel engines for their smaller truck, including the SUVs. It will be interesting to see if the diesel will appeal to an Explorer driver. It looks like Ford is stepping up to the plate to compete with the Cummins. Hopefully, Chevy will not be far behind. Us consumers are the big winners when the Big Three are their most competitive. Dodge demonstrated this a few years back when they made the decision to jump up and play with the big boys by redesigning the Ram.

HookEm

I just got back from a dealer. They tacked on an additional $500 onto the already $640 destination charge. They said it's because they got the truck from another dealer. Has anyone ever heard of this? And should I pay it. The dealer also said there is not a $500 factory to dealer incentive for 1998 Dodge Quad Cab trucks. I am not sure this is true either since Edmund's says there is. I would like some feedback. Someone please help. I was able to get a good price on my trade in but it took some fighting. Dealers do not like to talk trade in price before the new car price. I actually got the trade in value listed on Edmund's.

kazukishaw

HookEm: I have found Edmund's information impeccable up to this point minus a few spelling errors. I would be more inclined to believe Edmund's. Ask the dealer when the incentive ended. Trap the buggers.

Brutus

I've heard of a $500 "drop-ship" fee, but that shouldn't apply here. If he's going to charge you $500 because he got it from another dealer, tell him to order it, so it won't cost a dime extra. the factory will deliver them for free. I'm impressed that you got a good deal on your trade-in.

Brutus

One thing to consider is that you need to look at the deal as a sum of the parts. Maybe the $500 is bogus, but if you got a good deal on the trade, the overall deal may still be very good.

mharde2

From reading some of the post on the board, I think there is some confusion over GAS verses DIESEL. "Why would anyone buy a DIESEL, with 235hp when the GAS engine puts out 275-300hp."
Some people on the boards still seen to be confused about, "Why would you buy a diesel that puts out 235hp, when you get a big block gas engine that puts out 275-300hp,for alot less money?"
I will use a 3.55 rear axle in the explanation sense this seems to be the most popular. w/auto
When you are going down the hwy at 65mph your turning around 1750rpm in O\D, 2650 in 3rd. With the DIESEL your cranking out 235hp at 2500rpm, the GAS engine is putting out about 185 at 2500rpm.
You don,t get that 275-300hp until you reach 4000-4250rpm. (That would be 150mph in O/D)
Also the DIESEL uses 60% less fuel, and will last 3-4 times longer than the GAS engine

Brutus

Does that have something to do with the lb-fts of torque? I know the Powerstroke cranks out 500 while the Dodge V-10 cranks out 450 and the Ford V-10 cranks out 410, if I'm not mistaken.

Desmo

Hi folks
Went to order my 1998 Sierra shortbed X-cab with 3rd door and got a call back saying that they were no longer accepting build orders for this a/o 3/18/98. However they will be accepting builds for a 1999 Sierra "Classic" in about 3 weeks. Dealer says this will be the current style bodywork with current engine options but sold as a 1999. He had no info as far as pricing or options but gauranteed me no problems in ordering with my specifics. As I do not want a new body style, I'd really like to know about this "Classic" a.s.a.p. so I can decide if I'll be ordering one or if I should start looking on lots now for a left-over I can live with. Thanks for any info sent my way.
-- Desmo

mharde2

I didn't through torque in the equation, because it confuses people even more. Torgue is like low-end horsepower. You get the load moving with torque, and keep it moving with horsepower.
The diesel produces its peak torque usually at a lower RPM than the gas engine. (1600 V 2000 RPM)
Your numbers are correct though Brutus.

mharde2

I'm not picking on the gas burners, just pointing out the differences. The big block V8's and V10's are very strong and powerful engins, exceeding the diesel in many ways.
Actually, I'm just trying to convence myself that I made the right decision going with the diesel. It was a very hard choice...

Brutus

I think diesel is the way to go if you have a fifth wheel. Like I mentioned before, the diesel is probably the better choice even if you don't tow. They get better gas mileage, they last longer, and that should lead to better resale value. I just wasn't ready to make the jump yet. My current truck is a regular cab V-8 4x4. I just ordered a SuperCab V-10 4x4. Ten years from now, who knows? The only options left are the crew cab dually diesel. Then again, ten years from now, the diesel and gas engines may both be obsolete. A nuclear powered 4x4?

sundance

Does anyone have preliminary info on gas milage for the 99 F250 HD V10 gas engine??

Brutus

mharde2,

Interesting article. What's the deal with that chip? It looks like the author might be a tad bias towards Ford, but the two diesels are a lot closer than die-hard Cummins fans would like to admit. The interesting data will be when we see how both engines hold up at 150,000+ miles. My opinion is that the Ford is the better built truck, but Cummins probably has a slight edge over the Powerstroke. But I'm bias toward Ford, and I'm not driving a diesel.

mharde2

Brutus, Fredwood had that study done. I thought it was a very interesting comparison. The non-chipped engins where so close. That one of those after market performance chips. Those diesels are very de tuned for use in light duty trucks. You can almost double the horsepower and torque ratings with the right modifications. He owens a dealership that sells Ford and Dodge trucks. He drives a Chevy truck. Whats up with that fredwood?

fredwood

I think you confused me with someone else. I dont own squat, except the chevy truck...which IS squat to some ford and dodge owners.

mharde2

Sorry fredwood, I think your right. I'm thinking of bob woodhouse, on another BBS. Nothing wrong with a chevy, if thats what you like. I almost bought one once, but my wife didn't like them. I let her pick out the trucks (with my guidance) and she lets me buy them. Just one of those little games we married guys play to get what we want. No such thing as a bad new truck...

606zp

mharde2,

If you're not, you should be a politician!
(I mean that as a compliment...)

Ron