why only the 4.10 with the V-10 - Diesel Forum

JDeereGn · 12-26-2008, 10:40 AM

I am considering a new F-250 4 x 4. I see no reason why Ford will only put the 4.10 behind the V-10 but use a higher ratio behind the 5.4 and even higher with the 6.4. Does anyone know why? It only seems logical to me that the stronger V-10 would perform even better than the 5.4 with the higher gears and certainly the MPH would be much better. Off course some HD towing performance would be lost but to me it seems the fuel savings would off set that. I have even looked at changing the ratios in a new 4x4 but that is over 2K. I would appreciate comments. thanks Ralph

JimJoe · 12-26-2008, 12:33 PM

JDeereGn,

seems that there is little demand for the V10. I asked this question myself many times as I would love to avoid to 4.10.

Btw. Do you know about the current rebates? How much to expect to pay for a V10 these days?

Jim

Pappy19 · 12-26-2008, 02:37 PM

I purposely ordered mine with the 4.10 which I think is the best rear end ratio available. I do know that you can order the V-10 with lower ratio's and maybe you can get a 3.73. I think the 4.10/V-10 combo is about as good as it gets for all around performance and mileage is tolerable.

JimJoe · 12-26-2008, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pappy19

II do know that you can order the V-10 with lower ratio's and maybe you can get a 3.73.

Sure? Any proof here? Looking at the orderbook V10 and 3.73 is not allowed.

Jim

taken · 12-26-2008, 04:56 PM

If you look at other forums, you will find that 4.10 is the minimum that is a good combo with the 10. Most guys order the 4.30's and if they don't buy new they end up swapping them in. It seems the modular v10 likes revs and pulls best at a higher rpm. Do a search at Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums - Ford truck and SUV owners and enthusiasts Community And Information Source. and you will find a TON of info on this very subject.

JDeereGn · 12-26-2008, 05:00 PM

Pappy what mph are you getting with the 4.10? The 4.10 is definately the highest you can get with a V-10. I would get a truck almost like yours except for a long bed.

barrelhorses · 12-26-2008, 09:50 PM

I'm getting around 10 MPG in my daily driving. I have seen just over 14 MPG on the lie-o-meter at lower interstate speeds (55 to 60ish), but when I jumped up to around 75 or so, my MPG dropped down considerably. My one and only road trip with this truck (so far) netted me around 11.5 MPG hand-calculated IIRC. If I had it to do all over again, I would definitely have waited and got 4.30 rear end. My 6.0 had the 3.73 and I really didn't think that was that great of a combination when pulling my trailer. I believe that truck would have been better with 4.10. But that is just my $0.02.

taken · 12-26-2008, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JDeereGn

Pappy what mph are you getting with the 4.10? The 4.10 is definately the highest you can get with a V-10. I would get a truck almost like yours except for a long bed.

Do you mean highest numerically (steepest gears) or highest gear ratio? Because if you read up on the V10, higher numerically is much better.

Pappy19 · 12-27-2008, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JDeereGn

Pappy what mph are you getting with the 4.10? The 4.10 is definately the highest you can get with a V-10. I would get a truck almost like yours except for a long bed.

If you really are asking mph, I have a Diablosport Predator programmer installed since it had 5k on the odometer, so the speed limiter was turned off. Fastest that the speedo has shown is 96. Haven't had any occasion to go faster. If you are talking about mpg, with the Predator on the "middle" 91 octane position, and with the Air Raid intake system, I am getting 11-12. Towing heavy it gets 9-9.5. If you are towing alot, then I would recommend the 4.30. If you plan on towing a large 5th wheel or are hauling heavy every day, then the 4.88. I think the lower the ratio, the worse your mileage will be. To me, the 4.10 is the perfect ratio. Plenty of poop and pulls good. I wouldn't change mine.

lubbockguy1979 · 01-10-2009, 10:13 PM

If you get a truck with 4.10 gears and want 3.73 gears you could add a set of 285/75/16 or equivilent size and accomplish pretty close the the final drive ratio.

JimJoe · 01-11-2009, 07:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lubbockguy1979

If you get a truck with 4.10 gears and want 3.73 gears you could add a set of 285/75/16 or equivilent size and accomplish pretty close the the final drive ratio.

This is what I just wanted to add. For the King Ranch why not go from 18 to 20. This gets down the ration from 4.10 to 3.69. What I do not know is the influence on MPG as the rig gets to sit 1in higher.

Jim

jonrjen · 01-11-2009, 07:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lubbockguy1979

If you get a truck with 4.10 gears and want 3.73 gears you could add a set of 285/75/16 or equivilent size and accomplish pretty close the the final drive ratio.

Lubbockguy1979 Makes a great point. And it would be much cheaper than a re-gear job. However if you are thinking of going over sized tires and wheels somewhere down the road, you may want to order the truck with the 4:30 ratio. Then after adding the over sized tires and wheels you will end up somewhere in the 4:10-3:73 range.
I have the 4:10 on my F-250 with a manual transmission, and it is a good set up.
If you read up on post dealing with MPG on the V-10, you will note that this motor is not know for giving good mileage with what ever rear end ratio it has. It is know for providing long dependable power with inexpensive maintance....but as for MPG....she does tend to drink a little much at times.

Smokewagun · 01-22-2009, 08:05 AM

I don't understand why the 4.10 and 4.30 gears are the only ratios available with the V-10 in trucks, either. The Excursion, I think, came with a 3.73 rearend. Historically, the Excursions get better fuel economy across the board with any engines than it's F-250 counterpart. I'm sure there is no weight difference worth nothing, either. My wife and I had a 2003 V-10 Excursion and could pull just over 16mpg on our highway trips down to Pigeon Forge every year with a fully loaded vehicle, air conditioning on, and cruise set at 72mph. This wasn't a one time trip, either. Now, winter driving around town, well... about 10-11mpg.

I can understand that some say the different size wheels and rubber (larger) on the trucks with the 4.10 are about as effective as the 3.73 gearing, but the mpg numbers don't prove that. I see ford offers the SFE package on the 2009 F-150, so why can't they offer something similar on the other Superduty drivelines? If you order the smoker's package, you know your going to smoke and the interior of your truck will smell like an ashtray. So, if you order the 3.73 gears with the V-10, your highway mileage will go up, but your towing capabilities will drop and your truck may be a dog out of the hole. Okay. Remember the old days when you could order a "highway axle" on a car? My old 1976 Cutlass had a highway axle. It was a bear to get moving, but once you hit highway speeds, it was unstoppable. My old roommate from college found out the hard way his Berlinetta wasn't a match to my Olds cruising down Highway 51.

Charlie98 · 02-12-2009, 09:49 PM

My '99 F250 V-10 5-speed had 3:73's and I would get 14-15mpg in combination driving. No one would believe me.

My new '09 V-10 has an automatic and 4:10's, I'm only averaging about 10.5mpg but it only has 1200 miles yet. I would rather have 3:73's but, really, in the end it isn't much different.

My '99 turned 2250rpm at 70, the '09 turns about 2350rpm or so at 70. The '09 is way faster off the line but part of that may be the automatic.