New 2022 Ford F250 Diesel - What axel ratio?

[rbs]

we've had both, can't tell the difference
be prepared to wait close to a year for delivery

[trikdacy]

I have a 30' Classic and an F350 DRW Diesel. I ordered it with a 3:55. No problems accelerating, and I get 12+ mpg, with a truck bed full of supplies, and a Thule xxl. cargo rack and bicycles over the bed.

[FdTow]

Originally Posted by dhroberts

We have a 30' Classic. I am about to order a 2022 Ford F250 with a 6.7L diesel engine. What axel ratio should I go with: a) 3.31; or b) 3.55? Thank you.

We have a 2021 30 classic. We had a 2021 f150 and it could not keep it from moving around. We used a propride hitch. We tried to order f250 but 26-30 weeks out unless you buy a basic. We found a 2022 gmc 2500 Denali in transit and got it. I thought they were behind in technology but just towed the AS for first time. The technology is awesome the cameras are so much better than Ford and you can watch them at highway speeds. The blind spot camera auto comes up with blinkers on. Towed like a charm. I’m glad they delayed our f250.

[tjdonahoe]

Originally Posted by dhroberts

We have a 30' Classic. I am about to order a 2022 Ford F250 with a 6.7L diesel engine. What axel ratio should I go with: a) 3.31; or b) 3.55? Thank you.

355. I liked the 373 better. Especially in the mountains

[ITSNO60]

I think some of the advice here is being offered by people with older trucks. With a 10 speed transmission and the mega output of the 6.7, hauling a travel trailer why would you ever need short gears? The biggest Airstream trailer you can buy isn't even 1/2 the towing capacity of that beast with the taller gear. I would get the tall gears no question and enjoy the lower RPM and higher fuel savings.

[ITSNO60]

Originally Posted by xyzabe

One thing everyone missed is how large a truck you can have before it's considered commercial. Vehicle weight is what they use. Example..in AZ a F-250 is the largest truck you can register as car (lower cost plates). A F-350 is a 1 ton truck and considered by a lot of states as commercial no matter what you use it for. Same for insurance. You need to have that information in hand when you make your decision.

That did change here in AZ, you do not have to register over 10K as commercial anymore unless the vehicle is used for intrastate commerce. The way we got around it before the law changed was to order our F-350s with a 9,900 lb GVWR which didn't change a thing on the truck except the door sticker.

[tjdonahoe]

Originally Posted by ITSNO60

I think some of the advice here is being offered by people with older trucks. With a 10 speed transmission and the mega output of the 6.7, hauling a travel trailer why would you ever need short gears? The biggest Airstream trailer you can buy isn't even 1/2 the towing capacity of that beast with the taller gear. I would get the tall gears no question and enjoy the lower RPM and higher fuel savings.

Older. My 07 6.7 had a 6 speed 373 gears. No problems. Down the passes. Easy. New one with 354 I do have to gear down to 5 on many grades even to 4. We have many passes in Montana. Easier with the 373

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by ITSNO60

I think some of the advice here is being offered by people with older trucks. With a 10 speed transmission and the mega output of the 6.7, hauling a travel trailer why would you ever need short gears? The biggest Airstream trailer you can buy isn't even 1/2 the towing capacity of that beast with the taller gear. I would get the tall gears no question and enjoy the lower RPM and higher fuel savings.

Hi

The 10 speed ( I still think of it as a bicycle transmission ...) gets out of the bottom gears very quickly. There is a lot of "ratio" there that never sees much use. No, that not a big surprise on a truck transmission. It's been true on manuals for a long time. It is a bit nutty on an automatic. Even the "old 6 speed from long ago" got out of the low end pretty quickly.

Bob

[Ray Eklund]

Get the 3.55. Not towing you may not get better mileage, but towing it is just right. The F250 with Diesel (4x4 I have with shell) tows fine and has excess power going UP, when needed in the mountains and loss of engine efficiency power, due to Elevation.

I tow with a 2016 F350, 3.55, Diesel and tows our 27 foot loaded comfortably and anywhere. Mileage will run 10 to 12 mpg on the Highway and 8 to 9 up mountains, less depending on which mountains. You pay going up in mpg. You receive mpg on the way down.

Braking is a dance. The Diesel engine will brake, but towing... people are dreaming if the compression will keep you from accelerating on a Colorado Mountain Pass without laying onto the brakes in short period to maintain control.

We have towed a 25 and a 27 foot with the Diesel. Excellent. Over 50,000 miles towing. I would have to check our log book for exact... but no transmission, brake, engine or cooling problems. No warranty work. No repairs. The front wobble is expected on the 4x4 and the computer screen goes in and out at will... and no Ford Fix as they have no chips.

Flat land towing. Easy. Mountains... out west, you learn by trial and error. Our RPM is often in the 1300 to 1500 RPM going UP. Going DOWN our Brakes trump the Diesel Braking as it can climb in RPM's as you think is working.

We have the original brakes. Do not smoke them. It is a dance of Engine and Brakes in the mountains. I would have to be riding with someone to get an idea of how they do the... DANCE. Some... you could not pay me to be a passenger.

Smell HOT Brakes in front of you? Get control of your F250 quickly... stuff begins to happen. This is not something you will learn in a manual or short posts. It is experience... learning by doing.

Lighter vehicles... mountain towing? Go for it. Not us. Been there, know the difference in vehicles. I enjoy driving the F350 for picking up doughnuts and fritters in town... without worry. A tank in town and a wonderful choice towing in the mountains of Kansas or Colorado.

You may get a lot of mountain towing advice from Flat Landers... listen to the High Country towers. They do it all the time. Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming drivers watch the License Plates... closely. For good reasons, too. Smell their brakes and watch the tail lights... on the way down. Going up... is for everyone. Running engines/transmissions HOT or Warm is a choice in vehicles... not weather.

[Ray Eklund]

2016 F350 4x4 Diesel towing a 27 foot International... loaded Off Grid Boondocking:

Our last Boondocking Trip was 1724 miles and averaged 9.9mpg New Mexico.

Utah: 3145 miles averaged 10.5mpg.

Wyoming: 2122 miles averaged 10.5mpg.

The last three trips. Just an example. This is Highway, Improved Forest Service Roads in the mountains and two rut improved FS Roads on Maps. The COMBO low mpg averaged with the high mpg on our Odometer trailer towing option. Your F250 may also have it. You hook up to the trailer, select... and now you have a permanent log of Hours Towing and Miles driven.

Going slow on FS Roads will always drop your MPG. Highway can vary from 10 to 15 mpg. Tail wind. Cross wind. Head wind. These can improve or make large mileage differences. A tail wind in Wyoming can be 40 mph. The a head wind, and then various cross winds.

Anyone who has consistent mileage in ANY conditions... Hmmmm. Maybe not.

Depending on WHERE you plan to travel the most frequently should determine your choice. Those living in the Rocky Mountain area... it narrows down the towing options for many of us. A Toyota Land Cruiser is an excellent vehicle... but I am not towing my trailer with one. It is for all weather grocery shopping and casual place to place.

[SVTRIDE]

Tough to compare a 2016 to a 2022 model 6.7.
2016 & '17 = 440 HP / 860 Torq
2018 & '19 = 450 HP / 935 Torq
2020 => 2022 = 475 HP / 1060 Torq +>22%

Factor in the 10 spd trans intro'd in 2020 with shorter first and taller final drive (10th), the 3:31 will be more than adequate to pull even the biggest AS. With 10 gears, the trans will find the sweet gear for whatever conditions will be thrown at it. Plus when level towing or not towing, the taller final drive will increase MPG and reduce cabin noise.

Attached metrics for 2019 vs. 2022. Gearing for 6R140 were constant.

[Fungus]

I’ve mentioned this before.

Order date in July to delivery was 54 days for my 2022 F-250 Godzilla gasser.

The ten-speed tranny makes a big difference. My 2020 F-150 had no problem with pulling power. Payload was no bueno. I went from 1550# in the F-150 to a little over 3000# in the F-250.

[jcl]

Originally Posted by ITSNO60

I think some of the advice here is being offered by people with older trucks. With a 10 speed transmission and the mega output of the 6.7, hauling a travel trailer why would you ever need short gears? The biggest Airstream trailer you can buy isn't even 1/2 the towing capacity of that beast with the taller gear. I would get the tall gears no question and enjoy the lower RPM and higher fuel savings.

Agreed. Ford doesn't change the tow rating for the two axle ratios, when pulling bumper-pull trailers. They do for gooseneck trailers, at much higher trailer weights. That means there is no reason for the higher numerical axle ratio with an Airstream, and it comes at a fuel efficiency penalty.