There is nothing wrong with 3300 RPM, you can run at that RPM all day long. If you see your transmission temp getting too high, or if its shifting too much for your liking, just manually shift it down.
That's a function of the 4.10 gear ratio, actually.
It's not low enough to let you tow the trailer in OD (i.e. 2300RPM is not quite in the engine's sweet spot).
It's too high to "comfortably" tow the trailer in 3rd (i.e. the engine is revving 3300RPM).
If you lock out OD and run in 3rd, you will be doing 3300RPM ALL THE TIME.
A little driving technique will take care of most of the shifting. Most importantly, don't try to "hold speed." In rolling terrain, let your speed vary by at least 5MPH in each direction. Build up momentum on the downhill side and lose a little speed on the uphill side.
I know the weight police are going to crucify me for this next suggestion but that's because they don't know how rear end ratios really work... If your truck had the 3.73 or a 4.30 ratio, you wouldn't have this "problem." With the 3.73, you'd leave it in 3rd and cruise at about 3000RPM. With the 4.30, you'd be in OD cruising at about 2600RPM.
Thanks mkirsch, I'm scared to even ask this ... is it practical (or even possible) to have it re-geared to 4.30? If so, any idea of the cost/time/effort involved in this?
Quote: I know the weight police are going to crucify me for this next suggestion but that's because they don't know how rear end ratios really work... If your truck had the 3.73 or a 4.30 ratio, you wouldn't have this "problem." With the 3.73, you'd leave it in 3rd and cruise at about 3000RPM. With the 4.30, you'd be in OD cruising at about 2600RPM.
So 3000 RPM is comfortable, but 3300 RPM isn't? You're not going to see VERY noticeable gains going from 4.10 to 4.30, and its at an expense of $1000-1500.
I towed a 9000+ pound fiver with my 6.0 gas engine and the 4.10s. You just need to practice "driving" the truck. I learned that at 60 MPH in tow/haul, in "D", I could leave the cruise control on, and if a hill was coming where I know it would downshift, I would tip my toe into the gas a little bit and give the engine some power in preparation for the hill. If you let cruise downshift, you'll lose 5-10 MPH before it downshifts.
With a little practice, its really a great towing engine. And if you don't want to mess around with manually shifting all the time or giving it some more gas, put it in 3rd and drive at 3000-3500 RPM all day. You won't see any changes in your engine temps at all, it's designed to run at that. You will notice some MPG loss.
No, 2300 is comfortable, I've gotten use to 3300 and learned to manage it a bit (i.e. coast down and glide back up). I was really more concerned that I was doing something wrong or there may be a better way and given the fact that we'll be heading down to FL in March if I needed to do something before then I'd like to get it done. Not to change the topic here but I have to ask ... does the Hensley Hitch and gas shocks help that much? Right now I have an equalizer.
Cabriolet86 wrote: So 3000 RPM is comfortable, but 3300 RPM isn't? You're not going to see VERY noticeable gains going from 4.10 to 4.30, and its at an expense of $1000-1500.
...per axle, of course.
...and yes, 3000 is more comfortable than 3300.
My calcs were off... You'd need a 4.56 ratio to get the truck up to ~2600RPM in OD. Sorry about that.
Right now, the truck isn't far enough into its power band to hold speed in OD, and downshifting a gear puts it way past where it needs to be. The right combination of transmission gear and differential ratio will make a significant difference.
If I were to recommend a gear change, I'd recommend going to the 3.73 and towing in 3rd. You'll get better mileage both towing and empty by running fewer RPMs, and you won't hurt a thing towing in 3rd all the time.
What people's fascination with being in overdrive is, I do not know. 3rd is a 1:1 gear ratio, which is what all pickup trucks ever had up until the mid 1980's. You drove 100,000 miles, empty, at 3000RPM and didn't think a thing about it.
Offline
