Pre-1997 Models

Axle Ratio, does it really suck that bad?

Old Sep 21, 2006 | 10:36 AM
  #1  
Nathan Plemons's Avatar
Thread Starter
|
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 113
Likes: 0
From: Bowling Green, KY
Axle Ratio, does it really suck that bad?

I just looked on the door panel of my truck and found transmission code M and Axle Code 12.

Searching google the same page I keep coming back to isn't found. I was able to find another site that says this is a 2.73 ratio. Can that possibly be right? No wonder this thing won't get out of it's own way.

If this is correct, what's the towing capacity of this lowsy gear?

Oh well, at least it's easy on gas that way.
 
Reply
Old Sep 21, 2006 | 12:19 PM
  #2  
Lunatic0987's Avatar
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 101
Likes: 0
From: Wilmington, DE
This link should help answer your questions. And yes 2.73 sure do suck, I hate mine.
https://www.f150online.com/forums/sh...ght=axle+codes
 
Reply
Old Sep 21, 2006 | 12:36 PM
  #3  
Nathan Plemons's Avatar
Thread Starter
|
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 113
Likes: 0
From: Bowling Green, KY
Originally Posted by Lunatic0987
This link should help answer your questions. And yes 2.73 sure do suck, I hate mine.
https://www.f150online.com/forums/sh...ght=axle+codes
Sweet. I had done a search but apparently I didn't hit on just the right keyword combination.

Actually, considering it's size, I've never really thought the truck was particularly miserable in terms of performance, the axle ratio kinda shocked me a little. I knew it wasn't limited slip from experience.

Oh well, at least I know anyway.
 
Reply
Old Sep 21, 2006 | 01:48 PM
  #4  
adrianspeeder's Avatar
Senior Member
20 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 5,008
Likes: 27
From: Dover AFB DE / Harrisburg PA
Good for highway cruzin...

Adrianspeeder
 
Reply
Old Sep 21, 2006 | 02:34 PM
  #5  
StrangeRanger's Avatar
Senior Member
Joined: May 1999
Posts: 2,477
Likes: 0
From: Copley, Ohio
Problem is that your OD ratio is only 0.8:1 so you can't really pull big gears without hurting your highway economy. Basically with the various OD auto trannies and their .068 to 0.71:1 OD ratios, you can pull one to two ratios more gear and still keep the highway revs reasonable.

Take a liik at this chart:
http://fordsix.com/tech/misc/truck_trani.php
 
Reply
Old Sep 21, 2006 | 05:02 PM
  #6  
Nathan Plemons's Avatar
Thread Starter
|
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 113
Likes: 0
From: Bowling Green, KY
Yeah that's the website I used to get the transmission gear ratios from. I guess they can't all be like my car, it's got two overdrives, 5th is .75:1 and 6th is .5:1

100 MPH at 2000 RPM's is nice :P

You guys might find my spreadsheet handy

http://www.wku.edu/~nathan.plemons/calc.xls
 
Reply
Old Sep 21, 2006 | 05:27 PM
  #7  
usedtodrivechev's Avatar
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 239
Likes: 0
From: Salt Lake City
what kinda mileage you get from that truck?

I have a '94 reg cab, long bed 5.8,E4OD,3:55's running 31's. i have tonz of torque, decent top end though i wish i had more. i can drop my mileage to 12 if i play a lot or get 18 highway. usually i get around 14-15 with my normal driving. the truck is just under 64,000 miles.
 
Reply
Old Sep 21, 2006 | 05:47 PM
  #8  
Nathan Plemons's Avatar
Thread Starter
|
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 113
Likes: 0
From: Bowling Green, KY
My dad always claimed that it got 15 MPG no matter what. The first tank I ran through it I managed to get 16.8.

The more I think about this, the more it makes sense. Watching dad drive the truck he doesn't shift into 5th gear nearly as early as I do. Since this engine makes so much torque it'll easily pull it, so I lug it down pretty hard. I'm also always driving the truck empty where he was almost always carrying something, maybe not a heavy load, but something.
 
Reply
Old Sep 21, 2006 | 07:23 PM
  #9  
bpm4x4's Avatar
Member
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 73
Likes: 0
From: Norwalk, IA
Originally Posted by usedtodrivechev
what kinda mileage you get from that truck?

I have a '94 reg cab, long bed 5.8,E4OD,3:55's running 31's. i have tonz of torque, decent top end though i wish i had more. i can drop my mileage to 12 if i play a lot or get 18 highway. usually i get around 14-15 with my normal driving. the truck is just under 64,000 miles.

I wonder why my 2wd 93 with 235/75/15 tires, 351 and a 3.08 gears gets 11-12 mpg.
 
Reply
Old Sep 21, 2006 | 08:04 PM
  #10  
RaWarrior's Avatar
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 614
Likes: 0
From: Troy, NY
I'll get almost 20 on the highway, but that's carrying nothing and I'll rarely exceed 70. I also tend to shift sooner than later, my dad always revs it almost to redline before shifting. I'll put it into o/d at 55 to keep the revs down.

I'm not sure if I have that axle ratio, but cruising at 50 in 4th and if I step on it, I'll get a significant surge foward, better than my Cherokee. Not so much in o/d, but if I need to pass I'll just go down into 4th.
 
Reply
Old Sep 21, 2006 | 10:52 PM
  #11  
Atipsword's Avatar
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 119
Likes: 0
I have the 5.8 with 3.55ls, the good ol' E4OD, and 31x10.50's and I get 11-12mpg average. I do alot of trail riding though and that really seems to kill my gas milage. I also got pipes on it recently and those have contributed to low gas milage too. (No point in having pipes if your not going to get on it to hear 'em lol). Also I use the cruise most of the time when I commute to work and school, that seems to help a lot.
 
Reply


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 02:24 PM.