At 10:28 AM 3/17/97 -0800, you wrote:
*SNIP*
>I have V8, 5-speed, and 3.55 gears. I don't drag race and I would not
>want the gearing any lower. 70mph cruising is silent, at 75 there is
>slight engine noise, not bad. I don't normally cruise faster than that.
>Pulling a trailer at 60mph in 4th is fine, 65 is seriously noisy. 1st
>is very low for stop and go driving. When I buy new tires I was
>thinking of getting 235/75s which would raise the gearing 5%, that
>should be about perfect for me. The various Dakota rear end ratios are
>all 10% apart.
>
>Somebody mentioned towing in 5th with a low gear ratio in back. The
>engine may pull this fine, but how much of this can the transmission
>take?
>
>You might consider just getting smaller tires if you are unsure if you
>will like it.
>
>*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
>Frank Ball 1UR-M frankb@sr.hp.com (707) 794-4168 work
I thought about it too (it was me), but for the most part I when
I tow in 5th gear (a load more than 2000#) it is mainly on flat level
ground with no-head wind. My friend's boat has little frontal area, so
I don't have the wind to fight (except for the front of my truck)... When
we 'haul aspirin' to the river towing the boat, I only use 5th above 60 mph
on flat land...and don't run above 70 mph in 5th (which is about 2400 rpm)
...I do though keep a close eye on how the truck is running, and YES 4th
gear is a better gear for 95% of the time (and I do run in in 4th when I am
below 60, or with wind...)
My recommendation to anyone wanting to change gear ratios, or
buy a truck with a particular rear-end ratio is to test drive a new
truck with the various ratios... At speeds you normally drive, and note
the RPM, noise, power, etc... That'll be the ONLY way you can get first
hand information...
Good LUCK!
..Sam '95
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Jun 20 2003 - 12:07:34 EDT