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Car Forum / Dodge / Dodge Trucks / February 2008

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gas mileage -- 3.54 vs 4.10 rear   2500 dodge 360 v8

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ballyg - 23 Feb 2008 17:48 GMT
I'm towing a lighter camper & was thinking about changing out a 4.10
to a 3.54 rear for better mpg (what difference can I expect?) .   Cost
involved for labor parts?
thanks
Tom Lawrence - 23 Feb 2008 19:31 GMT
> I'm towing a lighter camper & was thinking about changing out a 4.10
> to a 3.54 rear for better mpg (what difference can I expect?) .   Cost
> involved for labor parts?

Figure $500-$600 per axle for parts/labor (remember that on a 4x4, you have
to do both axles).  You can also reasonably expect about 10% better fuel
economy.  So - pulling your trailer, I'm guessing you're getting maybe
12MPG?  You'd get an extra 1MPG out of the gears.

Figure you're paying $3 per gallon of gas, so right now, you're paying
$0.25/mile.  With the higher economy, you'd only be saving $0.02/mile.  It
would take you 50,000 miles to pay for the new gears.
ballyg - 23 Feb 2008 19:38 GMT
> > I'm towing a lighter camper & was thinking about changing out a 4.10
> > to a 3.54 rear for better mpg (what difference can I expect?) .   Cost
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> $0.25/mile.  With the higher economy, you'd only be saving $0.02/mile.  It
> would take you 50,000 miles to pay for the new gears.

Lol .. I was just setting up a spread sheet to do the calculations
after I knew what the percentages are ... and you figured it out
already.
Yeah, seems like I will stick with what I have because I pull a camper
6-9 times a year with an average of around 2K mi/yr..
Thanks !
Denny - 23 Feb 2008 19:42 GMT
> I'm towing a lighter camper & was thinking about changing out a 4.10
> to a 3.54 rear for better mpg (what difference can I expect?) .   Cost
> involved for labor parts?
> thanks

Do not assume the 3.54's will get you better milage. When I went from 3.55
to 3.92 my unloaded intown type driving went up 2 mpg. My unloaded highway
milage went down 2 mpg. Towing a car trailer/medium sized car on it got
about the same but the truck pulled it noticably easier with the 3.92's.

Denny
Roy - 23 Feb 2008 23:48 GMT
>> I'm towing a lighter camper & was thinking about changing out a 4.10
>> to a 3.54 rear for better mpg (what difference can I expect?) .   Cost
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>
> Denny

HTF can anything that your wide ride is in, possibly be considered as
unloaded??? Geeeesh...The trailer must have been used to haul your food for
the day on.
<BFG>

Oh, nice touch on the Bubba and the valentines dinner. I picked up on the
WC.
<G>

Roy
Denny - 24 Feb 2008 02:37 GMT
>>> I'm towing a lighter camper & was thinking about changing out a 4.10
>>> to a 3.54 rear for better mpg (what difference can I expect?) .   Cost
[quoted text clipped - 13 lines]
> for the day on.
> <BFG>

Not as good as you usually do but it's better than nothing..........

> Oh, nice touch on the Bubba and the valentines dinner. I picked up on the
> WC.
> <G>

Thought you might like it...  <BG>

Denny

> Roy
Roy - 24 Feb 2008 22:48 GMT
>>>> I'm towing a lighter camper & was thinking about changing out a 4.10
>>>> to a 3.54 rear for better mpg (what difference can I expect?) .   Cost
[quoted text clipped - 15 lines]
>
> Not as good as you usually do but it's better than nothing..........

Been preoccupied with the toy so I'm not on my game. But, I promise to do
better.<G>

Made the mistake of going to a discount tire store to have the rear wheels
balanced. Balance went fine the guy put the left rear on okay then some
other clown shows up and say's "I'll get this one for ya" And I'm f.cked!!
The wheels are early 90's American Racing aluminum wheels. They use a "mag
shank lug nut" The shank threads through the wheel and onto the stud and
tightens against a washer and the wheel. This bozo trys to start them with a
air gun and gets half way down the threads and it stops, it's cross treaded,
so he try's to back it off, no joy, so it's back to tightening it. I tell
him to stop before he wipes the stud out of the axle and I look for the
manager. By the time I get the manager he's hammered the thing. Finally get
it apart, the hole the stud goes through is wiped, the lug nut and stud are
of course junk. They don't have parts. So I've been running around trying to
find a oversize stud that I can draw through and harder is to find a lug nut
for it. Mine have a 5/8th diameter shank, the new style is 3/4" and won't
fit throught the wheel. Finally found one in Daytona that will work Found a
stud and I put it  back together. But gotta tell ya, I was ready to killl
sombody.
Needless to say I won't be buying new tires from those folks.

>> Oh, nice touch on the Bubba and the valentines dinner. I picked up on the
>> WC.
>> <G>
>
> Thought you might like it...  <BG>

Yup, it was pretty slick.

Roy
> Denny
>
>> Roy
Denny - 25 Feb 2008 00:14 GMT
>>>>> I'm towing a lighter camper & was thinking about changing out a 4.10
>>>>> to a 3.54 rear for better mpg (what difference can I expect?) .   Cost
[quoted text clipped - 31 lines]
> Finally get it apart, the hole the stud goes through is wiped, the lug nut
> and stud are of course junk. They don't have parts.

The hole in the axle flange is wallowed out??? That is really rare. Usually
the hole is ok and the stud spins. You have really bad luck. Don't talk to
me any more.....     <GBMFG>

Denny
Roy - 25 Feb 2008 00:36 GMT
>>>>>> I'm towing a lighter camper & was thinking about changing out a 4.10
>>>>>> to a 3.54 rear for better mpg (what difference can I expect?) .
[quoted text clipped - 34 lines]
>
> The hole in the axle flange is wallowed out??? That is really rare.

He was really laying on the air gun and did some damage.

>Usually the hole is ok and the stud spins. You have really bad luck. Don't
>talk to me any more.....     <GBMFG>

Screw ya!!<VBG>

Roy
> Denny
Denny - 25 Feb 2008 01:34 GMT
>>>>>>> I'm towing a lighter camper & was thinking about changing out a 4.10
>>>>>>> to a 3.54 rear for better mpg (what difference can I expect?) . Cost
[quoted text clipped - 41 lines]
>
> Screw ya!!<VBG>

You'd never go back to Sue.......

Denny
Nosey - 25 Feb 2008 04:35 GMT
> Made the mistake of going to a discount tire store to have the rear
> wheels balanced.

I put front brakes on my truck last week. I get lifetime warranty brake pads
so this should have been a free brake job. The last one to have the wheels
off was discount tire when I bought tires. On the front wheels I found 7
stripped studs and 6 bad lug nuts. Only 6 bad lug nuts you ask? Yep. The
left one of them off. Good thing it's a 3/4 ton or I would have only had 3
good lug nuts holding the front wheels on. I took the hubs off and carried
them in to NAPA to have the studs changed out and the rotors turned. The
rotors were worn almost to the minimum thickness. I decided while it was
apart I'd replace the hub that I split open 30,000 miles ago. My free brake
job turned into 7 new studs, 7 new lug nuts, 2 new rotors, 1 new hub, and 2
hours of shop labor. I'm afraid to look at the back wheels. Discount tire
sucks.
Signature

Ken

Denny - 25 Feb 2008 10:21 GMT
>> Made the mistake of going to a discount tire store to have the rear
>> wheels balanced.
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
> new hub, and 2 hours of shop labor. I'm afraid to look at the back wheels.
> Discount tire sucks.

Discount tire isn't the one that sucks, I'm sure there are some decent
people working there somewhere. But it is the responsibility of the mgr. to
make sure his people are doing a good job.

Denny
Nosey - 25 Feb 2008 13:04 GMT
>>> Made the mistake of going to a discount tire store to have the rear
>>> wheels balanced.
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
>
> Denny

I feel it's the responsibility of Discount Tire to hire competent managers
and have an effective safety and training program. Discount Tire obviously
failed in that capacity. What they did was dangerous. They knowingly gave me
my truck in an unsafe condition and hid the damage from me. I feel lucky to
have discovered it before one of my front wheels came off. I'm driving it to
Pennsylvania today. I'm not sure I would have made it if I decided to do
that brake job after this trip. See you guys in a week or two.
Signature

Ken

 
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