Ford has announced that its 2008 F-250 and F-350 heavy duty trucks will come with new fuel saving measures. The revised trucks will come equipped with 3.55 rear axle ratio — instead of the current truck’s 3.73 setup — as well as a 3.93 inch (100 mm) chin spoiler.
Despite the numerically lower ratio, Ford claims the trucks will keep their current tow ratings. However, acceleration times will likely suffer.
The improvements should net about a 1.5 mpg improvement over current fuel economy. Three-quarter and one-ton trucks are not required to carry an EPA fuel economy rating so an exact measurement of the improvements is hard to discern, but likely in the 10 to 15-percent range.
“We are making the 3.55 standard and when that’s combined with new front-end aerodynamic improvements, there will be about a 1.5 mpg improvement,” said Ford trucks spokesperson Wes Sherwood. He continued: “Ford is constantly looking to innovate with its trucks. Fuel economy is on people’s minds right now and we’re not going to wait until the next model year to make a change. We’re going to implement changes like this as soon as we can.”
