Posted by Matt Wilson [162.158.142.13] on Saturday, December 22, 2018 at 11:58:37 :
In Reply to: 4.89 gearing posted by Andrew in MI [172.68.58.14] on Saturday, December 22, 2018 at 10:13:07 :
Back in the early 90's, I replaced the very worn 5.83's with 4.89's in my 230-powered '49 Power Wagon. I was a little afraid I might lose low-end torque off the line or when rock crawling, or when going up a hill in fourth, but in reality, I never noticed much difference. This was the case whether I was hauling a heavy load or running empty. I suppose there might have been times when the 5.83's might have allowed me to take off in second gear, while having 4.89's required me to start in first, such as when taking off on a steep hill with a big load. Also, I suppose some hills required 3rd gear with the 4.89's, while 5.83's might have allowed fourth gear, but all in all, I didn't notice much difference. I've never done this comparison in a truck with a 251.