In my opinion automatics are just JUNK it takes the fun and control factor out of driving a truck!!! I feel the same way as well in a personal vehicle!
I agree 100%. I recently test drove a 2008 Ford Focus SES with a 5 speed manual tranny and 3.83 axle ratio (140 hp). This thing was flying! After my 2007 Focus with a 4 speed auto driving this car I felt like I was a race car driver This new Focus even has a gadget on the dashboard to tell you when to shift: when your RPM are high or low enough the green arrow lights up to indicate you should shift into up (the arrow points up) or down (the arrow points down). And of course this manual tranny is a synchro which makes it extremely easy to change gears.
do you know what the cruising speed for your truck is? mine is 72mph....at that mph in 13th im turning 1500 rpm and it hums right on down the road getting 5.7 mpg....I tried driving slower and it gets exactly the same at 65. yes anything over 72 and it takes a hit but not a big one. also, despite what everyone says I would not use the cruise to pull hills as that wastes more fuel and is more strain on equipment as it cannot anticipate a hill and pours the power on at once, as opposed to you being able to roll the power on before hitting the hill and pulling it easier...smaller hills I will use the cruise and just feed it some juice before I hit it then let the cruise pick up from there, though.
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Save a drum......bang a trucker!
Because Ford has to compete with these Japanese car makers, they give you much more stuff "standard" when you buy a Ford. The only option I'd add to this Focus SES is the leather seats. It already has everything else - including a tire pressure gauge on the dashboard that tells you when to get out your tire pump The 2008 model looks like a smaller version of Fusion. I was really impressed. If only I could get rid of my current 2007 Focus SE ...
In my opinion automatics are just JUNK it takes the fun and control factor out of driving a truck!!! I feel the same way as well in a personal vehicle!
Uh.....Double L if I recall correctly, you are a 17 y/o high school student who is not eligible for a CDL yet....... So how do you know automated transmission are junk, and how do you know about the " control factor " ?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BigDiesel
Quote:
Originally Posted by Double L
In my opinion automatics are just JUNK it takes the fun and control factor out of driving a truck!!! I feel the same way as well in a personal vehicle!
Uh.....Double L if I recall correctly, you are a 17 y/o high school student who is not eligible for a CDL yet....... So how do you know automated transmission are junk, and how do you know about the " control factor " ?
Most of the guys I know running new macks are only getting about 4 MPG with manual transmissions. Don't think your going to do any better. Adding aluminum will not increase MPG. It will increase the tonnage you can haul and hopefully help pay for the fuel. Driving 55 MPH will help fuel mileage. There is a fine line between road trucks and off road trucks. Changing rear end ratios might help with MPG but you will loose alot in off road performance. Road geared trucks tend to tear out drive trains going into the soft stuff. I'm running 400 Cummins, 8LL Trans, 536 Rears, 6 MPG running 55 Mph, 1900 RPM. You can have 1 or the other but not both.
Ok thanks for the reply. The only reason I mentioned aluminum is because of the weight savings the less weight you haul around the less strain on the motor which gives better gas milage. But I guess I won't be removing enough weight to make a difference.
Ok thanks for the reply. The only reason I mentioned aluminum is because of the weight savings the less weight you haul around the less strain on the motor which gives better gas milage. But I guess I won't be removing enough weight to make a difference.
Aluminum will limit what you can haul, such as big rocks and slag and stuff like that, it will screw up your bed if you make it aluminum.
This new Focus even has a gadget on the dashboard to tell you when to shift: when your RPM are high or low enough the green arrow lights up to indicate you should shift into up (the arrow points up) or down (the arrow points down). And of course this manual tranny is a synchro which makes it extremely easy to change gears.
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