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Gear ratio???

21K views 27 replies 8 participants last post by  OneQuick06 
#1 ·
I'm looking at buying a new 20111 Titan.

The book says "Final gear ratio (2.94:1 similar to a 4 speed automatic 3:73:1) and Lower final gear ratio (3:36:1 similar to a 4 speed automatic 4:10)

WTF does the automatic trans have to do with the rear differential gear ratio????

Can somebody explain this? I plan on towing maybe up to 4000lbs with this.

Which do I need?
 
#2 ·
The Titan transmission is a 5 speed.

Alot of people are used to having a 4 speed tranny, so the 2.94 and 3.36 ratio can seem off to them.

If you will only haul 4K pounds, the 2.94 will be just fine. I can't think of anybody that regrets having the BT(3.36) gears though.
 
#9 ·
Not really. It will sometimes stay in 5th and lock/unlock the torque converter.

Since you are buying a 2011, it will have the tranny temp gauge. Keep an eye on the gauge, if it climbs, pull it down a gear. Don't worry though, the Titan revs just fine and can run all day at the higher RPM.
 
#10 ·
I THINK and don't know for sure because I'm no expert you want to manually put the trans in 4th gear on the highway towing. This will give you the 3.36 ratio and more power going up hills and dealing with gradual inclines. The misleading part of Nissan website is saying it is like 4.10 gears when that is totally not true in 4th gear.
 
#15 ·
It is not really an issue.

Just keep an eye on your tranny temp gauge.

When I am on long flat roads, I leave it in OD. If coming into an area with hills, I push it into 4th. No big deal!

I guess I don't get your worry. My previous tow vehicle was an explorer also and I would do the same thing.

For me, the Titan is leaps and bounds above the Explorer.
 
#20 ·
Am I really going to have to deal with the 4th gear stuff every time I tow?
I went from a Ford Ranger 2wd w/4.0L v-6 which towed my 3500 lb set-up quite nice, but I still had to manually drop it down to 4th gear for the hills....Can you leave it in "D" and let the trans do it's own thing?...of course...BUT the the trans behaves very much like the trans in your present Ford, that is it will not downshift to 4th right away as the hills get steeper, it unlocks the converter first giving you that extra 3-4 hundred rpm...which in many cases is enough to clear the hill/grade.

The real issue is that most of the trans heat comes from the converter slipping, so if you manually downshift to 4th gear, the converter has a much easier time locking up and keeping the trans temps down.

My Ranger also had a 5 speed trans and I did the very same thing, manually dropping to 4th gear...in reality, I might have only saved myself 10-15 degs of trans temp rize, but since the trans is the most complicated/expensive part on almost any truck now-days many guys towing get a little "anal" about their temps and will gladly go that little extra effort...

How did my the Titan tow my old set-up compared to the Ranger(which I thought towed dang good) Awesome!
 
#24 ·
notice you list your truck as having the 3:73 gears. Is this actually the 2:94 as they call it now, or did they actually have 3:73 back in 04?

No on both accounts.....I had a custom install of a set of 3.73 gears installed, since I'm only 2wd I don't need to worry about matching gear ratios for a front diff...There are NO front diff custom gear ratio installs....
 
#26 ·
Trying and think of the 4.10 and 3.73 as what the final drive ratio is in 4th gear. The Titan has a tall overdrive gear and was not designed to tow in 5th, most because the fluid does not recirculate as quickly.

I tow 4000 to 6000 pound trailers through the mountains all the time without the lower gears no problem. I have towed a tandem axle trailer filled with green firewood up a steep gravel mountain road in low lock at 25 mph. I would not attempt it in your truck because I would be afraid of getting hurt or killed, not to mention breaking the truck. Yes it's an upgrade but we don't have duel rear wheels or anything with modern diesel power.

I think any brand of half ton will meet your towing requirements. What I would look at it the toque curve of the engines. The Titan makes it's power down low which is nice for towing. I think the tundra makes some decent power down low. the new Ford Ecoboost makes gobs of torque down low but there base NA V6 makes all it's power up high. I'm sure about the other engines out there. My truck is paid for and I have no plans for a new truck.
 
#27 ·
So all and all, most of you guys seem pretty happy overall with your truck?

The other truck I'm considering is the Tundra.

With 381 horse and a 4:30 rear, that might be a bit too much for an everyday rider and occasional tower.

Any constructive opinions on the Tundra?
 
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