When shopping for a pickup truck, many drivers focus primarily on engine, exterior colors, and interior features. While all of those are important, there’s one aspect of a potential new or pre-owned truck you shouldn’t overlook: axle ratio. What is an axle ratio? Axle ratio refers to the gears in a truck’s differential, which connects the rear axle to the driveshaft and then the engine. This ratio expresses a truck’s towing capacity and fuel economy, and the relationship between the two.
The axle ratio is the number of revolutions the driveshaft must make to spin the axle one full turn. This number is shown in the ratio, which represents the number of the ring gear’s teeth divided by the number of the pinion’s teeth. If a truck has an axle ratio of 3:73:1, for example, the driveshaft turns 3.73 times for each full wheel spin. In terms of how an axle ratio should be structured, 3.73 and 3:73:1 are technically both correct and mean the same thing.
Here are two ways to find the axle gear ratio of a vehicle:
The best axle ratio for your truck depends on your application. Are you looking for a truck with heavy-duty performance? Or, are you more concerned about fuel economy? In any case, the axle ratio matters.
To summarize: What is axle ratio? It’s a ratio that represents the number of revolutions the driveshaft must make to spin the axle one full turn. The higher the ratio, the higher the performance. The lower the ratio, the higher the fuel economy. Do you have additional questions? Contact the truck experts at Badger Truck & Auto Group or visit us in person near Waukesha and Madison!
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