Axle Gear Ratios Explained: How They Help (Or Hurt) Acceleration & MPG

The axle connects two or more of a vehicle's wheels to the same axis, whether on the front or back, and depending on how it's configured, the performance of your ride can vary greatly. Furthermore, the axle gear ratio of a vehicle is especially important because it affects torque, fuel economy, acceleration, and highway performance.

Power from the engine is transferred via the drive shaft, which is a long cylindrical part running from the transmission to the differential. Rotational energy is then conveyed to the pinion gear found in the axle. Then, the pinion gear drives a much larger diameter gear referred to as a ring gear, which is attached to a differential case of smaller gears that send power to the wheels.

The axle gear ratio is a figure that describes the difference in circumference between the ring and pinion gears. One way to determine the axle gear ratio is by counting the number of teeth on the ring gear and divide that number by how many teeth are on the pinion gear. For example, say your ring gear has 40 teeth, and your pinion gear has 10. After dividing those values you'll end up with four. This means your axle gear ratio is 4:1, indicating that for every four rotations of the driveshaft, the axle does one full spin. A higher axle gear ratio provides lots of low-end torque but worse fuel economy. Conversely, a lower axle gear ratio like the 3.31:1 found in versions of the Ford F-150 Police Responder is better for higher speeds and fuel efficiency but lacks the impressive torque of other models.

When shopping for a vehicle, it's important to think about what you'll be doing with it. For example, is this going to be a workhorse, used for ranching, construction, or industrial applications? Or, will it be a fun daily driver through the city, with frequent highway travel? 

Of Ford Models you can buy new with a V8 engine in 2025, for the best towing capability, a good option is something like a Ford Super-Duty F-250, with a 6.8-liter V8 and axle ratio of 4.3:1. It's designed to achieve peak torque at low RPMs — however, this can also mean it takes longer to get up to speed. This 6.8-liter V8 and axle ratio combination when equipped on a 4x2 regular cab offers 17,300 pounds of towing capacity. That said, owners report as low as 12.5 miles per gallon in town with an average of 12-15 miles per gallon through different years.

If you want something quick, more fuel efficient, and more comfortable at high speeds, consider something like a Ford F-150 Tremor. One Tremor variant features a 5.0-liter Ti-VCT V8 and a much lower axle ratio at 3.15:1 which produces a 0 to 60 miles per hour time of only 6 seconds — although, it doesn't even make the list of the fastest pickup trucks ever made. However, the Tremor also uses less fuel, with an EPA-estimated 20 miles to the gallon on the highway. Unfortunately, towing capacity suffers with a maximum of 8,200-pounds of pulling power.