[Alan Roehrich]

Yeah, well in my case that's 70+, and well over 2000 RPM. A 3.73:1 gear would probably help mine considerably. I hope the change to 19.5" medium truck wheels and tires takes some RPM out of it. I looked the other day, where the previous owners let the truck sit, the muffler is rusting out, so odds are it will get a complete exhaust system. That may help. I'm sure getting the ECM reprogrammed will help.

My one real complaint about the 8.1 is that it is way under cammed, so it runs out of power too early, the shift strategy holds it in gears too long under moderate throttle.

Still, the truck would have cost 1/3 more than I paid for it if it were a diesel, diesel costs 50% more per gallon than gasoline, and any repairs would be twice as high for the diesel. I love it, and I would not trade it for a diesel.