Sorry to see you go however that new 7.3 gasser certainly has the chops to tow well with.View attachment 53132
No, not with the 5.7... Ram drug its feet on the *new* gen Ram 2500 (smaller cab, 6 speed auto) so I jumped on the 2020 Super Duty 7.3 with 10 speed. Maybe one day we can return to the Ram family (owned 3). The 5th gen Ram 1500s are outstanding trucks, we just outgrew our 1/2 ton payload. Best to everyone!
I love the concept of the 7.3. Big block, port injected, push rods, etc. The way V8s are supposed to be. Will probably be an engine that'll last forever and easy to repair.
Having said that, 475 lbs/ft in a 7,000+ lb. pickup cannot possibly tow better than 480 lbs/ft in a 5,500 lb. pickup. The power/weight ratio heavily favors the 1/2 ton trucks. So, I went EcoDiesel. I'm also getting 10 MPG better mileage than all the reports I'm seeing with the 7.3 and that adds up fast.
I think it really just comes down to payload. The 3/4 ton gassers mop the floor with 1/2 tons on payload. You're looking at an almost 2000lb difference between the F250 w/ the 7.3 vs a Ram w/ the ecodiesel. That's a big deal when trying to tow within "regulations". Just because a truck can toe something fine doesn't mean that in the event of an accident you wouldn't be held responsible.
Let's say you have a perfectly spec'd Ram that can tow 12k w/ a payload of 2000. Around 1200lbs of that payload is immediately on the hitch as soon as you connect your trailer. If you've got a family, some pets, and other stuff it's very easy to be over 2000lbs of payload. Where as with a 7.3 F250 that has a 15k towing capacity and 3.2-3.9k worth of payload you've got a lot more room to work with.
To the OP. ENJOY THE TRUCK! I wanted to get into a 7.3 myself but really wanted a Lariat. Just couldn't swing it yet. I'm a younger man with a young family so decided to start out with a 1/2 ton that we'd grow into. I figured when the time comes there will always be bigger and better trucks to buy.
The Ford Super Duty is fugly as it gets.... could scare time off a clock
Agreed. I'm sure I wasn't the only one who was a little underwhelmed with a 7.3 litre with only 475lb.ft. I realize it makes it torque down low but I thought it would be better.I love the concept of the 7.3. Big block, port injected, push rods, etc. The way V8s are supposed to be. Will probably be an engine that'll last forever and easy to repair.
Having said that, 475 lbs/ft in a 7,000+ lb. pickup cannot possibly tow better than 480 lbs/ft in a 5,500 lb. pickup. The power/weight ratio heavily favors the 1/2 ton trucks. So, I went EcoDiesel. I'm also getting 10 MPG better mileage than all the reports I'm seeing with the 7.3 and that adds up fast.
Well the torque curve is impressive, comes on early and is nice a flat, ideal tow engine. Its hamstrung by the 10speed if you get the 3.55s. Go with the 4.30s. Or wait until Ram comes out with the 8/10speed and larger cab...I should have.Agreed. I'm sure I wasn't the only one who was a little underwhelmed with a 7.3 litre with only 475lb.ft. I realize it makes it torque down low but I thought it would be better.
The grill and headlights are different for 2020. Hearing stories about flickering and radio feedback w morimotos.http://www.morimotohid.com/ford-f250-f350-f450-superduty-xb-led-headlights-2017-2018.html 2017+, Ford hasnt changed the Heavy Dutys yet.
Alpharex has LED and Halogen Projectors(add LED bulbs for a 3rd of the price)
2017-2019 Super Duty Headlights Collection | AlphaRex
AlphaRex PRO-Series halogen type headlights and NOVA-Series full LED projector headlights for 2017-2019 Super Duty headlights.alpharexusa.com
I would agree in part to your power to weight position. However the extra payload and 3/4 ton truck mass pay dividends when towing in less than ideal weather conditions. Coming back from our trip last week, ran into 15-20mph winds with gusts up to 25. Not an issue in the 250, with the 1500 it would have been a little more of a handful.I love the concept of the 7.3. Big block, port injected, push rods, etc. The way V8s are supposed to be. Will probably be an engine that'll last forever and easy to repair.
Having said that, 475 lbs/ft in a 7,000+ lb. pickup cannot possibly tow better than 480 lbs/ft in a 5,500 lb. pickup. The power/weight ratio heavily favors the 1/2 ton trucks. So, I went EcoDiesel. I'm also getting 10 MPG better mileage than all the reports I'm seeing with the 7.3 and that adds up fast.
It’s worth noting that HD gassers might look underwhelming by the numbers, but they’re typically rated for much higher duty cycles than their 1/2-ton cousins.Agreed. I'm sure I wasn't the only one who was a little underwhelmed with a 7.3 litre with only 475lb.ft. I realize it makes it torque down low but I thought it would be better.
X2. My brother towed a heavy Grand Design 35-37’ (don’t remember) fiver for years with a 2001 8.1/Allison 3500 DRW. Other than miserable mpg’s (5-8 towing) he always liked the drivetrain. Later the Allison required a rebuild to the tune of $4K and he ended up buying a used 14’ Duramax 2500. He’s happier now with the towing experience mostly for mpg’s, but he never had a bad thing to say about the 8.1 overall.It’s worth noting that HD gassers might look underwhelming by the numbers, but they’re typically rated for much higher duty cycles than their 1/2-ton cousins.
My long-term experience is with GM trucks. I had a Chevy with the 8.1L/Allison combo, for example, and it was built to pull a load basically forever, even if it “only” had 455 lb-ft stock. I’ve also had a GMC HD with the long-proven 6.0L; there was nothing special about its numbers, but those engines are known for going 400K in fleet service. Both of those trucks had 4.10 gearing. You don’t see GM offering its 6.2L in HD trucks, despite higher output, as they’re not built for that kind of abuse.
Like other HDs, I’m guessing Ford tuned that 7.3L for hard work and longevity, not peak numbers. But I’m also guessing it would be capable of much more with a tune, and I can only imagine what would be possible with forced induction.
Oh trust me, you're preaching to the choir there. I've been explaining that very thing to guys over on the Jeep Gladiator forum for a long time.
Still, I think that for the average person anything over 1,500 lbs. of payload is plenty. My family of 5 goes 850 lbs. total. My truck has 1,645 lbs. of payload. That leaves me with 795 lbs. remaining. I can tow a nearly 8,000 lb. trailer even with my entire family in the truck. That's easily enough to cover a boat, camper, or my enclosed trailer loaded down front to back and top to bottom. Yet, when I'm not towing I'm enjoying that 10 MPG benefit. It was a better decision for me, as much as I liked the idea of a 3/4 ton truck.
Have you seen the new Silverado HD? It looks like a catfish on wheels.
Of course, that's no surprise coming from the company that gave us the Aztek, Avalanche, etc.
Because for some people it's not about just the financials. I'm trading in my Hemi on a diesel, will it pay off financially... no. Am I still doing it, yes.Not picking on you at all when I say this but I feel like too many people ignore this part. You say you're enjoying the 10mpg benefit of the ecodiesel but you paid for that up front since it costs $3K more than the eTorque HEMI and $3200 more than the regular HEMI and is rated to tow less than either with a 3.92. I did analysis front and back and it doesn't make sense to me why anyone would buy an ED (not saying those that did are wrong) but maybe I'm missing something? It costs so much more up front than either HEMI, has less payload than the NON eTorque HEMI and is rated to tow less than either HEMI.
Limited 5.7 HEMI 3.92
1840lbs payload
11,290lbs max two
Limited 5.7 eTorque HEMI 3.92
1770lbs payload
11,220lbs max tow
Limited 3.0L EcoDiesel 3.92
1800lbs payload
9,710 max tow
With regular gas where I am (TX) @ $1.61/gal and diesel at $2.04/gal driving I will NEVER break even using $2779 for the diesel cost (% off MSRP adding back tax on that).
Even with regular gas @ $2.61/gal and diesel @ $3.04, it will take 351,250 miles to break even.
Neither of the aforementioned examples takes into account higher mx (more expensive oil changes and fuel filter changes being required). The numbers I included above do take into account DEF. I have an excel sheet I use to plug in various numbers but I can't attach a .xls file here as I tried.
Because for some people it's not about just the financials. I'm trading in my Hemi on a diesel, will it pay off financially... no. Am I still doing it, yes.
The Hemi lacks low end torque and it's city fuel economy is abysmal at best.
Different strokes for different folks.
Maybe fuel break-even isn’t even in his calculations... Kinda‘ like having a Hellcat, I probably wouldn’t care too awful much about running 91 octane and getting say 10-13 mpg. Plus the upcharge on the motor would be rather steep. However, there’s a plus side to having one, he he.Of course I understand the "I want it because I want it"...haha.