F250 7.3L w/ 10 speed Transmission

[delmer]

Originally Posted by Airhead59

I tow with a 2015 F150 with 3.5L EcoBoost and have not experienced "bogging down" or overheating issues. Do you have the "Maxtow" package with upgraded engine and transmission cooling? I live out west and have 25k miles towing over 12,000 ft passes and in and out of the AZ Salt River Canyon at 100+F. However, I am only pulling a Safari 25' and always in Tow/Haul mode with manual override gear selection on steep descents and climbs.

Have 2015 3.5L with 365hp/420#torque. All tow packages. 45k miles towing 7k pound 29 ft in Rockies, Appalachian, and Canadian mountains. Average 11-12 mpg. No problems and satisfied😎

[MetalMissile]

I went for the Diesel option on my upgrade from '02 Dodge Cummins and with the 10 speed I am driving a TV dream. Going up a significant freeway grade near our town the vehicle barely notices the GT 27 behind us and I have to watch my speed, it is so quiet it is like a luxury vehicle and seats and technology features are very logical and super convenient, including backing to my trailer ball on video.

I'm getting 14.3 towing and up to 20 mpg without a load...

The only excuse for the obscene price was an extra good deal and my claim of it being my "retirement truck".

[Fyrcat]

Did you get a tremor?? We pick up our 2020 new Tremor tomorrow. We too got the Godzilla 7.3l gas engine!

[Coaster]

I made this for our truck

[BandLAir]

We have the 2019 F-150 SuperCrew Short-bed (4x4, FX4) with the 3.5L ecoBoost (twin-turbo), the 10-speed transmission, and the MAx-Tow package. It's a good match to our 2020 FC 27 FBT even with the truck at it's GVWR. In ECO mode (not towing) we can get 22 - 24 MPG on level highway terrain. In Tow-Haul mode it really makes good use of the gears, both up and down hill. If I were to buy this again, I might forego the FX4 (offroad) feature as it lowers the GCWR and the front differential is only for driving off-pavement at relatively low speed, not full-time 4WD. We might replace this truck with an F-250 in 2022, but have a lot of research to do between now and then.

[TeckTavern]

Originally Posted by GPurcell

What is your gas mileage?

14.5-14.8 mpg loaded/not towing.
9.5 -10.5 mpg fully laden/towing

[TeckTavern]

Originally Posted by TeckTavern

I recently upgraded our tow vehicle from a 2017 F250 to a 2020 F250. The '17 was a 6.7L gas engine with 6 speed transmission. The 2020 has the new 7.3L engine paired with a 10-speed transmission (3.55 gear ratio). The 6.7L gas left a little to be desired when in hilly areas, even with a 3.73 rear end. I felt like it struggled too much -- hunting in and out of 2d, 3d and 4th gear while the engine revved 4-5000 rpm.

The 7.3L/10 spd combination is a gas enthusiast's dream. The 3.55 rear end gives me the same (maybe a tad better) gas mileage than the 6.7L/6 speed!
It'll never outpull a diesel...but for folks who don't want the added cost and hastles that come with a diesel, this rig, or a similar GM or Dodge setup is a great alternative. Note the 10-speed transmission (co-developed by Ford and GM) shifts so smoothly, you have to watch the gear indicator or RPM needle to notice it's even shifting. Very happy with the new TV!

Quick Reply regarding transmission and engine reliability -- so far 21,500 miles (3500 towing the GT) on the truck -- not a single problem. Still love it!

[JFScheck]

I would postulate and say look for a Ford Super Duty with the gas 7.3 engine coupled to a hybrid power train similar to the new F-150 where they use the 3.5 EcoBoost.

Power of the 6.7 diesel for brief periods with all the new cool technology of the F-150 hybrid.

That would sway me away from a diesel SuperDuty…

[TeckTavern]

Originally Posted by GPurcell

What is your gas mileage?

Gas mileage is 14.8-15.5 unladen and 10-11 towing the GT25.
Engine now has 64,000+ miles on it and still not even a minor hiccup.

[4RXLA]

My numbers are similar but 9-10 mpg towing my 31’ airstream. I have the 10 speed transmission with 3:55 rear end.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Ours is about the same 10-12 @ 60-65, 8.1 Vortec.

Bob
🇺🇸

[MMatx]

My numbers mirror TeckTavern’s but with a FC27. 50,000 miles and no issues. Very happy.

[RedSHED]

TL/DR: Fuel economy is primarily a function of how deftly you massage the loud pedal.

1) Combustion engines burn about 0.4 pounds per hour per horsepower. In practice it'll be somewhere between 0.35 and 0.42. 0.4 is a nice round number.
2) Gasoline is pretty close to 6 pounds per gallon, diesel is 7. Diesel also typically hedges to the lower end (under 0.4) and historically gasoline burns at around 0.42 to 0.43. Modern direct injection gasoline engines are likely closer to diesel burn rates, but you still get a 7/6 mpg boost because of the fuel's density. Clear as mud, right?

So, if you drive with an average 60 horsepower demand, that's 60 * 0.4 or about 24 pounds per hour or around 4 gallons of gas per hour [edit: (24 pounds/hr)/(6 pounds/gallon) = (4 gallons/hr) ]. If you're driving 60 miles per hour, 60/4 is going to give you about 15 miles per gallon. Smash the loud pedal more aggressively, burn more fuel. Double check my arithmetic - I did this as I typed and errors are possible.

Yeah, I know, the engine is rated at 400 or whatever ... you rarely get into that part of the torque curve.

There's a small difference in parasitic loss due to rotational friction, transmission losses, etc, but ...In commercial fleets, two different drivers can vary by 15-20% with the same truck, same load, same route, same weather, etc.

[JJTX]

Originally Posted by chugchug

I have a 2016 F150 with the 3.5 ecoboost engine. It never feels under power, the 6 speed transmission doesn't seem to hunt. It does bog down on steep hills, but it doesn't seem excessive. The only problem I have encountered is that when it is really hot outside 100+ degree, the engine temperature rises to the point that the computer reduces performance to a crowl.

I think your truck needs some repairs. Or your camper is too heavy. Or Both.