2020 SuperDuty 7.3L V-8 Gas

[Cate&Rob]

The one thing that still sets gas vs diesel apart is that exhaust brake. If you do any towing in the mountains it is worth its weight in gold on the way down, even without towing going down the mountain it is a great feature.

Something to consider is that gasoline engines have always had decel braking. The closed throttle plates (that diesels don't have) creates substantial engine pumping losses as part of normal decel operation. I am not going to try and argue that this equals a diesel exhaust brake . . . but it still helps a lot.

We regularly tow I24 through Monteagle and/or I75 through Jellico. The Ecoboost handles most of the downhill speed control, with only a occasional snub of the brakes. The Mountain Directory describes Monteagle as "strong 5% for 3.5 miles" then "strong 6% for 4 miles". Jellico is "4 miles of 5 - 6% grade".

Rob

[DaveMatthewsBand]

I have many many thousands of rounds through "plastic" hand guns, so I'm not much worried about an oil pan that takes no load.

Yea, that’s not what would worry me.

The auto industry has been using plastic intake manifolds and other parts for years.
I don’t have a problem with that.
But those items are not located in an area where they could suffer damage.

The oil pan is at the bottom of the engine so I would worry about hitting a rock or something off road and cracking it or knocking a chunk off.


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[JColeman]

Yea, that’s not what would worry me.

The auto industry has been using plastic intake manifolds and other parts for years.
I don’t have a problem with that.
But those items are not located in an area where they could suffer damage.

The oil pan is at the bottom of the engine so I would worry about hitting a rock or something off road and cracking it or knocking a chunk off.


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You know, I'll bet that occurred to the designers.

[backtrack2015]

You know, I'll bet that occurred to the designers.

I expect it did. The designers are often over-ruled by bean counters. There are differentials out there without drain plugs even though the designers would have wanted one. Hopefully it's a non-issue, and if not, I'm sure the aftermarket will provide skid-plates or replacements.

[minnow101]

^^^^This. Beancounters absolutely rule vehicle manufacturers.

[powerscol]

Looks interesting. May have to consider the 7.3 but we will see. As for the plastic pan I am sure the 4x4 skid plates will protect both as they do now.

[jasonl78]

Seeing these new gas engines from Ford and GM makes me even more disappointed that there were no big updates to the 6.4L Hemi from Ram. Yeah you get an 8 speed but I was hoping for some bigger HP and torque numbers when they released the 2019s. I guess I will have to hope for more in 2020.

I'd like to second Rob's comments about engine braking in gas engines. With my 11k fifth wheel pushing me down a 6% grade and truck in tow/haul mode, I never had to brake other than for someone going much slower than me. It stayed at 45 mph. I was very happy with the trucks ability to handle it. It was quite honestly something I worried about because I knew I'd encounter that decent on my way to a campground. Did great.

Happy to see that manufacturers are still looking out for those who like gas engines.

[MidwestCamper]

Might add a whole new wrinkle to the endless gas vs diesel debate. If that 7.3L has the grunt to pull/haul and are reliable, those of us with diesels may find our trucks are not as valuable at trade in time as in the past.

Howard,

The diesel will always be the torque king when the loads become extreme. The case for gas is to be good enough at a reduced cost while the diesel is a must have for industrial like loading. The 7.3L provides a boost over the 6.2L and closes the gap a bit to the diesel at a lower cost, but it will not make 1K lb-ft of torque. This engine provides more choice based on the need.

[backtrack2015]

I’m guessing it’ll do ~500-550 lb-ft.

[MidwestCamper]

Something to consider is that gasoline engines have always had decel braking. The closed throttle plates (that diesels don't have) creates substantial engine pumping losses as part of normal decel operation. I am not going to try and argue that this equals a diesel exhaust brake . . . but it still helps a lot.

We regularly tow I24 through Monteagle and/or I75 through Jellico. The Ecoboost handles most of the downhill speed control, with only a occasional snub of the brakes. The Mountain Directory describes Monteagle as "strong 5% for 3.5 miles" then "strong 6% for 4 miles". Jellico is "4 miles of 5 - 6% grade".

Rob

Rob,
Pumping is also increased further by cam timing. My GM truck also has grade braking which will adjust throttle, cam timing, DFCO, gear selection and can also apply brakes to maintain speed. Ford and FCA most likely are doing the same.