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Comments
www.abol.com/users/jlester/psdlimo.htm
Well, Valhala, if Ford is so much better (and in some cases it is), why does my Ram have honest numbers on the auxiliary gauges, while Ford's are as useless as an idiot light since they read "NORMAL" all the way to the redline? Does Ford believe that truck owners are that dumb that they can't decipher a numbered gauge other than speed (of engine or vehicle)?
Ok, when it comes to the idiot guages that have been mentioned periodical, have you ever heard of someone who had problems because they weren't able to accurately diagnose a problem because of inferior guages? I'm going to guess that the guages move the same as the Dodge, but they don't provide a point of reference. In other words, they are either normal or in the red. However, that doesn't mean they don't move within the normal range. I've got to guess that everybody knows where the normal setting is for each guage of their truck. If it's not in that same spot, does it really matter what the reading is? Isn't it just a matter of knowing that it is not where it should be so I should check it out? I ask this question sincerely, since I never had any problems that would impact my truck when I owned it.
i think that if dodge can bring up their quality standard ford and GM are going to have to be on their toes to keep their market share.
I'm hoping that this is something that Ford has corrected in the '99s ... anyone know?
BTW, this happens at both car and truck pumps. Some truck pumps will work perfectly, some are a real pain. The auto ones are more consistent -- just slightly bad. You get used to it, though.
5.4L will have 330hp. granted its supercharged but the boost pressure is very small compared to what it is cap. of making. they had to de-tune it because the trans. and torque converter are undersized to handle that kinda power. i seen estimates on it making in excess of 400 also with just turning some wrenches. just need a 9" ford rear end and a 4.10 gear +tranny mods. to handle the hp.
Certainly a 275/410 is more useful in a pickup than a 300/350 (hp/torque combo). Once your needs exceed the 410-450 torque range, you probably need to move up to a diesel, rather than looking for more power from a gas engine. What is the hp in the diesel? Maybe 235? But the torque is 500. Pickups need torque more than hp for real work. The hp will play a bigger role for those who want a pickup for reasons other than work, hauling, or towing. I have no complaints about buying a pickup for those reasons, but when you need to do work, you need torque more than hp.
Of course, there are other things to consider, but a nice high-torque motor should prove more 'entertaining' in stop-light races than a high horsepower / low torque one would. This is why, if you watch drag races, the low-revving torquey big blocks will get the hole shot, and move ahead quickly, while the high-horsepower lower-torque smallblocks will catch up at speed.
Yes, this is a gross oversimplification. No, I don't care to hear about your high-torque smallblock or high-horse bigblock. I'm sure they're wonderful.
The low torque rating on the chevy motor is odd. You'll also notice that they never race it against its real competitors, the Ford and Dodge V10s. Hmm... You think their lower-hp engines might be faster?
Now, some people will be wondering why the diesel trucks aren't faster than the gas ones, if my explanation is correct. First, I'm not sure that with the new 500lb-ft powerstroke that they're not. Performance numbers anyone? Generally a gas motor will be faster because they rev higher -- if they're making 400 lbft at the top of first gear, this may be more than 450 lbft at the bottom of second if the diesel has to shift. Effective torque = engine torque * trans. gear reduction * rear end.
I looked at the torque graphs for the powerstroke and the V10, though -- it seems that the new diesel will put out more total torque at most given speeds (assuming lowest possible gear, a valid assumption at full throttle) then the V10, even without the benefit of being in lower gears.
And Valhala: Any engine is capable of being modified to inordinate capacities. What counts in the real world is the combination of torque (for towing and acceleration), horsepower (for moving a heavy wind-resistant trailer comfortably), reliability, and fuel economy. Anyone who wants more power (possibly at the expense of reliability) should be looking into things like the gale banks powerpack. 0-60 in under 10 seconds in an F250 crew cab diesel... not too shabby.
After looking through Edmond's site, It appears that a good price would be just a couple of hundred bucks over $20,000. Am I right for the options I want and the XL package? Or did I miscalculate? Has anyone been able to get a similar deal?
I looked at a local dealer (who I will not buy from) and the MSRP was more that what edmunds had said, but I think the dealer inflated a few of the options a bit.
Any feedback would be appreciated.
On the ford gauges, I just always remembered the normal position by what letter it was on, or between in the word "normal" on the gauge...
the torque rating is not low on the chevy 6.0. its about as expected. torque is hard to get without increasing displacement. look how fords torque increases from the 5.4 to the 6.8. look how chevy's torque increased from the 350 to the 454. look how dodges' torque increases from the 360 to the v10. they are all VERY similar. you don't see any 450 ftlb 4.0liters do you. (exception, some porsches and other exotic cars get numbers like that, but thats different ball game).
i explained in the dodge vs ford vs chevy post how the 6.0 is NOT competing with the 6.8 or the 8.0.
and by the way they didn't race the 6.0 engine, they raced the 5.3 versus the ford 5.4 and the dodge 360. just think what the 6.0 would do to them.
FASTER PERFORMANCE
During the acceleration portion of testing
procedures (zero to 80), a Vortec
6000-equipped Silverado beat a comparably
equipped 1998 Dodge Ram and a
1998 Ford F-150 full-size pickup by about
two seconds.
According to the 'sneak preview' they did on TV, they were racing 'the companies biggest V8s'.
Chevrolet.COM
point is the, 6.0 is the midlevel v8 replacing the 350. the fact that there are going to be TWO smaller v8s instead of one has people thinking that it is the last engine chevy will make. thats not the case.
Gee, how else could anyone explain why Ford outsells a larger company with more dealers for 15 straight years.
Did I understand correctly that the nozzle size is different between the "truck" diesel and "auto" diesel pumps? And the "auto" nozzle is what fits a Ford filler tube easily? How difficult is this to modify?
The auto shut-off I spoke of is when you squeeze the handle and set the little tab so the nozzle will keep flowing by itself, while you clean the windshield, check the oil, ect, then shuts off when the tank is full.
The dodge has a vent tube that goes from the tank to the top of the filler tube. This keeps it from burping and shutting the nozzle off before the tank is full.
the f250 is 3.73. 4.30 rear is also available with the V-10. We currently get out camping approx.
12-15 times, but that should increase as time goes on. I would certainly appreciate your input since the dealership is, for the most part, interested in selling a unit, and since we can only rely on charts that stipulate the weight capacity for both the F250- and our new Rv, I just thought that you may have addition input into the decision making process. Thanks, JB
The axle ratios will be a trade-off. If you go with the 3.73, you should get better mpg when not towing. The 4.30 will likely get you a little better gas mileage when towing and it will give you more power when towing in mountainous areas. The 4.30 will also have a little less top end speed. Chances are that the 3.73 will be fine for you, but you might want to see if you can test drive a truck with the 4.30, so you can feel some of the difference.
And have you heard any call backs on Ford's v-10?
By the way, it's the opposite with the diesels. The Ford is more powerful and the Dodge gets better mpg.
There is an interesting article in the Sept. Motor Trend on the Dodge and Ford V-10's. The smaller Ford V-10 holds its own against the Dodge 0-40 then just edges it out 0-60 and in the quarter mile. Towing the Ford did even better.
I'm sure glad I spent that $285 more for the V-10.
From the front view, the biggest change for the Ford from 1997 to 1999 was a larger front bumper and the slight bulge in the hood resulting in a larger grille. From the side, the biggest difference is the sloping front window and the lowered side windows for better mirror visibility.
The front of the Dodge is still unique. Whereas the bulge in the Ford hood is subtle, the Dodge bulge in the Dodge hood is intentionally more dramatic. The drop from the middle of the hood to the headlights is significant. The headlights are smaller and lower to the ground, although I'm sure they still emit a similar amount of light.
When sitting side by side where people are able to accurately compare the trucks, nobody will claim that the Superduty looks anything like the Dodge Ram.
If you please, tell us what simple wrenching can be done to a Ford V10 to increase the needed Horsepower/Torque? I am seriously interested...
I rebuild aircraft engines and considering the technoloy involved in a V10 vs the 50 years old technology I work with,....I'm interested!
Respectfully
Maydaytoy
Malibu1
Ditto what stanford said about putting a 97 Ford, a 98 Dodge and a 99 Superduty side by side. There is no doubt which two trucks are related. Ford and Dodge trucks both have their strong points. However, they are very different trucks in every aspect from engines to styling to suspension.
Malibu1
Madcow