2021 Ram 3500 H.O.

FishOnOne wrote:


I'm sure tuning, transmission design, engine design, gears, truck weight, aerodynamics, are all designed in to meet certain goals (i.e. EPA, NHSA, Cost, Customers X,Y,Z) and good market research to set these goals produces a better product.

I can honestly say my '12 6.7 PSD with 400HP makes better fuel economy towing/non towing vs my '05 6.0 PSD with 325HP. Towing performance is much better and neither truck derated power when towing mountains during summer months.

In the end I would much prefer the 400HP of the 6.7 with the improved fuel economy I get, vs having a 6.7 with 325HP (same as a 6.0) with even more improved fuel economy.

You and my father in law are on opposites sides. He felt that his tuned (lowest level "tow" tune only) 2003 F350 6.0L towed better than his 2019 F350 and got slightly better fuel economy. He said the stability is better in the 2019 and so is the trans. Seeing that his 2019 F350 is around 1,500 lbs heavier than his 2003, it kind of makes sense because it takes a lot more horsepower to achieve the same acceleration in the heavier truck. Even a slight 50 hp bump in power would give the 6.0L the edge even to a 450 hp 2019 F350. Of course these are short burst numbers and not sustained numbers.

I also now for a fact from gauge data that both his 2019 and my brothers old 2012 F350's derated/defueled under heavy sustained conditions when towing. It is very gradual and hard to tell unless you have a very sensitive butt dyno. Like those people who swear they can feel the difference in power from a "performance" air filter. However, the gauges and commanded fuel pressures don't lie. Neither do the defuel settings in the ECM that are easily seen with SCT software.