Engine torque
After the engine in our '09 V10 6.8L F250 'sploded 3 days ago, we ended up with a new-to-us replacement '12 GMC 2500HD that we were able to find on very short notice. The V10 6.8L was rated 362HP w...
Forum Discussion
The verdict is in. I am not impressed with the performance of the 6.0 V8 in comparison to the 6.8 V10 to the point I'm rather dissapointed (sigh).
Brought our TT home yesterday after a long 10 hour drive. The Coquihalla hwy is a really long incline with lots of twists and turns and some sections with lots of humps and bumps. Grades ranged from around 6% to 8.5%. The truck definitely got a good road test. 10 hours is exhausting on those kind of roads... :(
The F250/V10 has never let me down on mountain roads. I've always been able to maintain 65 mph up any hills anywhere in the mountains up and down the west coast from CA to BC. Have never been outrun by semis anywhere or even had a single TT or FW pass.
Assuming the GM & Ford engines were putting out the same advertised HP, the V8 just lacked good torque. Acceleration was way down. Worst was that on the steeper inclines, with WOT I was down to around 55 mph. It struggled to make 65 mph in many places. I had quite a few loaded semis charge past me. That really sucked! :( The Coq. hwy has a 75 mph and the commercial truckers go b*lls out. I def. couldn't have gone uphill at 75, even if I wanted to.
The tranny didn't seem to downshift into a lower gear on steeper inclines like the F250 did. Not sure if that's normal. Maybe because torque/power is down at higher rpms? Sometimes when it did downshift and I crested a hill, it hung on to the lower gear for quite a while before it upshifted to lower rpms. Still trying to understand how exactly to use the T/H and +/- feature. I've learned that there are 2 "D" positions on the indicator but you can't tell which one you're in by looking at the display. You have to shift into the lower "D" to make the +/- work. Seems kinda weird is handy for downshifting on steeper downhill sections instead of using the stalk. The +/- buttons are in an unconvenient location and you can't see them clearly.
What I miss about the F250's T/H button was that I could use it for engine braking any time, anywhere. Doesn't do that on the GM.
Otherwise, the 6.0 V8 got better gas mileage at 9.2 mpg on the run over the Coq. hwy. The F250 got about 8 mpg on avg. and less on steeper roads. The 2500 HD is more comfortable to drive and is a lot quieter inside (muffler is HUGE). Steering is a lot "tighter" and more predictable. Just handles much better but could benefit from some heavy duty shocks so I have just ordered a set of Bilsteins.
I have no idea what the torque & power is like in other 3/4 ton trucks these days, new or up to say 10 years old. If were to look at another truck some day. I would def. be looking closely at torque numbers. A diesel would be nice but the upfront cost is so much more before maintenance is factored in. The Ford eco-boost in an F250 might be nice? Did a little research on a chip but it seems like the performance gain isn't much and then you have to run on high octane gas which at today's price would be expensive. Sounds like an intake and exhaust upgrade is a better choice.
I really have to wonder about those that are at or close to towing capacity and think they're gonna be just fine. Do some towing in mountains with 6-7% or higher grade and you'll see how much torque matters.
The V10 will be sorely missed. Except for the torque, I quite like the GM over the Ford. Will just have to live with the lower engine performance.
Brought our TT home yesterday after a long 10 hour drive. The Coquihalla hwy is a really long incline with lots of twists and turns and some sections with lots of humps and bumps. Grades ranged from around 6% to 8.5%. The truck definitely got a good road test. 10 hours is exhausting on those kind of roads... :(
The F250/V10 has never let me down on mountain roads. I've always been able to maintain 65 mph up any hills anywhere in the mountains up and down the west coast from CA to BC. Have never been outrun by semis anywhere or even had a single TT or FW pass.
Assuming the GM & Ford engines were putting out the same advertised HP, the V8 just lacked good torque. Acceleration was way down. Worst was that on the steeper inclines, with WOT I was down to around 55 mph. It struggled to make 65 mph in many places. I had quite a few loaded semis charge past me. That really sucked! :( The Coq. hwy has a 75 mph and the commercial truckers go b*lls out. I def. couldn't have gone uphill at 75, even if I wanted to.
The tranny didn't seem to downshift into a lower gear on steeper inclines like the F250 did. Not sure if that's normal. Maybe because torque/power is down at higher rpms? Sometimes when it did downshift and I crested a hill, it hung on to the lower gear for quite a while before it upshifted to lower rpms. Still trying to understand how exactly to use the T/H and +/- feature. I've learned that there are 2 "D" positions on the indicator but you can't tell which one you're in by looking at the display. You have to shift into the lower "D" to make the +/- work. Seems kinda weird is handy for downshifting on steeper downhill sections instead of using the stalk. The +/- buttons are in an unconvenient location and you can't see them clearly.
What I miss about the F250's T/H button was that I could use it for engine braking any time, anywhere. Doesn't do that on the GM.
Otherwise, the 6.0 V8 got better gas mileage at 9.2 mpg on the run over the Coq. hwy. The F250 got about 8 mpg on avg. and less on steeper roads. The 2500 HD is more comfortable to drive and is a lot quieter inside (muffler is HUGE). Steering is a lot "tighter" and more predictable. Just handles much better but could benefit from some heavy duty shocks so I have just ordered a set of Bilsteins.
I have no idea what the torque & power is like in other 3/4 ton trucks these days, new or up to say 10 years old. If were to look at another truck some day. I would def. be looking closely at torque numbers. A diesel would be nice but the upfront cost is so much more before maintenance is factored in. The Ford eco-boost in an F250 might be nice? Did a little research on a chip but it seems like the performance gain isn't much and then you have to run on high octane gas which at today's price would be expensive. Sounds like an intake and exhaust upgrade is a better choice.
I really have to wonder about those that are at or close to towing capacity and think they're gonna be just fine. Do some towing in mountains with 6-7% or higher grade and you'll see how much torque matters.
The V10 will be sorely missed. Except for the torque, I quite like the GM over the Ford. Will just have to live with the lower engine performance.
