Ford 7.3 gas burner mpg hauling TC

Would a 460 Ford engine be better than my 2012 6.2?

The 6.2 (378 cu in) pulls pretty good for a small engine. 15mpUSg empty 7 to 10 mpUSg with a camper on and 20ft enclosed trailer depending on The Wind.

jimh425 wrote:


There are still signs to turn off AC on Vantage hill in WA last time I was there,

Maybe they're old signs.

The only newer trucks I've seen run hot pulling grades loaded are the Ford Ecoboost twin turbo V-6s.

Regardless of the grade, ambient temperature or load I've never seen the engine temp in my truck increase at all.

Kayteg1 wrote:
Ford starting with 2017 SD made trucks 500 lb lighter than previous years.

No matter how many times you post it ... it’s still not true. ;) You only have to look up the specs for equivalent 2016 and 2017 models.

What really happened is they took most of the weight savings from going to aluminum body and increased the steel in the frame which resulted in almost no weight savings.

There are still signs to turn off AC on Vantage hill in WA last time I was there, so maybe CA found a way to change the slope of their hills. Or maybe, they just took down a sign or two. ;)

jimh425 wrote:
If you don’t understand the reasoning “and care”, read some of the articles that describe why they built the 7.3 the way they did. It’s simply newer technology in a smaller package that can easily make a lot more hp and also work well in very large trucks while meeting the newer emission standards.

There really isn’t any way to compare the mpg because the trucks are a lot heavier now.

I guess we’ll know how successful they are in about 20 years. :D

Ford starting with 2017 SD made trucks 500 lb lighter than previous years.
But technology really went long way. Maybe not as much on heavy trucks, than on 60 mpg sedans, but 20 years ago lot of grades in California had sign "turn AC off to avoid overheating" and every mile they had water tanks for those who still had problems.
Several years ago both got removed as new vehicles can be floored in 120F weather without overheating.

There really isn’t any way to compare the mpg because the trucks are a lot heavier now.

They may be alittle heavier but they also have the newer technology and those 6 and 10 speed transmissions..It should be a no-brainer the newer truck would get the better mileage,especially loaded..

With all that new technology and the new multi-speed transmissions,that should mean better MPG than a 25 year old motor,but it isn't..So far..

If you don’t understand the reasoning “and care”, read some of the articles that describe why they built the 7.3 the way they did. It’s simply newer technology in a smaller package that can easily make a lot more hp and also work well in very large trucks while meeting the newer emission standards.

There really isn’t any way to compare the mpg because the trucks are a lot heavier now.

I guess we’ll know how successful they are in about 20 years. :D

Jayco, 1999 just called me. They want their opinion back and said to let go of the past. And since the Triton engines have now had a longer run than the 460 and continue to be in production in the class 4/5 chassis, as well as being regarded as one of the best powerplants of the last 20 years, I gotta say this is pretty much ONLY your opinion.
And generally when you think you're the only one right and the rest of the world is wrong, you generally are wrong.

jimh425 wrote:
All of the years before 97 didn’t have a problem, so you can say 11 years means every other engine would have that problem. However, that ignores that they’ve gone 11 years and multiple engines without the issue.

If you don’t like 1st/2nd years that’s fine, but if it’s because of the sparkplug issue, you don’t have a real concern.

No Jim...I just don't understand Ford and there reasoning..They Already had a tried and proven engine for over 20 years and the EFI was making gas mileage much better...

460 V8
The legendary 460, one of Ford's 385 engine family, was the Blue Oval's final big block engine design. The 460 became available in the F-Series back in 1974 and was offered until 1996/7. The big motor remains popular today thanks to it's towing capability and reliability. It's also a great building block for making serious power, as even minor modifications can result in significant increases in horsepower and torque.

The old 460 had a lot of horses to bring out of the stable as well as TQ numbers,but instead,they made the V-10 which kinda flopped and had some serious issues at first..Now the new 7.3 and I wonder like many,will this one be right?

Fuel mileage isn't much better and neither is TQ..

All of the years before 97 didn’t have a problem, so you can say 11 years means every other engine would have that problem. However, that ignores that they’ve gone 11 years and multiple engines without the issue.

If you don’t like 1st/2nd years that’s fine, but if it’s because of the sparkplug issue, you don’t have a real concern.

jimh425 wrote:

jaycocreek wrote:
The problem with the new Ford gas engine is,since the old 460 gas,they have had problems with there new engines like the 5.4 and V-10 spitting plugs..For that reason alone,I would personally pass on the first year or two on new Ford engines..

They are only newer compared to your 1997. They haven’t had that issue since 2008.

Read more here. http://www.fordproblems.com/spark-plug-ejection/

While old habits die hard and when talking vehicles that old, the likelihood of other issues besides spitting a plug are probably greater.
Fun fact, buddy has a 2014 or 2015 E450 box van for work with a 5.4. It vomited a spark plug a couple years ago.
Not a valid reason to stick with a 30 year old truck though, IMO.