Just finished short trip with new truck....
All I can say is: wow.
The new truck is a 2015 F350 6.7L Lariat 2WD DRW 3.73 Supercab automatic. The old truck was a 1999 F350 7.3L Lariat 2WD DRW 3.73 Supercab automatic. In other words identical as they can be but for year. Same camper.
There were the expected improvements in creature comforts, the seats are more comfortable, climate control is nice, much quieter so you can hear the better stereo.
The main difference though is in the drivetrain which are worlds and decades apart:
860 ft lbs vs. 500
440 HP vs. 230
6 speed vs. 4
tow/haul mode vs. OD lockout
exhaust brake vs. not
Those are the specs. Driving it, there is a huge difference in power, all the time, any RPM, any situation. And a huge difference in transmission gear selection. Combined, it is a night and day difference in driving experience.
I drove to the coast and up CA 1 a bit, mostly used the tow/haul mode because it kept the revs up a bit more and downshifted sooner, this was useful on corners as much as grades, keeping the engine in the right range to accelerate out of the corner. It will aggressively downshift if you are on the brakes on a downslope. That would have been disconcerting with the 7.3L which made quite a fuss above around 2300 RPM, but the 6.7L revs freely and without fuss or much noise to 3500.
One section of side road over to Limatour spit has a short section marked with a warning sign. "17 percent grade". On my '99 this required 2nd gear with a heavy application of brakes till the bottom (was there with it 2 years ago). On the '15, I touched the brakes once momentarily and the combined downshift and exhaust brake easily slowed the rig, I ended up adding a little throttle to maintain speed to the bottom, no brakes required.
With the '99 I was about 300 lbs over GVWR (though under the GAWR at both ends). Though the '15 weighs more empty, I am about 1400 lbs under the GVWR loaded for a trip with the camper. The ride is a little better loaded than the '99, maybe a little worse unloaded.
These trucks cost a LOT of money and the smog controls are spectacularly complicated - but as long as it is working, it works really, really well.
The new truck is a 2015 F350 6.7L Lariat 2WD DRW 3.73 Supercab automatic. The old truck was a 1999 F350 7.3L Lariat 2WD DRW 3.73 Supercab automatic. In other words identical as they can be but for year. Same camper.
There were the expected improvements in creature comforts, the seats are more comfortable, climate control is nice, much quieter so you can hear the better stereo.
The main difference though is in the drivetrain which are worlds and decades apart:
860 ft lbs vs. 500
440 HP vs. 230
6 speed vs. 4
tow/haul mode vs. OD lockout
exhaust brake vs. not
Those are the specs. Driving it, there is a huge difference in power, all the time, any RPM, any situation. And a huge difference in transmission gear selection. Combined, it is a night and day difference in driving experience.
I drove to the coast and up CA 1 a bit, mostly used the tow/haul mode because it kept the revs up a bit more and downshifted sooner, this was useful on corners as much as grades, keeping the engine in the right range to accelerate out of the corner. It will aggressively downshift if you are on the brakes on a downslope. That would have been disconcerting with the 7.3L which made quite a fuss above around 2300 RPM, but the 6.7L revs freely and without fuss or much noise to 3500.
One section of side road over to Limatour spit has a short section marked with a warning sign. "17 percent grade". On my '99 this required 2nd gear with a heavy application of brakes till the bottom (was there with it 2 years ago). On the '15, I touched the brakes once momentarily and the combined downshift and exhaust brake easily slowed the rig, I ended up adding a little throttle to maintain speed to the bottom, no brakes required.
With the '99 I was about 300 lbs over GVWR (though under the GAWR at both ends). Though the '15 weighs more empty, I am about 1400 lbs under the GVWR loaded for a trip with the camper. The ride is a little better loaded than the '99, maybe a little worse unloaded.
These trucks cost a LOT of money and the smog controls are spectacularly complicated - but as long as it is working, it works really, really well.
