Forum Discussion
165 Replies
- larry_barnhartExplorerI never thought fast was always the better way but the drivers of today seem to want fast.
chevman - ib516Explorer III agree Troy, the Ford 2.7L would quite easily out tow the EcoDiesel. Makes sense though...240hp diesel vs 325hp Gas.
jus2shy wrote:
I dunno. It made it up the mountain just fine. No CEL. It was loaded for bear with 2 large guys, 7,200 lbs trailer, so it was at capacity. Maintained over 45 mph over the whole run meeting SAE towing standards. Did the run at supposedly 50% better fuel economy (If you can trust the computer on both trucks). Truck was always designed to be a more fuel efficient truck than its competition. Seems to have done its job and met its requirements. Hosts say that the vehicle towed stable and introduced no drama. The engine was sedate and the only tell-tale sign that it's at its limit was the fact they weren't flying up the mountain at 60mph or better. Doesn't seem like a flop to me, but the F-150 would certainly have done the job faster.
Now what would be interesting is testing the efficiency of both trucks, have them side by side with the same load and driven up the mountain at the same speeds (RAM floored and Ford just throttling to match the RAM). Then we can see if that supposed 50% better fuel economy on the RAM would hold up. I'm figuring it would fall back to only 25 or 30% better fuel economy on the RAM.
I believe you have to be towing the Davis Dam and maintain a minimum speed of 40 mph to be SAE compliant.
I'm not a bit surprised with this trucks performance with pulling a grade with this load that has to be running at WOT to maintain 45-50 mph is not it's strength, but it made 6.1 mpg doing it.
I also went back and watched the Ford 2.7 EcoBoost pull the same grade and the comments were they could have easily exceeded the speed limit, but made 4.3 mpg doing it. I would give the nod to the 2.7 EB for towing performance of these two trucks.
I'm not bringing the GMC Denali into this mix since it has a different market.- jerem0621Explorer IINICE!!! Makes me feel a little more confident about the EcoDiesel. I have been waiting for this test for a while.
My old 1997 F150 5.4 (Which I loved btw) with a similar load would be doing 40 MPH at best in this situation.
Thanks!
Jeremiah - Bird_FreakExplorer IINot a big deal from what I saw. Looked like it did what it was designed to do.
- TurnThePageExplorerGeewhiz! I like the darned thing! I'm just not certain that I can't get more bang for the buck from the 5.7 Hemi, or even that 2.7 Ecoboost. The Ecoboost appears to be the better buy, except that the F150 that surrounds it is so danged expensive.
I'm willing to exceed the GVWR a little on the Ram 1500, and still feel safe, but there's not very much leeway once you include the Ecodiesel. - TystevensExplorer
wilber1 wrote:
ScottG wrote:
BillyW wrote:
The Ecodiesel combined with the Ram 1500 chassis has lost some luster for me. Just a little too much compromise, I think. With that said, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that towing performance.
It definitely needs to evolve some.
For starters it needs to be able to haul more and it needs and exhaust brake.
I thought this thing was supposed to be a more efficient half ton and it looks like it is. Why do people think it should be something else?
Because some people around here seem to think that if a TV doesn't meet their particular needs, it is useless and not worthy of existing! - wilber1Explorer
ScottG wrote:
BillyW wrote:
The Ecodiesel combined with the Ram 1500 chassis has lost some luster for me. Just a little too much compromise, I think. With that said, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that towing performance.
It definitely needs to evolve some.
For starters it needs to be able to haul more and it needs and exhaust brake.
I thought this thing was supposed to be a more efficient half ton and it looks like it is. Why do people think it should be something else? - bradykExplorerI don't think I have ever seen any ads saying it is a great towing machine so I am not sure what the big deal is. If you have a small trailer and need a go to work and grocery getter that gets good milage their you go.
For those wanting a half ton that tows more check out the new Nissan Titan/Cummins. Almost 3/4 ton territory but not quite a grocery getter only truck. Oh wait people would still whine that it doesn't tow over 10k........ - TystevensExplorer
valhalla360 wrote:
If you want to tow heavy, move up to the 3/4 or 1 ton and get the big diesel.
This was never marketed as a heavy duty towing option. It did fine for what it was designed for.
Yep, seems like a well designed product for its intended purposes. Someone like me, who drives about 12,000 unloaded miles a year and 8-12 relatively short towing trips.
When you think about it, the Ecodiesel and 2.7 Ecoboost from Ford are probably designed pretty spot on for how a good percentage of people (not on Rv.net!) use their 1/2 ton trucks -- commuting, occasional projects, the occasional tow of the boat or trailer. Not everything needs to be a heavy duty design!
I don't know if I could be dissuaded from the Ecoboost, but I'd definitely give the Ecodiesel a look if my current truck were totaled tomorrow.
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