Super Duty gets a 10 speed and an updated diesel

CoeyCoey wrote:

wnjj wrote:

philh wrote:

wilber1 wrote:

philh wrote:
Stupid question, but do more gears really make a difference on typical superduty diesel?

Yup. How much I don't know but having the perfect gear for every situation is definite plus.

I'm having a tough time understanding how it will help given the relatively flat torque curves on a diesel engine.

Because counter to Ford’s advertising a few years ago, torque is not power. Producing the same engine torque at a higher RPM means it’s producing more power.

Another way to think of it is this. If you can downshift and raise the engine RPM, you can now send this same (flat curve) torque through a lower gear and produce even more torque at the wheel than before the downshift. Lower gears multiply engine torque.

With less gears, a downshift may not be possible because it could push the engine up past its torque producing RPM.

Yes, thank you. So many people only look at the horsepower and torque numbers and think they have an idea of how well this machine will tow. But they ignore the transmission. If you have a transmission that keeps the engine in its best power range, it can easily out perform a more powerful engine with less gears or bad shift points.

This is also why an electric or hybrid pickup would easily smoke any of the diesel trucks. The Rivian, for example, has over 10,000 pound feet of torque at the wheels and it has a very flat torque curve. So, it puts 10,000 lb-ft to the wheels up to around 60mph, then it will start t decrease. A diesel with 1,000 lb-ft of torque will put out torque to the wheels of 16,000 lb-ft in first gear, 9,900 in second gear, 6,400 in third gear, 4,900 in fourth gear, 3,700 in fifth gear, and 2,900 in sixth gear. So, the Rivian has more torque to the wheels at all times except when the diesel is in first gear.

I don't understand why people are still getting excited about these relics. If the consumers would demand better trucks, we would have diesel-electric hybrids that could easily tow 30,000+ pounds at 65mph up the Ike

Are you talking about a diesel electric with a big battery to help power a truck up a hill? If no battery all the power is coming from the diesel engine and the electric generator and motors don't serve much advantage over a 10 speed transmission.