Ford: Better towing acceleration, better performance, better fuel economy, less squatRam: Better exhaust brake, good ride quality.Looks like the 6 speed vs 10 speed discussion has been exposed in this video.Enjoy...LinkThis evaluation was performed by a Ram owner.

Ah, a somewhat real world YouTube video. I did watch most of it, and was pretty good.

He's kind of full of poo. He claims the reason the Ram didn't want to pull the hill better was because the 6 speed transmission would have caused the Cummins to over rev if it had downshifted from 5th to 4th. The 68 RFE could have dropped to 4th gear no problem... That said, I like the transmission programming just the way it is. I would rather climb the hill at 105 km/hr, be slightly under the cruise control set point, and at 2000 rpm vs downshifting to 4th and accelerating to 2560 rpm to just to maintain 110 km/hr. If having an F150 pass me were to bother me I could always manually select 4th. He says the Cummins has all sorts of low end torque, but, in reality it was the lack of low end torque that prevented him from climbing the hill with the ease that the Powerstroke was able to accomplish the climb with. I think the Powerstroke climbed the hill at 110 km/hr and about 1900 rpm.

Yes I thought there was some room to downshift as well, but I would have preferred it to downshift to give a little more power to work with going up that hill.

At my age(will complete my 8th decade on the planet next June) I am slowly deciding that being the first to the top of the hill is not that important anymore.

Me Again wrote:At my age(will complete my 8th decade on the planet next June) I am slowly deciding that being the first to the top of the hill is not that important anymore.Nothing wrong with that...

2023 Power Stroke vs 2023 Ram Cummins Towing Challenge

4x4ord
Explorer III
Aug 03, 2023
Me Again wrote:
4x4ord wrote:
I think the secrete to better grade braking is electric axles on the trailers. Charge the batteries on the way down and help pull
on the way up.

I do not think many owners realize that Fords going down a hill on cruise control or ACC that the truck applies the service brakes including the trailer brakes. This could lead to overheating the trailer brakes without the driver realizing it. I am not sure if the others GM and RAM are the same now. I sure miss my 2015 RAM's exhaust brake going down passes and hills(always had nice cool service brakes) on my yearly commute to AZ and back to Wa.

It seems to me that the computer calculates brake temperature using speed and brake line pressure and will give a warning before the brakes get hot. Although I don't like to rely on the computer to apply my brakes without knowing what is going on I think it does function in a fairly responsible manner. When the brakes are applied the transmission downshifts to bring the engine revs fairly high .... if another brake application is necessary it will downshift further. When it does apply the brakes, it stabs the brakes slowing the truck down a bit and then releases them (it does not constantly apply brake pressure). If the auto EB function is used instead of cruise control, it downshifts fairly aggressively and then allows the engine to rev to the red line to make maximum use of the EB before applying wheel brakes.
4x4ord
Explorer III
Aug 03, 2023
I don't travel over very many highways with long steep down hill grades other than the Kootenay pass in BC. It is long .... 19 miles long. The average grade over that 19 miles is just under 4% but there are very short sections that hit over 13%. Towards the top of the pass is a 2.5 mile section that averages 7.7% grade. I've descended that grade a number of times at 21 - 25k lbs gross with various trucks. Even my '03 Duramax at 21k lbs gross and no exhaust brake held back at about 40 mph and 5100 rpm without using brakes. If you go slow enough you don't need an exhaust brake. :B
Cummins12V98
Explorer III
Aug 03, 2023
Huntindog wrote:
Cummins12V98 wrote:
North bound I-5 coming into OR I drop into 3rd and it holds easily 50-55mph using cruise set a few mph lower than desired speed. I do apply the brakes on the 50mph curves. Brakes are cold and drops speed fast.
Decending from Jacob Lake towards Page and Flagstaff has some 30 MPH switchbacks. One really scary one with no guardrail. A mistake there and you will scream a long time before you die. I do this at least twice a year using only the exhaust brake. I select the gear I want manually. Because I have eyes and can see the curves approaching.
I am pretty heavy as well. Easily over 30K

Nice you understand your brain works better than the trucks!!!

Somewhere in the Rockies I hit a down hill for several miles at 14%. Locked in 2nd and easily descended without brake applications.
Huntindog
Explorer
Aug 03, 2023
Cummins12V98 wrote:
North bound I-5 coming into OR I drop into 3rd and it holds easily 50-55mph using cruise set a few mph lower than desired speed. I do apply the brakes on the 50mph curves. Brakes are cold and drops speed fast.
Decending from Jacob Lake towards Page and Flagstaff has some 30 MPH switchbacks. One really scary one with no guardrail. A mistake there and you will scream a long time before you die. I do this at least twice a year using only the exhaust brake. I select the gear I want manually. Because I have eyes and can see the curves approaching.
I am pretty heavy as well. Easily over 30K
liamricci
Explorer
Aug 02, 2023
It's fascinating to see the 2023 Power Stroke and 2023 Ram Cummins in a towing challenge. Both engines are known for their towing capabilities and performance. However, if you're looking to enhance the performance of your 6.7 Power Stroke, you might consider the ccv mod 6.7 powerstroke (Crankcase Ventilation Mod). This modification can improve the engine's efficiency and longevity by reducing oil and soot buildup in the intake system.
Grit_dog
Navigator
Aug 02, 2023
^ACC makes sense. But It does it on regular cruise control too? That sucks….but I don’t doubt it.
The amount of “features” to save a driver from themselves is out of hand.
G**d*** Ralph Nader! Lol.
Me_Again
Explorer III
Aug 02, 2023
4x4ord wrote:
I think the secrete to better grade braking is electric axles on the trailers. Charge the batteries on the way down and help pull
on the way up.

I do not think many owners realize that Fords going down a hill on cruise control or ACC that the truck applies the service brakes including the trailer brakes. This could lead to overheating the trailer brakes without the driver realizing it. I am not sure if the others GM and RAM are the same now. I sure miss my 2015 RAM's exhaust brake going down passes and hills(always had nice cool service brakes) on my yearly commute to AZ and back to Wa.
Cummins12V98
Explorer III
Aug 02, 2023
North bound I-5 coming into OR I drop into 3rd and it holds easily 50-55mph using cruise set a few mph lower than desired speed. I do apply the brakes on the 50mph curves. Brakes are cold and drops speed fast.
4x4ord
Explorer III
Aug 01, 2023
^^^GM and Ford can hold back pretty good once the engine is revved up. The Cummins starts holding back at a much lower rpm but then doesn’t rev as high. Being able to hold back without dropping three gears is way nicer. So even if GM and Ford can provide the same reverse hp at 4000 rpm that the Cummins provides at 3000 rpm the clear winner is still the Cummins.
FishOnOne
Nomad
Aug 01, 2023
Cummins12V98 wrote:
FishOnOne wrote:
4x4ord wrote:
^^^If it’s just about marketing I think 8 gears and a few more ponies would probably be enough for Ram customers to be happy. If it’s about actually keeping up to Ford up the hill the Cummins being a little higher revving makes enough torque at 1075 lbft but needs 500 hp at 2800 rpm to run neck and neck with the HO Powerstroke. I think adding 80 hp might not necessarily be that easy to do. It might be easy enough to just add fuel but meeting emissions and keeping the heat away may require some significant changes.

As of recent years Ram/Cummins don't like to suck hind teet, so I suspect there will be significant changes with the next gen HD trucks powertrain. The big question is when?

I guess we could turn the tables and discuss when GM and Ford will get a better exhaust brake to keep up with RAM.

I think too much time is spent one upping with the more is better. Some like 4x4 get the inline 6 does just fine with 6.

With a different transmission shift strategy, I believe the GM's can be just as good as the Ram.

The next big metric will be fuel economy. Again the transmission plays a role there as well.