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Edmunds half ton drag race

Groover
Explorer II
Explorer II
Edmunds race

I found this test to be interesting. I am surprised with how much lighter the GMC is than the Ford or Ram. But even with nearly as much rated power as the Ford and the 600lb weight advantage the PowerBoost clearly got enough power to the ground to outperform the GMC. The Ram really wasn't even in the race at any time. I am not a hot rod and they would all be plenty quick for me empty but I am interested in their performance when towing near rated capacity.

I am really curious as to why the Ford had such bad launches. Was it traction control, turbo lag or something else? Whatever it was once they got rolling the PowerBoost really turned it on. But that raises the question of how long can the PowerBoost sustain its boost. Is it as effective with a heavy trailer in tow or does it give out of juice too quickly?

Also, what fuel was used? I believe that the GMC requires premium while the PowerBoost only requires regular unleaded. That could make quite a difference in fuel cost over the years.

I am really looking forward to some more thorough testing that includes towing and areas where the hybrid function is effective. I am also interested in air conditioner performance in the hybrid since it seems to be electrically powered.
28 REPLIES 28

Reisender
Nomad
Nomad
ktmrfs wrote:
If the 0-60 and 1/4 mile times are accurate, any of these trucks would give many 1960's muscle cars a run for the money and in many cases be showing their tail lights to the muscle cars.

amazing progress.


What are the zero to sixty times.

On edit. Found them. Sorry. Missed that first time through.

I’m thinking the electric half tons are going to be faster. The Cybertruck trimotor is expected to come in around 3 seconds zero to 60 times. Should be an interesting match up next year.

ktmrfs
Explorer
Explorer
If the 0-60 and 1/4 mile times are accurate, any of these trucks would give many 1960's muscle cars a run for the money and in many cases be showing their tail lights to the muscle cars.

amazing progress.
2011 Keystone Outback 295RE
2004 14' bikehauler with full living quarters
2015.5 Denali 4x4 CC/SB Duramax/Allison
2004.5 Silverado 4x4 CC/SB Duramax/Allison passed on to our Son!

colliehauler
Explorer III
Explorer III
Wonder if the F-150 had traction control that limited launch?

rjstractor
Nomad
Nomad
To me it looked like the F150s poor launches were due to the driver being slow on the gas. The electric motor boost from the hybrid system should more than make up for any turbo lag. To alleviate that they should have rotated drivers. The F150 catching up to the lighter truck as the race progressed is proof that it puts more HP to the ground. The roll on race indicated that as well. The OPs question as to whether that extra HP is available continuously, it stands to reason that once the battery is depleted that extra HP is no longer there. We won't know for sure until we see an Ike shootout with these trucks. The challenge lately seems to be putting a heavy enough trailer behind the trucks that TFL tests to actually make it a contest.
2017 VW Golf Alltrack
2000 Ford F250 7.3

mooky_stinks
Explorer
Explorer
Can’t speak for the hybrid F150 like the one used in the video but I have a 2020 Ecoboost F150 and I’ve had the Chevy 6.2 w/ 8 speed in a 2015 Silverado. While the Ecoboost is a great and powerful engine, the 6.2 was clearly faster. I actually had the Silverado at the track for a night and ran a best of 13.97@98 with it shutting off as I ran thru the traps. (not that it made much difference in ET) Average run was in the 14.10s @ 97. As a retired drag racer I’d be willing to say my Ecoboost would run mid to low14s. Doesn’t really matter to me as they both perform great for what I need them to do. BTW if you like to keep your foot in the 6.2 daily driving it, it definitely required 93 to keep it from pinging. Towing it was absolutely required. Didn’t matter what the owners manual said lol
2020 F150 XL Screw 4x4 6.5”box
3.5 ecoboost Max tow HDPP
7850 GVW. 4800 RAWR
2565 payload

2020 Cougar 29RKS 5th wheel

gbopp
Explorer
Explorer
Durb wrote:
They should have raced a Ram TRX against anything the other manufacturers wanted to offer!

They should have raced while towing an 8-10000 pound trailer. That would be more realistic.

ssthrd
Explorer
Explorer
Durb wrote:
They should have raced a Ram TRX against anything the other manufacturers wanted to offer!


For sure. That's an insane rig. Wilder than the Viper version. Remember the Lil Red Truck? Pretty tame compared to the TRX.

Sidetracked again..........
2014 Keystone Laredo 292RL
2013 Palomino Maverick 2902
2018 GMC 3500HD, 4x4, 6.5' box, SRW, Denali, Duramax, Andersen
DeeBee, JayBee, and Jed the Black Lab

The hurrier I go the behinder I get. (Lewis Carroll)

Reisender
Nomad
Nomad
What. No Tesla Cybertruck?. Maybe next year. :).

FishOnOne
Nomad
Nomad
I got to say these new F150's look really good. I would pass on the PowerBoost though.
'12 Ford Super Duty FX4 ELD CC 6.7 PSD 400HP 800ft/lbs "270k Miles"
'16 Sprinter 319MKS "Wide Body"

Durb
Explorer
Explorer
They should have raced a Ram TRX against anything the other manufacturers wanted to offer!

QCMan
Nomad III
Nomad III
Makes me think of my drag racing days at Englishtown raceway in NJ. Ran 100% stock class and my 2004 Dakota with a 4.7 would beat the hemis every time. Had them complain to tech many times to no avail. Even when they took everything out including seats they could not come close. One guy offered a hundred dollars for my secret! Well, took him up on it and told him "I have a standard transmission that shifts when I tell it to and you have an automatic that is programmed to shift when it wants to". Maybe the transmissions in the test were programmed differently as they were different makes and each make has an idea they think is best.

2020 Keystone Cougar 22RBS, Ram 1500, two Jacks and plenty of time to roam!
The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits. A.E.
Good Sam Life Member

Groover
Explorer II
Explorer II
I found this in the 2021 GMC manual

"Premium unleaded gasoline meeting ASTM
specification D4814 with a posted octane
rating of 93 — (R+M)/2 — is highly
recommended for best performance and fuel
economy. Unleaded gasoline with an octane
rated as low as 87 can be used. Using
unleaded gasoline rated below 93 octane,
however, will lead to reduced acceleration
and fuel economy. If knocking occurs, use a
gasoline rated at 93 octane as soon as
possible, otherwise, the engine could be
damaged. "

That sounds to me like a very strong endorsement of 93 octane fuel whereas the Ford spec sheet simply says regular unleaded.

On my 2016 Ecoboost I have never been able to discern turbo lag. It certainly isn't as much as any diesel that I have driven and not over a few tenths of a second. The main problem I have is avoiding spinning the tires when starting off with a heavy trailer.

Grit_dog
Navigator
Navigator
Glad I could scroll to the results.
Interesting, I would have thought the Eco/Power Boost would have had lower ETs and beat the 6.2 by a healthier margin.
But the coolest part is ALL of the new factory 1/2 tons are capable of basically sub 6 sec 0-60 and high 13s in the quarter mile, with only very slight tweaks!
We are all very lucky to be living in the second age of true muscle cars!
These were heavy loaded crew cabs as well. Basically LS6 chevelle performance equivalent out of something that is 4wd, seats 5-6 people in luxury and can tow 5 ton trailers all day long in the Rockies or Death Valley!
2016 Ram 2500, MotorOps.ca EFIlive tuned, 5” turbo back, 6" lift on 37s
2017 Heartland Torque T29 - Sold.
Couple of Arctic Fox TCs - Sold

ssthrd
Explorer
Explorer
Looks to me like horsepower and gears wins the day. No surprise from my point of view. It probably takes a few seconds to spool up the turbo when the Ford just took off.

Not sure but I think that GM only recommends premium fuel, but it is not required. I would imagine that horsepower would take a small hit on regular.

I agree--they are all plenty quick.
2014 Keystone Laredo 292RL
2013 Palomino Maverick 2902
2018 GMC 3500HD, 4x4, 6.5' box, SRW, Denali, Duramax, Andersen
DeeBee, JayBee, and Jed the Black Lab

The hurrier I go the behinder I get. (Lewis Carroll)