did I choose the wrong make?

[early99smoker]

So alot of people are saying that d max and Cummins put out these crazy power numbers and powerstroke falls i'm last, is this true? Can a powerstroke not compete in terms of power or is it just because of cost?

[jesilvas]

The design is such that it's hard to get the huge amounts of fuel out of an HEUI motor compared to a mechanical injection system. It's true.
You can spend tons of money and beat most trucks out there, but it'll cost more on a Ford.

[JSchuricht]

You need to compair similar years. The 7.3 came out in 94, the 5.9 12v and the 6.5 were the competition back then. The 12v was mechanical and could be turned up fairly cheeply but the transmission wouldn't hold the power, the 6.5 in the GM's wern't exactly competative and didn't take well to power increases. In the modern trucks, Ford has the most power stock at 400/800.

[mxracer511]

yea thats the problem every one compares our older 7.3s to mostly newer dmax and cummins but if you put them against similar years its still a damn good motor

[early99smoker]

Yeah I see what tryout I saying, I still love my truck

[mxfever090]

How many 6.5 GM's do you still see running around? or 1st gen Cummins? I don't know where you're at but I couldn't tell you the last time I saw a 6.5 (just puked in my mouth a little, worst sounding diesel on the planet) and I see a 1st gen dodge once in a while since there is a local that has one. Now pay attention to how many 7.3's you see. You made a great choice!

[Meat12]

Dont get caught up in all the bench racing that I see in the Diesel world. Too many guys chase a number. You can build a fun reliable blue oval for a modest amount of money. Build it how you want it, If you want to "Compete" with you buddies making big numbers, get out your wallet....they did.

[BryceB]

Originally Posted by mxfever090

How many 6.5 GM's do you still see running around? or 1st gen Cummins? I don't know where you're at but I couldn't tell you the last time I saw a 6.5 (just puked in my mouth a little, worst sounding diesel on the planet) and I see a 1st gen dodge once in a while since there is a local that has one. Now pay attention to how many 7.3's you see. You made a great choice!

Exactly what I was thinking. the 7.3 gets compared to the current gen trucks because there's still a bunch on the road compared to the other brands of the same years.

[roadhammer97]

I had a 05 cummins before my current late 99 7.3 and I will say it had more power with just a programer intake and exhaust. I also loved they sound WAY more than I do this 7.3. BUT I sold that cummins for 30000 bucks and bought my current ford for 10000 (200000 kms more on it than the dodge)

Im no more scared of this for than I was the dodge. Every part for this ford is about half the price or less than the dodge and they are so easy to work on.

I would run a cummins any day they are great engines but for a 3rd of the price and complete piece of mind this 7.3 works great for me.

To answer the orginal poster tho to keep up with the newer Powerstorke/Cummins/duramax a 7.3 basically has to be race built.

Buy a (99+) 7.3 for 10G and drop 5-7G in engine 450-500HP ish

buy a (03+) 5.9 for 20G and drop 3-5G in engine 450-500HP ish

JUST MY HUMBLE OPINION

Im sure someone will come in and tear it apart shortly.

PS Im from Alberta Truck prices in other areas may differ but here in AB a cummins is like gold LOL Like I said sold my dodge for 30g and bought my ford for 10G.

[dieselcrawler]

Originally Posted by mxfever090

How many 6.5 GM's do you still see running around? or 1st gen Cummins? I don't know where you're at but I couldn't tell you the last time I saw a 6.5 (just puked in my mouth a little, worst sounding diesel on the planet) and I see a 1st gen dodge once in a while since there is a local that has one. Now pay attention to how many 7.3's you see. You made a great choice!

LOL... lets go back even further... I got a '84 chevy K-30 with a turbo'd 6.2L. Used to be my daily driver work truck with a 9' utility bed and dual wheels. Now it's back to a play toy, locked up, with 40" boggers. Not the most powerful, but lots of fun... it was a good stepping stone to get me sold on diesels, but I've had my yellow dually PSD since '07, and love it... it has led to others, as well as a good friend of mine who very soon after I got my dually in '07, traded his '96 K-30 with a 6.5L for a E'99 7.3 PSD and has never looked back, and now has an F250 too... We now have 6 of the 7.3 PSD's between us, with a combined mileage of 1,284,000 miles.