newbie here.... 7.3 vs 6.0 ???

[WLDHRSE]

Hey yall,

Can you guys that have driven both 7.3 and 6.0 powered SD's tell me what you thought about seat of the pants feel, and fuel mileage?

My personal experience is this...
My first SD was a 99 5.4L (I know, I'm so ashamed..... ). My second was an 03 6.0L CC Lariat with every option. That engine was awesome but I only put 23k miles on it before trading it for an 02 vette (and a pile of cash).

I've never owned a 7.3L but test drove two 01's last year. Both were sitting on 35's, and both were absolute dogs. My 88 F-150 with 180 HP 302 sitting on 35's has considerably better pep than either of those 7.3's, and mine's annoyingly slow! Maybe those two trucks were not the norm, IDK.

So I'm looking for another SD and not sure which engine I want. What do you guys think that have put a lot of miles on both? Are the 7.3's really that much slower/less responsive than the 6.0? What kind of mileage are/were you getting in each (tuned or not)? Mileage isn't as important performance, but it's still something I think about. I generally put a lot of miles on a vehicle.

Thanks,
Cliff

[GoldieStroker944]

well ive had a 99.5 and an 01 and both of them were stock and both hauled a$$ they got 13 to 15 in town and 17 to 18 on the highway but my 03 was a dog when i got it no that responsive and very sluggish until the chip then it woke up i think i know why its sluggish but yea thats my experience

[superduty4x4]

Originally Posted by WLDHRSE

Hey yall,

Can you guys that have driven both 7.3 and 6.0 powered SD's tell me what you thought about seat of the pants feel, and fuel mileage?

My personal experience is this...
My first SD was a 99 5.4L (I know, I'm so ashamed..... ). My second was an 03 6.0L CC Lariat with every option. That engine was awesome but I only put 23k miles on it before trading it for an 02 vette (and a pile of cash).

I've never owned a 7.3L but test drove two 01's last year. Both were sitting on 35's, and both were absolute dogs. My 88 F-150 with 180 HP 302 sitting on 35's has considerably better pep than either of those 7.3's, and mine's annoyingly slow! Maybe those two trucks were not the norm, IDK.

So I'm looking for another SD and not sure which engine I want. What do you guys think that have put a lot of miles on both? Are the 7.3's really that much slower/less responsive than the 6.0? What kind of mileage are/were you getting in each (tuned or not)? Mileage isn't as important performance, but it's still something I think about. I generally put a lot of miles on a vehicle.

Thanks,
Cliff

I'd guess that the 2 strokes you drove and didn't like weren't regeared when they were lifted. Is your 150 regeared by chance?
I've not spent much seat time in 6 leakers, but I do know this- box stock a 6.0 is going to feel more peppy than a 7.3. They also wake up nicely with tuning. The 7.3 takes a bit more finesse and $ to get to the power level the 6.0 can go to. But... the 6 leaker does have its share of problems. The EGR is a huge issue, and they like to lift heads. The 7.3 with the usual mods will be a good solid motor up to around the 400hp mark, then you've got to start being careful. A 6.0 can go over 400 easily with head studs and an EGR delete.
It all comes down to what you really want, and what you can get the best deal on I guess. I went with the 7.3 for reliability. IMO the 7.3 is a bit more of a workhorse too, which is what I need. There are lots of happy 7.3 owners, and lots of happy 6 leaker owners out there. Do some research, figure out what you want to do, and see what you can get the best deal on. It's a buyers market right now, I've seen some nice trucks advertised at really low prices. Good luck!

[WSStucker]

My personal truck is the 01 EX 7.3 2wd. I love it. I just recently started with the mods and yes, they do make a huge differance. I was happy with it stock also, I drove it many years that way and didn't have any complaints.
At work I drive a 05 F550 6.0 2wd with a boom.

The EX weighs in around 9,000, the F550 around 15,000 with the boom.
Stock, I am sure the 6.0 out performs the 7.3. But, the 6.0 has a huge turbo lag. This is the only one I have ever driven so I'm not sure if this is common in all. It also runs at a higher RPM so it tends to scream instead of Hummm like the 7.3. Even before the mods in the 7.3, I liked it better. Now with the mods I love it more.
Too bad I cant tweak the company truck. That would be fun.
I'm not into racing, I just like to have a little fun and enjoy getting there.
Good luck with you're hunt and either way you go I'm sure you will be happy.

[tubular031]

Originally Posted by WSStucker

The EX weighs in around 9,000, the F550 around 15,000 with the boom.
Stock, I am sure the 6.0 out performs the 7.3. But, the 6.0 has a huge turbo lag. This is the only one I have ever driven so I'm not sure if this is common in all. It also runs at a higher RPM so it tends to scream instead of Hummm like the 7.3. Even before the mods in the 7.3, I liked it better. Now with the mods I love it more.
Too bad I cant tweak the company truck. That would be fun.
I'm not into racing, I just like to have a little fun and enjoy getting there.
Good luck with you're hunt and either way you go I'm sure you will be happy.

the 6.0 spools fast but they whine like a bizatch! I HATE it!!

a stock 7.3 is a dog and I really remembered that when I set my edge to stock for a day till i put in my chip. but a hot tuned 7.3 is pretty nice! its much nicer! remember in stock form that 6.0 will have almost 100 hp more then the 7.3. it all comes down to price and the deal you find. the 6.0 needs egr deletes and also head studs to be reliable if you mod. studs = big bucks

the 7.3 if you light mod is fun. if you want 400+hp you need forged rods (99 to 00 ish) any year after that you are pretty limited. and in my case my 01 has pmr and that is a good thing! keeps me from dropping big bucks on turbos and sticks


if you go 6.0 get a 05 or later. that was when they worked most of the bugs out of them. I know a few owners with 03 and 04s and about half of them have no issues and the other half have nothing but issues! I know 2 people with 06s and never had a problem!

[helsel_182]

the 7.3 stock is conciderably slower than the 6.0 stock but the reason why i love my 7.3 and hate my 6.0 is dependability i have had nothing but problem with oth of the 6.0hs that i have owned and never had a single problem with my 7.3. but to each is own

[Ryan Rønning]

I own a 7.3 but have driven a 6.0. I liked how fast the 6.0 was and how it sounded but the 7.3 is tried and true. There is a reason Ford ran the 7.3 for 15 years!

[helsel_182]

Originally Posted by RRonning1984

I own a 7.3 but have driven a 6.0. I liked how fast the 6.0 was and how it sounded but the 7.3 is tried and true. There is a reason Ford ran the 7.3 for 15 years!

amen to that brother you gotta think the 6.0 is the reason why ford is no longer dealing with navistar.....

[WLDHRSE]

Originally Posted by superduty4x4

I'd guess that the 2 strokes you drove and didn't like weren't regeared when they were lifted. Is your 150 regeared by chance?

My F-150 has 3.55's which helps but is nowhere what it needs considering the weight of the tires (35 X 12.5 X 15) and lack of HP & torque.

Those two 01's could have been the worst 2 ever built, or the best, I don't know and have no other experience with the 7.3L. That's why I was asking about it.

I appreciate the input from all. I posted the same question in 6.0 general discussion and got zero responses.

Any other opinions, thoughts? What kind of fuel mileage are you getting with 7.3's, with or without tuners?

Thanks again,
Cliff

[tubular031]

Originally Posted by WLDHRSE

Any other opinions, thoughts? What kind of fuel mileage are you getting with 7.3's, with or without tuners?

Thanks again,
Cliff

I have lots of thoughts o you mean truck related...

I get 13 to 18 with mine. i got a little better stock. best was 18.5. with my evo2 i seemed to get 15 to 16 no matter what I did empty. pulling my boat I get about 13 to 14 (5k) and pulling my 5er (10k) i got about 8 to 10 both times i checked there was a bunch of stop and go pulling the 5er so I am not sure what it will do on the open road.