2011 Ford Super Duty Engine Mule Shows Off Replacement To Stroking?

[cssutto]

I was afraid of the 6.0 so I kept my 1999 7.3 6 speed until this February 15th, when I bought a 6.4 job #2 with the 20" wheels. Automatic.

My 7.3 had 353,000 miles on it and I am the only one that ever drove it, so I spent enough time in a 7.3 to have some opinion about one.

It is true that the 7.3 is a great engine, but it is totally outdated.

I have 8,000 miles on my 6.4 and here are my comments:

The truck rides like a luxury car. It makes the 7.3 feel like a wood wagon on a logging road.

Quiet. In the 7.3, the noise level is such that you must raise your voice to have a conversation. My wife will not raise her voice. I was always asking "What?" and she would after the 10th time, get exasperated with me usually with the dig that I need to get a hearing aid. Of course, I would get mad because she would not speak up and we usually just gave up.

I have not missed one word since we got the 6.4.

It has the pep of a sports car. I can pass in places on the narrow state roads with short passing areas that I could never do in the 7.3. It passes like a Mustang.

It pulls my 4 horse Sundowner much better.

There is one trip I make almost every week pulling the horse trailer, in fact I am going to make it tonight, that has a 9% grade with 25 MPH curves. The 7.3 had to be in 2nd gear, noisy as a farm tractor. Really grunting to pull that mountain.

6.4 pulls that grade like it is not there and the noise level is about the same as a luxury car in passing gear. You hear it, but it is not objectionable at all.

Another trip I make regularly pulling the trailer has a short but very steep hill with a 65 MPH speed zone. The big trucks usually pull it at about 35 MPH with their 4 way flashers on to keep the fast traffic from rear ending them. I would charge the hill at 70 MPH and about half way up have to downshift topping the hill at 45 to 50 at the best.

The 6.4 maintains the 65 MPH from start to finish. No charging at 70 to make it. Another grade on this same trip is much longer and even the smaller cars have trouble maintaining the speed limit, but the 6.4 pulls that one also without losing any speed. It does turn up some pretty impressive RPM's, but again the noise level is about like a luxury car in passing gear.

Going down those steep grades, the Tow/Haul mode is great.

I have been driving since 1944. I have never owned any of the exotics, but I have owned a lot of ordinary off the floor stock cars. For many years, I flew all over the country and rented hundreds of cars, some of which were the latest and greatest of their type. This truck is the most pleasurable vehicle I have ever driven.

Sneer at the '08 and tell us that you will never ever buy another Ford until they build one that ??????? (fill in the blank with your favorite gripe), but you just don't know what you are missing.

When I thought I was going to order a truck, I told the dealer "No rear view camera, no step in the tailgate". Anyone that needs that stuff should be in a rocking chair, not a truck. Now that I have them, I would never be without them.

Stick with that noisy rough riding 7.3 just so you can say you have a "real" diesel. You are going to miss out on a lot of fun driving.

By the way, I still own the 7.3. I have driven it one time since I bought the 6.4. If the 7.3 were a better truck, I would take it on my trip tonight. NO WAY.

The 7.3 is for sale.

CSSJR

[cob32187]

Originally Posted by eschaner

Even though that "thing" is a mule, it is one ugly a-- truck. After ford changed to the new style, I would not even consider buying a new truck. A truck and the new style usually grows on a person after a while, but not the new ones. I will keep my '02 7.3 until the wheels fall off. IMO

I'll keep my 2000 til the wheels fall off, then i'll just put them back on and drive another few hundred thousand miles.

[tollen17]

COB, I hear ya dude. Took the words outa my mouth.

[eschaner]

I don't think anyone said anything about the performance of the new trucks at all. The body style just has something to be desired, IMO. And for those of you who like the new trucks, well that is your decision.

[cssutto]

When I am riding down the road in the best ride I ever had, enjoying the quiet, the comfort, the power, the road tracking of a Mercedes; do you think I give a $%*# whether anyone thinks my truck looks better/worse than his?


And for me, what a truck does and can do is much more important than what it looks like.

But while you worry about the new truck's looks, you are missing a fantastic ride.

CSSJR

[DavidPhillips]

Yea, me too except I think they are the best looking trucks.

[eschaner]

Thats good that you like your truck. You stated your opinion and I did too. Along with others on the org. No sense getting pi$$ed off about it.

[blizzardwarrior7]

Another happy 7.3 owner, who also owned a 6.4 and traded it in almost immediately when I found my current 7.3 with less than 40k miles on it ....Cant stand the look of the 08 trucks either .

[ksttac]

I think the 08's are really nice, I just cant afford 55k on a new truck. Ill stick with my 01, i can actually afford it, and i use it everyday to pull. I would rather have an 08 but not in my bank account. I do think they are too much money.

[OverFueled's_08_Fx4]

i like the looks of the fords period. had a 7.3. 6.0 and the new 6.4. but i have to agree about the ride and looks. Of all the newer body styles, other than Ford, they are the uggliest things i have ever saw on the road. By far my 08 is pretty awesome. Got one of Spartan tuners and straight piped that sucker, because i can't stand to hear myself think.... LOL. But the ride is wonderful, and the take off is unexplainable, considering it is a diesel and can i say great fuel mileage now!!!!