The 1987-1998 Ford F250 History: Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Generation (Part 4)
F250 Eighth Generation
The styling of the seventh generation Ford F250 was refined for the 1987 F250, and this generation was marked with technical innovations. A 6.9L diesel was the premium engine for the 1987 F250, and a 5-speed manual transmission was offered, along with a new automatic overdrive transmission, helping to increase the fuel economy of the lineup. In 1988, the Flareside was discontinued as an available trim. All of the engines were now offered with fuel injection. The F250 received a new 7.3L diesel engine making 180 horsepower and 345 lb-ft of torque. 1991 brought around the first automatic locking hubs in F250 4×4 models, with leaf springs mounted to the offset Dana front differential. The 1991 F250 also came in a diesel variant.
F250 Ninth Generation
The 1992 Ford F250 helped the F-Series top 500,000 units sold for the first time, and that was in part to a steady increase in power from the popular F250 diesels. The power of the 7.3L diesel began with 185 horsepower and 360 lb-ft of torque in 1992 increasing to 215 horsepower and 425 lb-ft of torque from 1994-1997. The F250 also featured a 7.5L V8 making 230 to 245 horsepower during the ninth generation. The F-Series was becoming so successful during this generation that their 800,000+ units sold in 1996 outsold Chevy and GM trucks combined for the first time ever. It would set a historical benchmark cementing Ford’s iconic status as a truck manufacturer.
F250 Tenth Generation
The 1997 Ford F250 came in two variations; the first was the F250 Light Duty that was basically an F150 with heavy duty suspension and axles, and the second was the F250 Heavy Duty that was similar to the F350 models. There were little revisions made to the F250 pickups in 1997 or 1998, as early in 1998 the F250 and F350 trucks would share their own separate heavy duty model line, even though they still carried the F-Series name.
Part1
Part2
Part3
Part5
Part6
Ford Super Duty (Generation 1) Specs
Ford Super Duty (Generation 2 and 3) Specs
