I just got back from my dealer. I test drove two new 2017 super duty trucks:
1. F350 DRW 4.1 6.7 4x4 Lariat (5900# front, 9900# rear), Michelin tires @ 55 PSI
2. F250 XLT 3.55 6.7 SRW (5600# front, 6340# rear), 18" Goodyear tires @ 58 PSI

Keep in mind that I have been really looking forward to test driving these vehicles and need to buy a 1 ton+ truck of some sort before camping season. I was expecting to be very pleased...

Observations
1. The dually had a much better ride on smooth roads compared to the 2016 DRW, about the same when hitting bumps. The turning circle increase over the 4.30 wide track in the 2016 was very noticeable.

2. The F250 had a ride inferior to the F350 DRW IMO (and according to my wife and all 3 kids). The bumps were softer than the dually, but the ride on relative smooth roads was jiggly like the 2016. I can deal with an occasional jolt when hitting a pot hole, but I don't want a constant jiggle.

-> Neither of these trucks had a good enough ride for me to want as a daily driver empty. The 2016 F350 LWB SRW had a fantastic ride - I'm looking forward to test driving a 2017 F350 LWB SRW as soon as my dealer gets one.

-> Neither of these trucks tracked great on the highway. The steering was very slow and seemed to constantly take additional effort to keep straight. I suspect the adaptive steering would help.

-> The power came on much quicker in the F350 DRW than in the F250 off the line. I don't know what to make of this as they both have the same engine and transmission. I don't think the 3.55 vs 4.1 is the reason - it wasn't that the F250 seemed less powerful, it had a much more pronounced power difference a second or two after tip-in. The F350 DRW was strong nearly immediately after tip-in.

-> The dually surged and made noise when making sharp turns - the dealer thought this was due to the dually tires wanting to spin at slightly different rates (on the same side). This might be the case, but I didn't notice that when testing other dually trucks (including the 2016 F350). It almost felt like turning in 4 wheel drive on roads that aren't quite slick enough.

-> The F350 DRW also had large weights (10+ lbs or so) that could freely rotate mounted mid-way under the truck on the frame. They must be for improving the ride. The F250 did not have them.

 

Torque management is different in the drw trucks compared to the srw. I don't know the specifics but I believe they aren't limited as much and make full power in a lower gear. That'd explain the drw taking off better.

 

I believe the drw's get the full monte after 1st, the srw's after 3rd.

 

The lag in the F250 was in 1st. Once it hit 2k RPM (1.5 seconds or so), there was a very noticeable power increase. The F350 DRW seemed to have tons of power right off the line. BTW, I don't care that much as I don't plan to drag race the truck!

 

Me neither. The things got more power than I'll ever need! That being said, when you put your foot in it and plants your back in the seat......I smile every time. I can't help it.

 

Both trucks had more than enough power. I had my hopes up that the dually would ride so nice that my search for a nice loaded daily driver with a 3600#+ payload was over. The 2017 dually certainly rides better than the 2016 dually, but nothing like a long bed srw.

I did learn one thing at least... I don't want a short bed. I will take a slightly harder parking experience for the 1% of the time I'm parking it for the much nicer ride the 99% of the time I'm driving it. (45 min commute, 30 seconds to park.) The 14 extra gallons of fuel, easier towing, and bigger bed are nice also. It's hard to believe that the long bed is less than $200 more.

 

Deleted, posted to the wrong thread.