Ford’s 2015 Pickups Reporting for Super Duty
When I was in high school. I always associated big trucks with the cool guys and jocks who got all the girls. That was in the early 2000s. These days, it seems Ford is proud to make its trucks a little more book-wormy. Its 2015 Super Duty lineup is the head of its classes, depending on the subject.
One subject in which all Super Duty pickups excel is under the hood. The second-generation 6.7-liter Power Stroke turbo diesel V8 now cranks out 440 horsepower and 860 lb-ft of torque, both segment-leading figures. In order to net increases of 40 and 60, respectively, the Blue Oval team switched to a compacted graphite iron engine block, which is stronger and lighter than its cast equivalent, and devised a more efficient route from the exhaust to the larger turbocharger. Powertrain engineers managed to reduce noise, vibration and harshness in the process, too. Robert Fascetti, Ford’s vice president of powertrain engineering, says, “The improvements we’ve made essentially give Super Duty customers an engine designed for our larger F-650 and F-750 trucks. They may not realize how tough this engine really is.”
The new Super Duty chassis was also substantially reworked. F-350s can be equipped with a high-capacity towing package that includes new front springs and a wide track axle which allows the rig to haul a maximum of 26,500 pounds of fifth-wheel/gooseneck trailer and hit a gross combined weight rating of 35,000 LBs. Conventional towing capacity goes up by 3,300 pounds to 26,500.
Those are big numbers, but they’re not class-leaders like those of the F450. That beast can gooseneck-tow as much as 31,200 pounds. Its GCWR is up 3.5 tons, to 40,000 pounds. Such jumps are possible because of beefed-up wheels and tires, suspension components and steering hardware.
Originally posted on F-150online
