We are looking to sell our 40' 5ver and scale down to a 5000 lb truck camper. My 2012 drw has a gvwr of 13300. We need the extra payload from the 14000 option in the 2014.

Knowing the news about the upcoming changes to the 2015's, I am considering waiting to enjoy the benefits of a redesigned and presumably more reliable HPFP, turbo, and a more effective exhaust brake.

However, I hate the idea of being a guinea pig for the first year of any model changes. It seems that the 2014 would have the known bugs worked out. Am I wrong?

Anyone have any thoughts or suggestions?

 

I have a 2013 F350 drw with a 14K sticker. Seems pretty darn good so far. I lost two inches with my 5er hooked up. 3100 lbs pin weight.

Has a 9760 (aprox) RGVWR.

 

So, why wait?

 

From what I've read, the upgraded engine is going to appear on the 2015 F450 initially and then I presume it will filter down to the F350/250 models sometime later....maybe the following year? Has Ford published a release date for upgraded engine in the smaller trucks yet?

The 'model change' is that the F-450 pickup is going to be a real F450 again...so in a sense it's merely changing back to the way it was during the '08-'10 model years, which is a welcome change IMO.

In some regards, you are already a guinea pig for the 6.7 liter engine so the upgraded engine should be nothing to worry about. The larger turbo is nearly the size of the original 7.3 turbo with the added features of VGT and engine braking so that should go a long way to improve the high altitude issues reported with the current design. The improved HPOP has a longer stroke so it shouldn't have any starvation problems and the improved injector nozzles might solve the valve coking issue (although I wish Ford would just go with a 9th injector and solve the issue once and for all...).

The Ford announcement also talked about 6R140 enhancements including an upgraded TC. This last part has my attention because I really don't like the TC operation and constant shifting of the current models myself....hopefully Ford is working to address that issue with the new calibrations. If it was me, I'd wait a little bit longer to get the upgraded stuff. I presume your current truck is very capable of satisfying your needs for the time being.

 

I plan on trading my '12 F-450 for a '15 F-450. Supposedly there's a completely redesigned SuperDuty for '16 so I feel the '15 is going to be the best of this series of trucks. I'm also looking forward to the new hp/tq ratings.

 

Based on my experience so far it appears that the bugs are pretty well worked out in the 2013 6.7. And I waited two years for my 6.7 because I didn't want to be a test bed for new engineering. I would have the same skepticism for any new, major engineering changes to the motor in the future. But that's just me. I've been bitten a couple of times buying the newest technology in vehicles (and in hardware and software) so I'm gun shy.

 

I see your point and generally share your concern but the upcoming changes to the 6.7 engine are very similar to the type of changes that Ford made to the 7.3 engine during the 99.5 model year. I think everyone agrees that those changes worked out very well with little to no known issues. I don't know of a single person who considered changing their late 99 model back to early 99 specs.

 

Agreed, which is why I was careful to say major engineering changes. I expect annual upgrades to the 6.7 will continue but the motor now seems to be pretty stable. A lot of folks would argue that the first year of the 6.7, which was a major change in almost every possible respect, was fraught with issues. Most Ford took care of with a bunch of software changes and some "hardware" fixes. But for the people affected it was frustrating and perhaps expejnsice in lost time and productivity. And I freely admit I am not well versed on the announced changes for 2015 so I have no right to comment on whether or not it sounds major.

 

I'd try and wait for a 15 myself if I was looking for a truck...

 

When I read through the announcement for the upcoming 6.7 engine upgrades I kept having flashbacks to '99 when the same sort of announcement was issued for the 7.3 engine. I would say the changes are major but not concerning. My perception is the coming changes have the potential to substantially increase the durability of the engine because it will be able to make the same amount of power while stressing the components less than before.

A simple summary of the 6.7 changes are:

1. Larger turbo to improve high altitude performance
2. Improved engine braking feature along with manual control
3. stronger crankshaft
4. improved bearing material
5. improved HPFP-longer cam stroke
6. Stronger head gasket construction which should reduce the frequency of leaky radiators
7. improved fuel injector nozzles which should help the exhaust valves last longer.
8. improved torque converter which should stall sooner to keep the tq multiplication from exceeding the 1400 lb rating of the 6R140

For comparison's sake, items 1,3,5,6,7 & 8 are the same sort of changes that occurred during the 99.5 engine update (actually, items 3 and 6 occurred about a year earlier...) . Granted, the 6.7 has a HPFP where the 7.3 has a HPOP but the concept is the same....increased stroke (15% to 17%)

Initially, we may not see an increase in HP/TQ numbers....at least in the F450 model but I think that will depend on what the market forces Ford to do. For whatever reason, there are still a bunch of people that will base their purchase decision on the published HP and TQ numbers so Ford may choose to up the power a little bit just to keep bragging rights. Kinda funny how creative marketing will suddenly convince people that their current truck is somehow deficient and obsolete even though it may still be working perfectly and getting the job done just the same as before.

 

The changes sound incremental to me - continued refinement of an acceptable motor.

Your marketing observations are right on IMHO - Dodge, now Ram, is certainly pushing their "advantage" in their marketing. HP and torque numbers will always sway some portion of the population even if the advantage is so small as to be inconsequential in real life.

 

I think Ford is going to do whatever is necessary to beat Dodge in towing. That's probably the motivating factor in re-building the F-450 back into the truck it should have been left as. Imagine having an F-450 with a nice bump in hp and torque.

 

I would wait for the '15 and get a F450. I am sure GVWR would increase with the F450 which would help out those who are carrying heavy slide in campers. The '08-'10 450's had a GVWR of 14,500 and I would think Ford would up the rating on a new and improved truck.

 

That's what I'm thinking, except the wife wants to camp this spring and summer.

I'm thinking I'll pick up the 14 and wait to trade in on the 16 when the rumored redesign happens.

Thanks to those who put the 15's updates in perspective.

 

I would do the same.