freakin love it. I will say gears 1-8 in the 3.55/Godzilla combo are healthy. I just personally would prefer, in hindsight, a little extra gear when cruising and towing. I routinely get up the boat ramp at 1k rpm. I’d have ordered a 250/7.3/3.73 or 3.9 rear end id it was offered, be perfect imo.

I have a lariat value pkg and the jump from my 2015 XLT max tow 3.5 eco f150 is fantastic. I dd it (loosely, I work from home a lot) and it’s not too different. Air down the tires vs. the 70 psi from the factory and you’ll like it. I hope to keep this truck for a very long time. 7.3 is a fantastic power plant.

 

Lots of good info, glad I asked. Would also love a week long test drive. Ridgeway I just caught that you have 7.3 and 3:73, is that a 350 thing? The ford site makes it look like you can't have that combo but I was looking at 250 specs. I don't want the torque bad enough to pay for the diesel and all the def drama that a friend has had with his, hopefully his is exception. Thanks everybody who spoke up. Jim

 

Very happy to hear it. I also came from a 2015 F150 eco. Definitely need to air down the rear tires. I put mine at 67 and it doesn’t upset the TPMS but my tires are still wearing in the middle. Need to get forscan.

 

The 3.73s for the 7.3 is an F350 thing. I am on my first diesel and I didn’t want all the diesel and DEF drama either.

Good luck in your choice.

 

My 22 F250 is a 7.3 with 4.30 empty at 1mile above sea-level in New Mexico unloaded I'm getting 14mpg combined daily driver. Pulling this 10k 5th wheel I got 8.5 at 70mph just last weekend. Honestly I feel I could have gone with 3.55 as easily as this pulled my trailer, but wanted to make sure I had enough gear to pull my RZR behind the 5th wheel, not gonna be a problem. The difference between the 6.2 and 7.3 is where the 7.3 hits 400ftlbs vs the 6.2. The 7.3 hits 400ftlbs at 1500 and peaks at 4500 the the 6.2 doesn't hit 400ftlbs until it gets to 4500rpm.

 

In 2017, the 6.2L got a small update, which bumped torque numbers up a little from your 2015. They also introduced the 6R100 transmission in the F250 which had better gear ratios suited for the 6.2L. And now the 10-spd introduced in 2020.
My 6.2L/4.30's won't come out of 6th on the highway with the cruise set. I've gone from TN to NY along I-81 through the Appalachian mountains and never left 6th unless I stepped out to pass someone.
And lest we forget that gas engines are designed to "scream like a little girl" under load. It's where N/A gas engines make their power (and N/A diesels....remember those?).

Gear ratios are pretty important when it comes to that "bottom end" that you are looking for. Go 4.30's and never look back. Don't worry about the 1, maybe 2mpg that the 3.55's will get you...because they will cause the trans to hunt gears more and use more RPM on the hills. BTDT with 3.55 and 3.73 in the past.
Funny how some guys won't blink an eye to spend $5k on a package to get heated seats, but will balk at the idea of losing 1mpg even if it means increased performance...

Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

You can rent one from an Enterprise Truck location. I am not 100% sure if they option trucks with the 7.3, or if the guy behind the counter will be able to help find one, but it can be an option to look into.

 

Your average is going to end up, 6.2 or 7.3 around 13.5 to 14.5 MPG.

 

I drive 55 mph. I would love to see numbers from someone who drives the same and has 3.55s. I think the 7.3 has an interesting tune.....just want to see if my math is correct.

 

That power curve chart represents the 1st generation 6.2L. The 2nd generation 6.2L makes 430lb-ft @3800RPM.

I drive comparable 6.2L and 7.3L fleet trucks often and there really is a small difference between them in drivability. The 7.3L is an upgrade, but its not the huge leap ahead of the current generation 6.2L that many claim it is.

If you can find the time for a project, try and fit a Mack EN707 into a pickup. Gasoline Inline 6cyl 11.6L, 205hp@2100rpm and 615lb-ft@1200rpm. That should satisfy your low end woes with a gasoline engine.

 

Boooo! At least keep it in the Ford family.

Ford GAA
1,100 cu-in V8
500 hp @ 2,600 RPM
1,050 ft⋅lb @ 2,200 RPM

They also built a 770HP V12 version

 

Yep, sorry, you caught me right after a plow customer (HOA) sent me this big long list of demands, something they almost lost their service over last season, they had me a bit riled up....

For starters I live in the mountains at 8000 ft so my truck has to work a little harder due to losses at altitude. My example of pulling 11-12k around in these mountains is pretty accurate on the steeper grades. If you want to pull that much and maintain the 60 mph speed limit, either gas engine is going to be running high rpm. I actually didn't let out of it just to see what it would take. Coming up the less steep west side of this pass I could haul the load and never exceed 4000 rpm where the engine is actually pretty quiet still. Once you go over to 4500-5000 it is a noticeable wail. Now your 5k load is a different story. My gooseneck flatbed is just about 5k empty and the truck pulls that around like it isn't there. Just be aware that if you want to push the truck with a heavier load, it will be screaming

The 3.73 gear is the standard gear on the F350, or was since I do no think anybody knows yet what the '23's will bring. I had a '22 ordered with the 4.30 because I do use the truck to haul pretty big stuff now and then. The mileage penalty isn't very large as most have mentioned and if you do not run 75+ I think it is a good pairing with the 10 speed trans. I ended up finding a truck on a lot and needed to pull the trigger with plow season coming and Ford delayed my order a couple of times. The 3.73 is a pretty good compromise and the 250 and 350 trucks are almost identical. I think it is worth considering for your needs but I have never driven either of the other ratios since trucks are super hard to find. I am working through my list of friends wanting to try mine out still...

I have had a bunch of diesels and like you and others, I did not want to pay for it and the complexities they have added make it less desirable to me even given the power. I do not want the smell on my hands, don't want to have to buy def, and it is a luxury item at this point not really a necessity.

I really liked my old 6.2 truck, I thought it got around great. We handed it down to our son with almost 200k miles on it and he "hasn't found anything it can't haul yet" but it is his first truck... He can now haul around his toy, a built Terminator Cobra, and things he needs for the hobby farm they bought. I think the 7.3 is an upgrade for sure but they act largely similar in use. I went form a 2012 to a 2022 so you would expect a decade of improvements and the new truck is awesome. Everybody that rides in it is impressed. Most of my buddy's have 6.7s and several are ready to convert to the 7.3 based on how my truck is working.

On the 10 speed trans, it is really busy IMO. Most shifts are imperceptible but at times it is clunky and cantankerous and the manual mode is the solution. I am not a big fan of the stock programming, the 1-3-5 shift strategy under light load might save fuel but 1-3 means race revs in first, falls on its face for a second when it grabs third, if you pedal it to overcome it abruptly drops to second. So you either creep away or race so it goes 1-2-3, which is admittedly kind of fun, the engine sounds great and when you get on it a little it does mover really well for a truck this size.

I would guess your mileage would be similar to mine empty. around 16-17 with the 3.55 or 3.73 rear, probably 15-16 with the 4.30's. My steel body 6.2 6 speed 3.73 truck almost never did 14, usually 12-13 for the same use. 17 is awesome in a truck this big IMO.

I just wanted to be honest about the low end power level. I do not think it is an issue up to about 12-13k lbs. Over that I would really want the 4.30's and over 16-18k I regularly I would have a diesel. Doesn't sound like you will be hauling that much so the taller ratios 3.55 or 3.73 seem well suited to your needs. I knew I was going to taller tires and I wanted the extra capacity of the F350, the 3.73s cover for the 35" tall tires pretty well. It is a great truck, zero complaints. It is comfortable enough that we use it as our "car". Took it on a 5500 mile cross country trip, it was comfortable and capable, never missed a beat. I have always had a SD sized truck around even when I didn't haul some of the loads I do now because even for small loads I much prefer how the larger, meant to haul, trucks perform. The truck is very versitile and the 7.3 just adds that extra dose of capability. I am also hoping the simple design will have great durability. I love opening the hood and seeing the whole engine, it even takes up less space than the 6.2.

So there is my synopsis/rant on the truck with less anger...lol

 

According to Fuelly, for 2020 and 2021 MY 7.3, the average MPG is 11.2-11.5. Those are the Real World numbers you are looking for. Anything else is hearsay. You can expect to get between 11 and 14 MPG non towing. Do not go into it expecting to get F150 MPG, nor anything better than 15 tops, there are very few exceptions to getting higher than that out of a big gas engine pushing 8,000 pounds through the wind. Anyone who claims they do better than 15, have them prove it with a fuelly log of more than 10 tanks. Out of 32 logs, only one had 14 MPG average, the rest well under. One guy screwed his results by putting an 1100 mile tank with 26 gallons and not checking the missed fuel box.

 

I'm so sorry you think that.......

I drive 55 mph and get over 16. Come fill my tank (with my money), sit with me for a week as I drive and calculate it yourself. This offer stands to one and all. Fuelly is what it is....it is not the be all and end all. The Log you read over 14 was me (gipsy danger). This was before the engine was broken in). Look at my truck photo and look at the 7.3 godzilla thread, post #2.

 

Hilarious... you have to prove it.... you have to use fuelly to prove it too I have pic of over 8 hours of my regular commute, a whole tank of gas over several days at 17.0 mpg. My hand calcs show the meter in my truck reads half an mpg LOW. I did a 5500+ mile trip mostly cruising 80 mph and the meter said 14.8, which puts it over 15 with the error, pics of that here too. Go ahead and ignore the "hearsay" because a bunch of lead foot city drivers can't manage their fuel use. You also have no idea how much those users are towing with their trucks. Even my accumulated trip miles around 12,000 which included a fair amount of heavy hauling and a season of plowing snow showed over 14 mpg. Guess I am just making it up, though I am not sure why anyone would bother doing that. I could care less if you believe it but rest assured, it happens for me everyday. My truck gets great mpg, no tricks required.