A little slower than a dmax at 8,000' or not, I don't think very many people would dissagree with my opinion that the 6.7/6 speed auto combo in a Ford SuperDuty is the best tow rig ever built.

 

I don't know the shift strategy for the new transmission but, the write up mentions being able to manually lock the torque converter with the Ford. Didn't the article say it stayed locked down to 1600 rpm during the dyno tests. The write up doesn't specifically state that both trucks were using full automatic during the hill climb.
One could would assume they did but they didn't on the dyno so maybe they carried that to the road test. Simply put the rig would be missing the torque multiplication the torque converter would naturally provide.
Just thinkin... May be way wrong

 

I think under that type of load condition the converter would lock up.
Most of the time they do at WOT, or so I have been told.

 

I already know the outcome of the n/a gassers up here. While the TD's suffer up here a little, it's not nearly as bad as the gassers suffer. Trust me, the bigger trucks up here are TD's. People who come to live up here with the 6.8 sell it shortly after arrival because of the mileage and power drops. I've said it dozens of times, and every time I do, someone down in Texas says something else. That's why I always offer to do a similar test up here, at altitude.

 

I'm not buying that test...there has to be something more to it than the 4.30 gearing. (which shouldn't have been tested against a 3.73)

 

I don't pull at that height, and I don't want to do a test up there. My truck would be sick that high up. Out of all the highways in the US, what % are really that high though?

If I moved up there I would want do a mild turbo set up. 400 HP, 500 ft lbs and much less loss with altitude change with a small enough amount of boost to not hurt anything. Would still cost less than a PSD too.

 

It doesn't matter what percentage of roads are at elevation when the entire STATE is above 4500' and you live in it. So are the States to the North, South, East, and West.

Put a turbo on your gasser...It will cost more than a PSD upgrade when you factor in programming and the increased maintenance cost for an aftermarket kit (change the oil every 3000 miles. Period) You just don't get it.

 

What added maintenance is required.

And i have driven many natural aspirated gas engines at 7,000 foot elevations, and they still did good.

Why would a person towing a heavy load care if they climb a hill at 50 MPH instead of 60 MPH anyways.
Here at least, long and steep mountain roads are generally posted at 60 to 90 kms/hr anyways. That equals about 40 MPH up to 55MPH. So doing more is just illegal anyways. If everyone slowed down a tiny bit, and relaxed, less tragic accidents would happen on the roads to.
It matters not to me if I climb a hill at 10 MPH less than some other person.
Even the long and steep climb up the parkway road from Banff to Jasper, with a very heavy Camper, gear, and towing my boat, i was able to keep up easily with traffic flow, and doubt that i floored even once my GMC truck with 454. I did have to brake some to slow up for traffic ahead, and lift, and gear down around switch backs. Then just use some but not floored throttle to get back up to speed. I go up it no faster now with my diesel truck, same camper, and boat. This diesel I currently own offers me zero advantages on trips, above the previous gas engined trucks I used to own. Older diesels offered a significant fuel mileage advantage, but thats now been erased with the current emissions controls that my 2008 F350 has. I am goingback to gas.
Less noise,smell,cost,shorter warm ups,and no cool down idling required either.And gas is easier to find in remote areas.

 

Nat as engines struggle in elevated climes, that is fact. It also makes no sense to try and turbo charge a gasser if you move the the rockies over buying a stock diesel as Bill is harping on about.

But I hear you on the mileage of the 6.4....I preferred my 6.0 and other diesels to this one, but love the truck as a whole.

 

There are no aftermarket kits available as of now for the V10, it would have to be fabbed so your price point is invalid. In reality someone with the knowhow can easily turbocharge or supercharge (with tuning) a V10 for quite a bit less money than the $7k PSD option upcharge.

I suspect we will see exactly what a forced induction gasser will do in a truck at elevation because Ford is going to be producing EB gas engines for their trucks in the near future.

 

I'd bet you could turbo a V10/5.4 reliably for under 2 grand. You can get new brand name turbos (ex. holset, garett) for less then $500. Probably another $500 for plumbing and intercooler. Few hundred for tuning. Easily well under $2000

 

There are plenty of wrecked 6.0l SDs sitting around in salvage yards for parts.

 

There is no doubt that at that elevation the psd does a lot better than a n/a engine. I would be curious to see how my truck would do out there though. We have several hills steeper than that and just as long and none of them have had it below 65 mph, much less 50, with the same weight. That is in the 1,000-4,000' elevation range though.

 

Me too. I would like to have a shot at that hill with my 6.0 and my wifes 5.4 f150. I think its the tune that failed the psd. What I say in the dyno showed the psd to have good strong flat power band so we know the chevy didn't out power it and really don't believe the 430 gearing gave the psd any disadvantage.

 

That's why I say that test is BS, and something else is going on. I pull Vail Pass (where they were testing) with a 10k trailer at 65+ no problem. I've only got 350/650.