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Hemi versus 7.3

The 7.3 seems to be a great engine with lots of power but not without issues. Mostly the engine/tranny combination. Secondly, it may be just me, but I have never been able to find a comfortable seating position in a Ford truck. Before I retired, our Spec Ops unit had several F-150s and 250s and I hated driving them. To me, their ergonomics are inferior to Ram. On my 2500 I can drive hundreds of miles and be comfortable in the seat with everything within reach.
 
LeRamona said:
The 7.3 seems to be a great engine with lots of power but not without issues. Mostly the engine/tranny combination. Secondly, it may be just me, but I have never been able to find a comfortable seating position in a Ford truck. Before I retired, our Spec Ops unit had several F-150s and 250s and I hated driving them. To me, their ergonomics are inferior to Ram. On my 2500 I can drive hundreds of miles and be comfortable in the seat with everything within reach.
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The one I had for over 1,000 miles I did not like at all. I had to pull over and shut the truck off and turn it back on again several times because it would not connect to my phone for turn by turn instructions.

They all have issues. Ram, Ford, GM.
 
Nosferatu said:
I regularly tow a few different trailers between 8000lbs and 13,750lbs between Montana and Washington, going over 3 mountain passes each way. I haven't found the Ram to be underpowered. Granted, it doesn't have the spare power going up the grades as the diesel did, but I haven't found it to be unable to complete the task.
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Going down our home's grade (Grand Mesa) towing our 9,995 GVWR travel trailer is where I really appreciate having the diesel exhaust brake on our Ram 3500 4x4 6.7L versus not having it on our Ram 2500 4x4 6.4L. Both have had no issues going up and down with enough power, but it's just easier on my mind with that exhaust brake coming down. Been up and down Beartooth in Montana. Elevation drop is the same, but it's within 30 miles versus in 21 miles.

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LeRamona said:
If a person starts at sea level, more than likely the fuel in the tank will be 87 octane or higher which will cause no issue at high elevation. I put 86 octane on mine 95% of the time unless I know I’m going to a much lower elevation area. It makes absolutely no sense to pump much more expensive fuel just for the remote possibility that I may have to drive to a lower elevation area. If for some reason, such as a comet, a zombie outbreak, etc. that forces me to flee, I’ll just pump higher octane when I get there. In the meantime the truck’s ECU will sense the lower octane and adjust accordingly to protect the engine.
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Where do you fit the diesel engine on that bike? I imagine applying the exhaust brake on the bike must feel like hitting a brick wall.
 
Deltron said:
I've absolutely had it with my '22 Cummins. Absolutely by far and away the worst vehicle I've ever owned with endless emissions issues. That's saying a lot, I bought a new Vega back in the day.

Anyway, exclusive use towing a 14k 5th wheel TH.

Looking at the Hemi with the 4:10 or the Ford with the 7.3 and 4:30.

Unbiased opinion. Towing in mountains up to 11k in Colorado, not too much flatland towing. .
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Ford 7.3 with 4.30's. It's not even a close comparison to the gas Ram.
 
DarkHorse8 said:
View attachment 90045Hey OP, I have a 7.2 over here for you fresh out of the box. DIESEL. No emissions.
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I've been reading about the 6.7 gasser by Cummins. It seems to me this engine would absolutely dominate GM and Ford for guys that are towing but are sick and tired of the janky emissions systems on new diesels. Cummins is claiming a 10% increase in mileage too versus comparable gas engines.

It might not have the hp but much more torque and way less affected by altitude being turbocharged. Keep the Hemi but have this engine and the diesel as options.
 
Deltron said:
I've been reading about the 6.7 gasser by Cummins. It seems to me this engine would absolutely dominate GM and Ford for guys that are towing but are sick and tired of the janky emissions systems on new diesels. Cummins is claiming a 10% increase in mileage too versus comparable gas engines.

It might not have the hp but much more torque and way less affected by altitude being turbocharged. Keep the Hemi but have this engine and the diesel as options.
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Just looked up the Cummins 6.7 gas. Wow! That's a torque monster 660lbs on the 300HP version is nothing to sneeze about. Not sure how it would behave on a pickup truck but it's certainly a very interesting engine.
 
LeRamona said:
Just looked up the Cummins 6.7 gas. Wow! That's a torque monster 660lbs on the 300HP version is nothing to sneeze about. Not sure how it would behave on a pickup truck but it's certainly a very interesting engine.
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1300+pound gas motor…~1600 rpm max…
 
I have the 6.4 Hemi with 4.10 rear end in my 2020 2500 MegaCab. I tow a 9000 pound travel trailer. I live in Northern Illinois and have towed as far east as Cape Charles VA, as far north as Fargo ND, as far south as Key West and as far west as Yellowstone. And a whole lot of places in between. I have a little over 50,000 mile on it right now. And I absolutely love the experience. Plenty of power in the grades and the flats. No Def or emissions issues. Is it a bit thirsty? Yep. But I did not purchase this for MPG. I purchased it to perform a function and it does so fantastically.
 
LeRamona said:
If a person starts at sea level, more than likely the fuel in the tank will be 87 octane or higher which will cause no issue at high elevation. I put 86 octane on mine 95% of the time unless I know I’m going to a much lower elevation area. It makes absolutely no sense to pump much more expensive fuel just for the remote possibility that I may have to drive to a lower elevation area. If for some reason, such as a comet, a zombie outbreak, etc. that forces me to flee, I’ll just pump higher octane when I get there. In the meantime the truck’s ECU will sense the lower octane and adjust accordingly to protect the engine.
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Here in CA, I would be starting at sea level with 91 octane and driving up to 6K ft and have essentially an empty tank. Then if I refill it with the low octane fuel available at high altitudes, then I would be driving back to sea level with crap gas. No thanks.
 
HarryN said:
Here in CA, I would be starting at sea level with 91 octane and driving up to 6K ft and have essentially an empty tank. Then if I refill it with the low octane fuel available at high altitudes, then I would be driving back to sea level with crap gas. No thanks.
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It's a very long drive from California to find 86 or 85 regular available at 6K feet. Premium is still 90, 91, or 92 in the west.
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Poolmonkey said:
Says 1800 here, my mistake. Maybe I’m looking at a different version or something, probably.

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Interesting. The specs on the ones for the medium duty trucks and such say 3,200. 1,800 doesn't even make sense, it's basically the same engine as the diesel which I believe is 2,800.

It sounds like it might be a good towing engine though. Too bad GM didn't update the 8.1L.
 
Bull Creek said:
It's a very long drive from California to find 86 or 85 regular available at 6K feet. Premium is still 90, 91, or 92 in the west.
View attachment 90096
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Colorado isn't that far away, just a few days driving at a moderate rate. Not offering 91 octane fuel in CO is just dumb. Surely it is needed for turbo charged engines ? Engines with variable cams ? Sound like a nanny state issue vs technical issue TBH.
 
JohnandDonna said:
I have the 6.4 Hemi with 4.10 rear end in my 2020 2500 MegaCab. I tow a 9000 pound travel trailer. I live in Northern Illinois and have towed as far east as Cape Charles VA, as far north as Fargo ND, as far south as Key West and as far west as Yellowstone. And a whole lot of places in between. I have a little over 50,000 mile on it right now. And I absolutely love the experience. Plenty of power in the grades and the flats. No Def or emissions issues. Is it a bit thirsty? Yep. But I did not purchase this for MPG. I purchased it to perform a function and it does so fantastically.
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I’m glad your truck is serving you well but 9,000 pounds it’s a lot.
 
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