F250 Tremor 7.3L Godzilla versus 2500 Laramie/Rebel/Power Wagon 6.4L HEMI

[securityguy]

OK guys, I hope this goes without saying, but I need to say it anyway. I fully realize this is a RAM forum and I have owned two 1500 Limiteds and loved them both. Not looking for FORD haters as we're all aware that each of the BIG 3 and Toyota are having issues with their trucks so it's a matter of picking your poison. I am interested in buying either a 2026 FORD F250 Platinum Tremor with the Godzilla gasser (MSRP is around $88K) or a fairly loaded RAM 2500 with the 6.4L HEMI (based on what trim I get, the MSRP is between $79K - $88K). Both the 7.3L and 6.4L motors are very solid so can't go wrong with either IMPO. The ZF 8-speed tranny, I believe, is a better tranny than the FORD 10-speed. Electronically, the FORD may be more solid as the RAMs, I've read, are having software issues with the new electronic architecture. Both the FORD and RAM are super comfy and I think the RAM has the edge on interior design and quality but the massaging seats in the FORD are awesome. Most likely, can't go wrong with either and I plan on buying an OEM warranty regardless.

Without being a "FORD HATER", please help me with my decision as both FORD and RAM dealers are willing to give significant discounts, but money is not the issue for me. I don't currently tow and will be buying a 32-35' travel trailer (maybe 5th wheel) in the next few years. It's going to be a BIG @$$ TOY that goes to Church, Home Depot, and the grocery store and really nothing more for now . Just looking for honest assessments before I move forward and pull the trigger on one or the other.

Thanks, in advance, everyone for polite and valuable insights and replies to my post. I just want to make sure I'm not missing anything in my decision making that I'll regret down the road.

 

[stickshifter]

I think you have the basics of the comparison down:

Ford 7.3 is more powerful
Ram ZF 8-speed is a better transmission
Interior features are a matter of personal preference

If you idle your truck a lot, the Ford might be a better choice. There are concerns about idling the 6.4 (not enough oil flow to the engine when at idle, resulting in lifter and camshaft failure - called the "Hemi Tick"). Many people believe that changing the oil regularly, and maybe every 3,000 miles, will prevent such issues.

I don't know what the quirks are with the 7.3

The one thing you didn't mention was bed length, and second row seating:
- The Ram is a 6' 4" bed, the Ford is 6' 9"
- The Ford has more leg-room in the second row, and a flat floor (the Ram has a transmission hump)
- As a consequence of more room in bed and second row, the Ford is 11" longer overall. Both are "big trucks" but the Ford will feel even less-agile off-road than the Ram (if that matters)

 

[Units]

I think you’re overthinking this. Just buy the one that catches your eye and be happy with it.

 

[Crusty old shellback]

When I went looking in '21, the Power Wagon came with more features that were standard. Tremor you had to pay extra for them.
Things like lockers front and rear.
12K lb winch
Disconnect sway bar.
4.10 gears with torsion limited slip.

So make sure you are doing apples to apples.

As for towing, I towed a 35 ft bumper pull TT from 4500 ft up to 7K ft with no issues.

Got 107K miles on it and no issues. Put 35s on it at 200 miles

 

[securityguy]

I think you’re overthinking this. Just buy the one that catches your eye and be happy with it.

You may be right and not a surprise. As an engineer, I overthink everything Just trying to do my due diligence and research the best I can. No truck will ever be the "perfect" truck. You would think, in 2026, that everyone could, at a minimum, build a quality, trouble free truck!

 

[securityguy]

I think you have the basics of the comparison down:

Ford 7.3 is more powerful
Ram ZF 8-speed is a better transmission
Interior features are a matter of personal preference

If you idle your truck a lot, the Ford might be a better choice. There are concerns about idling the 6.4 (not enough oil flow to the engine when at idle, resulting in lifter and camshaft failure - called the "Hemi Tick"). Many people believe that changing the oil regularly, and maybe every 3,000 miles, will prevent such issues.

I don't know what the quirks are with the 7.3

The one thing you didn't mention was bed length, and second row seating:
- The Ram is a 6' 4" bed, the Ford is 6' 9"
- The Ford has more leg-room in the second row, and a flat floor (the Ram has a transmission hump)
- As a consequence of more room in bed and second row, the Ford is 11" longer overall. Both are "big trucks" but the Ford will feel even less-agile off-road than the Ram (if that matters)

Thanks! 2nd row not a concern as it's just me and the wife. Driving a 2024 Chevy Silverado 2500HD High Country Duramax Midnight edition now so used to the bigger 6'9" bed. Don't idle much at all either. Regardless, I change my oil every 3K miles as oil changes are cheap and easy.

 

[whitexc]

Drive both and play with the buttons. I own a Ram and daily a Super Duty. Both have their goods and bads.

Going away from the diesel? Why?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[securityguy]

Drive both and play with the buttons. I own a Ram and daily a Super Duty. Both have their goods and bads.

Going away from the diesel? Why?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I did drive them both and liked them both in different ways. Bought the diesel because I never had one before and wanted to try it. My buddy is the GM at a Chevy dealer and I bought the truck for triple net and couldn't turn it down. Love the power and torque, but don't need a diesel and can now cross that off my bucket list.

 

[jsalbre]

You’ll likely be happy with either truck, but if you’re getting a 5th wheel you’ll be much happier with a diesel every time you try to pull in to fuel up. Getting a gas truck with a big trailer into most pumps is a major pain.

 

[securityguy]

You’ll likely be happy with either truck, but if you’re getting a 5th wheel you’ll be much happier with a diesel every time you try to pull in to fuel up. Getting a gas truck with a big trailer into most pumps is a major pain.

Thanks! Just looking for a reliable gasser that's cheap to maintain. Both the 6.4 and 7.3 seem to be a solid choice.

 

[mdsonofthesouth]

Late to the party but I was in your shoes too. Either will serve you well if you maintain them. Honestly I have driven the 7.3 plenty at work along with the 6.6 gm and 6.4 (also what I personally own). All perform the same IMHO and all are decent choices. I went ram for looks, interior, and the lack of a variable oil pump. I do worry about the 10 speed issues in the Ford as well, but Ram has its concerns too.

All in all either should give you a stress free ownership if you take care of them. But, obviously, my vote is Ram. But also 100% agree the Ford is a solid and good choice. Its a great but a stressful situation to try and make that choice...I know first hand lol.

I think you have the basics of the comparison down:

Ford 7.3 is more powerful
Ram ZF 8-speed is a better transmission
Interior features are a matter of personal preference

If you idle your truck a lot, the Ford might be a better choice. There are concerns about idling the 6.4 (not enough oil flow to the engine when at idle, resulting in lifter and camshaft failure - called the "Hemi Tick"). Many people believe that changing the oil regularly, and maybe every 3,000 miles, will prevent such issues.

I don't know what the quirks are with the 7.3

The one thing you didn't mention was bed length, and second row seating:
- The Ram is a 6' 4" bed, the Ford is 6' 9"
- The Ford has more leg-room in the second row, and a flat floor (the Ram has a transmission hump)
- As a consequence of more room in bed and second row, the Ford is 11" longer overall. Both are "big trucks" but the Ford will feel even less-agile off-road than the Ram (if that matters)

Idling with either is bad other than getting a slight warm up on cold days and the usual 10 to 30 sec to wait for full lubrication of the engine on cold start.

But if you MUST idle the RAM is better than the Ford due to the variable oil pump in the Ford. It will drop oil pressure to 8 or 10psi at idle which IMHO is starving a big V8 while both hemi I have owned never dip bellow 40psi.

 

[flan]

Late to the party but I was in your shoes too. Either will serve you well if you maintain them. Honestly I have driven the 7.3 plenty at work along with the 6.6 gm and 6.4 (also what I personally own). All perform the same IMHO and all are decent choices. I went ram for looks, interior, and the lack of a variable oil pump. I do worry about the 10 speed issues in the Ford as well, but Ram has its concerns too.

All in all either should give you a stress free ownership if you take care of them. But, obviously, my vote is Ram. But also 100% agree the Ford is a solid and good choice. Its a great but a stressful situation to try and make that choice...I know first hand lol.



Idling with either is bad other than getting a slight warm up on cold days and the usual 10 to 30 sec to wait for full lubrication of the engine on cold start.

But if you MUST idle the RAM is better than the Ford due to the variable oil pump in the Ford. It will drop oil pressure to 8 or 10psi at idle which IMHO is starving a big V8 while both hemi I have owned never dip bellow 40psi.

I thought ford changed the programming on the electric oil pressure relief valve to make more oil psi at idle? A couple I maintain needed to go back to the dealer for a reflash to fix that.

 

[securityguy]

Late to the party but I was in your shoes too. Either will serve you well if you maintain them. Honestly I have driven the 7.3 plenty at work along with the 6.6 gm and 6.4 (also what I personally own). All perform the same IMHO and all are decent choices. I went ram for looks, interior, and the lack of a variable oil pump. I do worry about the 10 speed issues in the Ford as well, but Ram has its concerns too.

All in all either should give you a stress free ownership if you take care of them. But, obviously, my vote is Ram. But also 100% agree the Ford is a solid and good choice. Its a great but a stressful situation to try and make that choice...I know first hand lol.



Idling with either is bad other than getting a slight warm up on cold days and the usual 10 to 30 sec to wait for full lubrication of the engine on cold start.

But if you MUST idle the RAM is better than the Ford due to the variable oil pump in the Ford. It will drop oil pressure to 8 or 10psi at idle which IMHO is starving a big V8 while both hemi I have owned never dip bellow 40psi.

Thanks! Starting in 2025, the VSOP is bo longer an issue as Ford increased the idle pressure to 20. If you have an older model 7.3, a customer satisfaction bulletin came out for a free reprogram of the PCM to take care of it as well. My Chevy ran at 25 idle.

 

[gimmie11s]

I just came from a 2021 Megacab DRW HO cummins Ram. Absolutely loved it when I was working it (towing). What I didn't like was the Ram drivability tuning/programming. It was not good. Even with the pedal commander, it was kind of a chore driving the truck. After 5 years of ownership, I only had 33k miles on it because I honestly didn't really enjoy driving it as much as I had hoped.

Last week, I bought a 2026 ZR2 2500HD Chevy with the Duramax and wow... My family cant get me out of the truck I love driving it so much. A complete 180* flip as it relates to precision and refinement in the drivability and overall driving experience is how I would put it. Of course the ride is also 180* flip for the better, but that is not really a fair comparison coming from a DRW to a spool-valve shock'd ZR2 Chevy.

Sticker on the new Chevy was just under $90k but I was able to get $9k off MSRP so there are deals out there. Im sure the same deal can be had for Ram... but perhaps not so much with the Ford.

 

[WXman]

Ford has:

- 6% more horsepower and 13% more torque
- More transmission gears (and the newer 10R140s are pretty bulletproof)
- Better axle ratio options
- Aluminum body that'll never rust out
- Stronger chassis
- Larger, more spacious cabin with a flat rear load floor
- A "short" bed that's a half-foot longer
- Telescoping steering wheel and better seats
- Gas engines WITHOUT MDS
- Better real world fuel economy

If I were ordering a NEW truck it would be a no-brainer for me, and I've had both.

I think we're all hoping to see a new Ram HD pickup before we die.

 

[Gren71]

Ford has:

- 6% more horsepower and 13% more torque
- More transmission gears (and the newer 10R140s are pretty bulletproof)
- Better axle ratio options
- Aluminum body that'll never rust out
- Stronger chassis
- Larger, more spacious cabin with a flat rear load floor
- A "short" bed that's a half-foot longer
- Telescoping steering wheel and better seats
- Gas engines WITHOUT MDS
- Better real world fuel economy

If I were ordering a NEW truck it would be a no-brainer for me, and I've had both.

I think we're all hoping to see a new Ram HD pickup before we die.

The main reason i personally didn’t go with an f250 was the seats are just not as comfortable. That aside, i drive them for work and they’re decent trucks overall.

 

[mdsonofthesouth]

Ford has:

- 6% more horsepower and 13% more torque
- More transmission gears (and the newer 10R140s are pretty bulletproof)
- Better axle ratio options
- Aluminum body that'll never rust out
- Stronger chassis
- Larger, more spacious cabin with a flat rear load floor
- A "short" bed that's a half-foot longer
- Telescoping steering wheel and better seats
- Gas engines WITHOUT MDS
- Better real world fuel economy

If I were ordering a NEW truck it would be a no-brainer for me, and I've had both.

I think we're all hoping to see a new Ram HD pickup before we die.

Ford gassers are great trucks. But the 10 speed, IMHO, are not as solid as the ZF in the Ram. 3.73 and 4.10 are perfect axle ratios, anything lower or higher is kinda silly in the 3/4 ton segment. The bed being 5in longer is nice but not as huge as its made out to be. MDS has never been an issue for DD, towing or hauling with a hemi the last 10 or so years. The Ford does not get better fuel economy real world...they are all pretty similar. Ram interiors are far superior and more comfortable. The chassis is not stronger and the power difference real world isnt noticeable at all.

Any pros or cons when considering a HD gasser whether it ben Ford Ram or GM is splitting hairs... the only reason to choose one brand over the other is personal preference as niether is better that the other in the real world.

My anecdotal evidence is I drive 2500/250 to 5500/550 of all 3 brands and far larger rigs for work at about 35k+ miles a year on top of owning a ram 2500 as an all purpose rig. Not trying to argue, rather say that any of the big three are a solid choice.