Ford vs Chevy MPG Verdict! Here’s How the F-250 7.3L V8 Compares to the Silverado V8 Towing & Not! 

The Fast Lane Truck Did Ford lower the ride height on the 2020 super duties?

@@buildriteconstruction2690 yes, I believe I saw that they did. Something like an 1" in the front and 1 1/4" in the back.

Have you guys ever done a milage test comparing tailgate up versus down? They would be interesting to see in addition to doing that test with a cap also.

cody grillaert MythBusters did the tailgate up or down test. Leave the tailgate up for better mpg

@@andrewhannah8015 I know they did, I'd like to see TFL do it and introduce a cap to the comparison.

The tech manuals for carburetors are either chiseled in stone tablets or cave paintings. Lol

That's my problem with the people doing these reviews, they judge trucks on things they don't understand they aren't mechanic's or run fleets and look at downtime numbers. They just blurt out things they don't really understand and everyone walks in lock step based off of it.

That's a fair categorization. And throttle body injection would be "ancient"

bearatts Was thinking the same thing! My 2004 Hemi 1500 got 15 empty

Yeah my 6.2 Silverado gets 14 combined average per tank of mixed use. Best was 18 on the interstate with a good tail wind.

Not very hard to beat a Dodge hemi with anything

My 2015 Hemi on the other hand got 21.5 on a long flat trip at 60-65mph

Have the exact same truck. Hemi 04. 240k miles now

@Dylan Church Chevy has the new 6.6L gas V8. Add: yes 6.6L not 6.0 or 6.5

5 star will have their tuned numbers soon.

We will publish more Super Duty videos soon.

@@TFLtruck why did they embargo the 7.3 when it was readily for sale on lots and you bought it yourselves? Just seems like the dinosaur print media or whoever Ford was protecting from being scooped has too much lead time and is just proving why new internet media is eating their lunch.

@@TFLtruck when will you post the Ike Gauntlet videos for the f250 7.3?

Yeah I like how he added at the end how the Chevy trailer was heavier.

Based on differential gearing it was able to haul more than this Ford was rated because the Chevy was a 3.73 differential gear versus the Ford 3.55. Don't forget that you're using winter gas and running the heater.

Cup & Cone gm is weaker there fore not as much fuel

Also the Chevrolet managed that better mpg despite the fact that they used 85 octane (with 10% ethanol) yet for some reason on the Ford they gave it 87 (without ethanol) even though both manufacturers say 87 minimum. I'd imagine if the Chevrolet had gotten the equal fuel it would have been an even larger margin of difference.

Matthew Robertson The heat won’t affect fuel economy unless the defrost is on, fuel type maybe, weather conditions for sure and gearing as well.

I've got one with 4.10 gears, 5 speed, stock tire size and it's getting between 10 and 12 usually...

I mean the 350 has a 3.73

Exactly, this video is utterly pointless if they didn't do it in the same day, same trailer, etc.

This channel has always been a wee bit biased towards GM. All these comments talking about fuel economy are quite annoying. A Toyota Prius gets better gas mileage than almost anything. But that’s the only thing it does better.

I am a diehard GM guy and I agree. I still see the GM doing better MPG but I think it would have been close enough it wouldn't be a selling point.

I do agree that the constant fuel mileage comments can get annoying, especially from private owners that should be fully aware of the cost to operate a full size truck. But given that the 7.3 is intended to be a reliable and economical motor for commercial and fleet operators, grading it heavily on its fuel economy is warranted. I don't think the ratings were terrible given the testing conditions and elevation. But I was expecting it to get a little closer to the Chevys numbers.

@@Bmc1025 Tow rating, at least to me, seem to vary a lot truck to truck even within the same models. I'll say this much, its getting better mileage than the Ecoboost F-150 I used to own. Loved that truck and the power as much as it loved gas

Thank you, glad I am not the only one that seen that. It is harder for a large truck to push through cold air. I noticed that they was bundled up when testing the f250

EGT matters on turbocharged engines because of the boost. EGT is not an issue on naturally aspirated engines, even when towing heavy uphill. Engine oil & trans. oil temps are.

I have not noticed that. From a 4spd to a 10 spd, 5.4 to a 3.5 EB, the newer truck does stay in 8th most of my towing trips, but the power difference in the engines allows it to stay put, where the 5.4 would kick to 3rd and rev to 4k. Haven't needed the 3.5 up that high yet.

I was gonna say the same about my 2012 4.6l tundra... I've been getting 13.5mpg

The gearing on those trucks makes them burn more fuel than you would expect.

Si Raff I bought the truck new,and was going on the Toyota reliability. And that has proved true. If I had to buy a new truck it would probably be a Toyota. I worked at a local Chevy dealer until just recently, and saw a lot of issues with the new Chevy’s. The more bells and whistles, the more problems.

A 2019 tundra probably won't be able to get any better gas mileage either.

Shaun Beach that’s true. Toyota needs to get the mpg’s up.

There is a good video from bad tree productions on one of their trucks. Look it up. They did a Holley sniper throttle body with the factory efi on the 460. Actually worked really well. I think they were around 15/16mpg on it. And a considerable power gain

It was windy for the Chevy too!

I agree. I was hoping the MPG would be a little better with a 10 speed.

Do you realize that they did that to get an "out-of-the gate" number, right? People are going to be modifying the heck out of these monsters anyway. I am rare, I love Ford and Chevy and I feel like they make each other greater. I am more of a Ford dude, but I am impressed with RAM's 6.4 HEMI as well. What a trio, 6.4, 6.6, 7.3 like the good old days of big power.

Christopher Williams 6.4 Hemi is much more appealing with its new 8 speed. The old 66RFE held it back quite a bit not even having a true 6 speed ratio spread.

They tested the Tremor on the Dyno, not a good choice for a true dyno test. They would have been better off testing the one in this video on the dyno. The 10 speed is better suited to the 3.55 gearing than the 4.10 or whatever it was on the Tremor. When you look at the dyno on the 6.7 with the 10 speed and 3.55 gears the numbers were off the chart.

@@jamespenner1412 In nearly all the Ikes the Chevy out performs in the HD .

If you did that’s amazing. Those numbers sound quite a bit over shot though. Are you sure you did the math right? The V-10s were said to be around 10mpg empty and drop when hauling weren’t they?

What's your mpgs?

With my 06 duramax dually towing a 31k lb trailer of hay I got 9.8 mpg on a 77 mile trip with several decent sized hills. And I get about 15 mpg on the same loop with a 15k lb stock trailer. So this test surprised me with how awful the gas mileage is with these modern gas engines towing a trailer

MPG will get better as they break in for sure lol

Hey me too!! With the 4x4, 5 speed 3.50 gears I get 16 city and 20.3 highway unloaded at 65 mph! What in the world is ford doing?!

@@happydoggs probably not by much.

Chevy is my favorite trucks

Chevy and ford are the best.

Lil Johnny2.0 agreed

I just bought a '19 F350 with the 6.2 and 4.30s, so far I love it the only complaint is the god awful mileage. Coming from a 2005 Cummins towing on the highway leaves something to be desired but anything under 50/55 I think the 6.2 is as good if not better than the 6 speed common rail.

Yeah it took me some time gettin use to a gas motor but I’ve had mine for 5 years now and it’s been the best vehicle I’ve ever owned. It’s got 149000 miles on it and I pull constantly. I’m off road a lot with me job to. I’ve put on 1 front axle , battery. And brakes. Other than that change the oil ($26) and that’s it.

The 4.30 would help.

Yeah man. I like the 4.30

@@TheMCD1989 That's where the 10 speed might come in.

But whats it real world power and MPG numbers once the limp mode comes on due to whatever $1000+ emissions component of the week going out, since that's pretty much how every diesel I have seen built in the last nearing 10 years actually spends most of it life opperatiing running as? OH, wait! It's not a diesel so it doesn't have that problem! :D

Sure it's a large tank but it uses the same amount of fuel if not less than a tundra which has a 26 gallon tank. Less stops needed to fill up.

Micheal Dingle agreed.👍

Micheal Dingle id still hate to be looking at the screen at the pump when I’m filling up from 1/4 tank lol

Gives you allot more range when you need it. My 2014 Sierra 1500 has only 26 gal and I wish it had 30 or more. I've taken it to places in Northern Canada with long distances between fuel stops. Which makes me wonder. How big was the fuel tank on the Chevy they tested? All that extra fuel weight might account for the difference in fuel economy.

@@loganholmberg2295 Agreed. I love the 36 gal tank on my F-150.

High octane does not directly mean more power. It allows higher compression motors to use fuel more efficiently ( less preignition).

Some of trucks are hitting 10+ loaded now. Crazy. Our v10 school buses get 7.5 even with all the stops go and idle time. And 8.5 with Cummins. Though the diesels are all being phased out. Too slow, slow heat, and way more maintenance cost. Plus the noise/vibration. The gassers are so much nicer to drive.

Agreed. A truer test would have been them running side by side at the same time, pulling the same weight(GCVW), and then compare. Considering both test runs of the F250 were into the wind accounts for something as well as the winter blend fuel.

@@acdii um they drove a loop so one way was into the wind and the other would be with the wind at your back. so it all cancels its out.

@@wiks101 Did they have the same with the other truck? If not, then not a true comparison. Besides, a head wind can really affect MPG more than a tail wind, so it wont really cancel it out unless the tail wind is at least 10 MPH more.

@@acdii What a geographical and physics oddity--Into the wind down AND back, in a down and back comparison!

@@T51B1 Where did you read they had a head wind both ways? Did they really?

I don't think more gears is always a good thing. I recall on another Gauntlet test one of the two trucks tested had more gears and it kept upshifting and taking the engine out of the power zone. Then the engine would begin to strain and the truck would downshift. It cycled like this the whole way up the mountain...very annoying if I recall. That said, the Ford has good torque so it may not be an issue.

He needs to keep his foot off the gas mine gets 16 -22mpg

That's odd. What octane fuel is he using and does he haul stuff in the back or pull a trailer? Driving short distance lowers mpg's as well like in my '13 F150 with a 5.0L. I drive a 2 mile round trip 5 day's a week and 20 mile round trip on Sunday. My mileage is 7.2 mpg.

RIP off the stock exhaust and put in a K&N air filter plus air up your tires to almost max psi that helps immensely

something isnt right with that truck then my average between highway and city is about 17-18mpg

And that's half the reason why I wanna upgrade to an 18+, the fuel economy

Except wouldn’t you assume the same for the competition as well then?

Altitude mostly in this case. I took my V8 F-150 from Florida to ~6,300' elevation and lost about 2mpg hwy.

I'd go stright for the 430. Gasser l love deep gears

The 3.55 is only rated to tow 12k I think. The 4.30 can do 15k.

The 10 speed makes up for it, it has a really low first gear.

@@serfnuts If it was only rated to tow 12k, why did TFL just tow 14.5k?

What happened to the 3.73 ?

I stop for gas about every 250 miles or so in my F-250, and 250-300 miles in my Impreza. Unless the Mrs is coming along, then we're stopping every 1-1.5 hours for a pee break and might as well top off the tank while we're stopped.

GMs get better real world gas mileage.

Billie Buckamer based on what evidence?

@@billiebuckamer8189 I agree but its god awful ugly.

My 99 f250 gets 9mpg. ( lifted 33s) empty. I could care less its a great truck. A good engine will only cost you fuel thats it

Robb M the video

lol it's not they're in the jet stream! Wind conditions can change quickly and dramatically. Besides, I doubt they were going in a straight line the whole time.

Exactly; They are Ford fanboys so they had to say oh its the wind, The Chevy towed more and got better mileage.

ChicagoSox give your head a shake! I could run that Chevy on 3 different runs on different days of the week and I bet I would get different MPG results each time. Same for the Ford, that’s what happens when you have real world testing. And I hate to tell ya, but that Ford when properly equipped can tow and hall more than that Chevy.

Matt S the Ford can definitely tow, but after watching these videos for a few years they always say the result is the result due to real world testing. This is the first time I’ve seen them make an excuse for the Ford

Dylan Thompson that is true

Agreed. The gm trucks have always been about the total package. They have always been competitive despite not having the highest numbers.

Lol GM and reliability?

I factor in the differential gear. That Chevy test was a 3.73 rear end. This Ford is running on winter gas with probably the heater running and on 3.55 gearing which is crazy for pulling this much weight.

@@Welcometofacsistube The only two trucks that had reliability problems on the Ike gauntlet were Ford's.

@@Welcometofacsistube um GM 6.0 liter? that thing built like a tank. My uncle had a work truck with it and it had 350k miles on it and still was going strong.

All the ford could handle

Ford is weighed down in back

The different fuel grades do literally nothing for power, the higher octane just makes it less likely to detonate.

@@A_Man_Of_Culture_ The Ethanol even though its only 10% does effect economy. It won't effect it much but there is still an effect i got an 07 truck that is flex fuel, its reg gas vs e85 numbers are difference of i think was 20% loss using e85. Its only 10% in this case but still gonna hurt a small bit in fords favor.

I caught that also i thought it was just me. They did use 85 .When they did that I was said ewww no. So the chevy gets better mpg on cheaper gas go figure .Way to go Chevy !

A Man of Culture so you obviously know nothing about engine detonation management. 🙄

@@paul.s9677 The Chevy was tested with warm weather fuel vs cold weather fuel for the Ford. 87 octane helps compensate for worse quality fuel and make the test more equal.

It does weigh what, 7,500#?

Around 6,800 for crew cab 4x4, I believe.

A 10 speed transmission just weighs a truck down if anything. Getting rid a of a 4 speed automatic was the worst the they could do.

@@waterloo123100 idk I like my 6spd on my 2019 I wouldn't want any more than 6 gears on a heavy duty truck. My 06 duramax I believe had 4 and it was a tank

Cowboy Texas Is your truck a Ford or a Gm? We actually like the Ford 6 speed autos at my transmission shop. They have a lot less problems then the Gm version. But we prefer the 4 speed because of the simplicity and how light they are. Their truly the best if you plan on working them hard.

bill stewart and that will be $53,000 thanks here are the keys

Bill you gotta remember that these engines have almost twice the output and the trucks weigh 30 percent more than the old ones. I understand what you are getting at though.

@@jakecreech1659 ya bill

Except new trucks have twice the power output, way more towing capacity, quicker acceleration better everything and probably better fuel economy

The new trucks are also at the mercy of the EPA. They’d use half the fuel otherwise.

I think that's one of the biggest problems in their test, they do it at speed. Most people pulling that heavy of a load in a gas (hell even in a diesel) would be 60-65mph for safety and control of the load. Also the Chevy was done in summer and lite winds, the poor Ford got winter fuel (packed with additives and maxed on Ethanol) and high winds. I can tell you all about how high winds effects MPG, I live on the South Texas Coast. We see 20mph + winds very regularly, my 2010 Tundra unloaded driving into that high wind will make 8-9mpg @60mph and 5-6mpg @75mph. But if we get a very calm day of wind, I get 20.8mpg @60mph and 16-17mpg @75mph. Best I have very got was 24.276mpg @60mph with at least a 25mph wind at my back on a trip up to San Antonio. My combined over the 2 years I've had the truck is 13.295mpg, that's about a 35% highway and 65% city driving. Right now on winter blend I'm pulling 10.8-11.9mpg in the city around here, in summer months I get 12.7-14mpg in the city (summer fuel here has almost no ethanol at all, too hot for it to stay in the tanks). So fuel is a big play just as wind is.

survivalguy, my 6.0 powerstroke brother!! Yeah, towing my 5,500 lb camper, I run 65 MPH max. I own an 04 F250 6.0. I don't see how these people run 75-80 MPH safely!

55 60 makes more sense than 70 for sure . The roads by my are so curvy you cant tow above 50

60 MPH in the Ford is WOT LOL

@@TheVenom8343 to answer your question ive been wrencing on a fleet of over 800 super duties in the harshest environment known to man ( the oilsands in northern canada ) since 2002 and can say they have gotten WAY more capable over the years , multiple brake upgrades, fully boxed frames, and way more tech as far as electronics (trailer anti sway , advancetrac etc..) the 2020's ride is far more capable then the 2002's (but i still like the simplicity of my 2009 v-10 ... )

I hate when they test during the winter. I know they really do t have a choice but cold weather really affects mpg.

Cold weather also produces more power.

@@UvidCo less energy efficient in winter. Only electric makes more power and not electric cars either thanks to our battery tech. Does make more power, just takes more fuel.

The Ford is pulling less weight so I don't see much of a difference.

Ford suspension is shit. My F-350 squats terribly. Rides very smooth without a load but once a load is on it rides like crap! Best heavy duty truck I road in with a load is the RAM

@RJ AB typical fanboy reaction

@@dylanmorvant1041 Rides well but squats terribly? Sounds like the opposite of my F-250, which has lighter springs.

Because they tested the Chevy months ago

SMiller5488 what does that have to do with the octane they used

SMiller5488 maybe they used higher octane in the ford this time in hopes it doesn’t break down going up the Ike like the previous model did last year 🤷‍♂️😂😂

@@tylerp8951 Warm weather fuel vs cold weather fuel. 85 for the Chevy and 87 for the Ford helps even out thier performances.

I just bought a 2019 ram 3500 6.4 hemi standard cab long bed 4x4. 410 rear. Left nj with 900 miles on the truck. Drove to SW Florida towing 7000lbs. Keeping@ 65 mph and tire pressure at 80psi. I got 12.0 mpg. Very impressed the way it towed and how the transmission acted. I'm a Cummings diesel guy and again I was very impressed...

@@sashashpiruk4865 my dad has a 2014 3500 and he says it's the biggest piece of trash, it's been to the dealer multiple times per month and now the dealer doesn't want to work on his truck anymore, he was probably just unlucky with his truck

@@natetoland7537 I'm sorry to hear that sir. I use to be a die hard Ford guy. But since the 6.0 and 6.4 diesel problems I went Cummings and Rams. I've had nothing but good luck with them. I use them for my transport business and snow plowing. I'm not a fan boy. Just have good luck.

Nate Toland Probably got a lemon. Should of used the lemon law to get a new one.

Sasha Shpiruk - Cummins, Cummins. No g in there,,,,, hahaha. I have heard the same good reports about the Ram Diesels in the Ranching industry as well. All the diesel trucks are good with today’s engines, forgetting the past, but the most loyal followers seem to be Ram! Nice to hear from someone who really uses them and not a mall crawler. (Which I have become since retiring, I used all Ford because I’m cheap, but I didn’t have any problems since 2000. One F350 gas in there, it was a giant pig on fuel.) I have owned well over 100 trucks in my life but I’m done with first hand knowledge of work trucks as of last year. Maybe I will see more of your comments!! Stay safe out there, Eh.

Truth!

460's were never anything to write home about, a good engine overall but they tended to choke on really heavy loads that 454's just did not. 454's also came with Turbo 400's and those are truly amazing transmissions. To be fair the C6 is great too but it is just so damned expensive to build vs a Turbo 400. Not those withstanding i would probably prefer to buy a 454 or 460 based towing truck vs a 2020 Silverado or f250. Reason being they both are torque monsters when built right, cheap to find, and cheap to build up. When you are talking about $40,000 trucks buying a older truck such as a K20/2500/30/3500 or a F250/350 with a 460, and then doing a rebuild ends up being cheaper. You also then have the option of using a great manual transmission like the SM465. A much nicer looking truck too overall. If you are towing 20,000+ Gas mileage is under 10 with pretty much any gas engine anyways, so why not opt for the one that is easier to work on overall?

The 1995 F350 4x4 Single Cab Dually 460 at work was a special order truck for a fire department and came with a C6 and 4.10 gears and a fiberglass utility bed instead of regular bed. Thing is absolutely screaming down the highway at 55MPH. Probably gets around 4MPG empty.

But they're also at a high elevation so that has alot to do with it too.

And temperature, and winter blend gasoline... a useless test

Sebastian Wallace Real world test you get what you get. Still better than anything the epa puts out. You might as well rule out the original poster comment as well as I’m sure he doesn’t have the same trim level and options these trucks have not the exact same trailer or set up nor give a said distance for the 7-8 mpg.

This is where the 10spd trans will likely be a big factor.

BEBNC1 Yes! I really wish GM would have put a 10 speed on their new 6.6L. I believe it would help it immensely. You can see in the IKE video the 6 speed grabs another gear and drops way to much RPM. They crawled up the mountain by the end. Will be interesting to see this 7.3 and 10 speed go at it.

You must have the E4OD and 3.73 gears. I had a similar F-250 (regular cab long box, nothing huge) with the 460, C6, and 4.10s and it had a hard time getting double-digit MPGs. I think the best I ever did was around 12 but that's no Overdrive and big gears in the rear end. It would pull anything you wanted it to but sucked gas down. The 460 would do 300k+ miles no trouble, I know plenty of people who used to use them pulling race cars and campers cross-country.

@@406Steven it does have the E4OD with 4.10's and stock size tires/wheels. In town it 10mpg.