We put the 2020 Ford F-250 and its 7.3L V8 engine, better known as Godzilla, to the test. #Ford #Trucks #F250 Extra Camera Operator/Step Demonstrator: Mat Foster
This engine is perfect for those of us that occasionally haul a boat or travel trailer, etc...but don't need 1050 ft./lbs of torque...and all the extremely expensive diesel maintenance that WILL eventually happen. My friend's 2018 6.7 just ate ANOTHER $700 sensor, for example...curiously this stuff seems to start happening JUST when the powertrain warranty expires, lol! And the engine just SOUNDS awesome, to boot.
Last week my 2014 f250 6.7 puked the turbo. I now have a 2020 F250 with the 7.3. It's a great truck and I never have to worry about fuel filters, def, EGRs, DPFs, injectors, fuel pumps, expensive oil changes, etc. again.
Built-in obsolescence I believe is the word you are looking for. I've run diesel cars (not modern ones) for the last 20 years only once had an issue with an injector pump. 50 plus mpg. 2000 ltr tank in the garage so can have the fuel delivered in bulk and a much cheaper rate than at petrol or gas stations. Obviously much more stress on a work truck, but that should be factored in when the vehicle is designed.
My uncle has a 2019 F350 and the turbo went out right at 99,400 miles, an insanely good struck of luck. Imagine if he was right out of warranty. I wonder how much it'd cost to replace it then.
I picked up my 2020 f250 XLT FX4 7.3 with 3.55 gears in August to haul my 2021 Grand Design 24MPR toy hauler. This truck has pulled it without issue; especially on my most recent trip up to Flagstaff AZ!
Cool! I hv a 2021 xlt 7.3 liter. The truck pulled my travel trailer with no issues. Was going 65-70 up the hill west of Durango Colorado toward Cortez. The travel trailer weigh 11,000 lbs. n was averaging 9-10 mpg going 65mph on straight away. Went thru 4 diesel. Yes they hv power but Maintenance is too high. It has a 3.55 axel.
You’ve been a top reviewer in the YT truck world since the auto guide days. Even my wife likes you! Very professional, love the format, and your Dad is a valuable contributor with a wealth of knowledge. Quite refreshing from the other YT truck channels out there. Keep up the great work.
Wow, now you gotta test the new 6.7 powerstroke with similar loads to see how it compares. The acceleration for that 7.3 is impressive towing 9k -- faster than I thought it'd be, esepcially towing 2k more than anything else youve tested before. Also 11 mpg is better than some F150 owners report with the 3.5 ecoboost when towing less weight, so not bad really.
I love the 7.3l engine. Large displacement v8, strong internals, PORT FUEL INJECTION, pushrod v8. Just great old meets new. I wish they'd put that engine into more vehicles!
I appreciate hearing an opinion on a truck by a truck driver. Too many are by someone who isn't and all they have to say is it doesn't ride and handle like a Mercedes .
Dad drove Class A (tractor trailer) for years. He pushed Matthew and I to get our licenses, so we're both D licensed (straight trucks, dump trucks etc.). So we all have some heavy trucks in our background.
you probably dont give a damn but does any of you know a tool to get back into an instagram account..? I stupidly forgot my account password. I love any tips you can give me!
@Matthias Chase thanks for your reply. I got to the site thru google and Im trying it out now. Looks like it's gonna take quite some time so I will reply here later with my results.
@@Polack-ml9fh Because the bore spacing is closer to a small-block. A Ford small-block has a bore spacing of 4.38", and an LS has 4.40" of spacing." A big-block Ford has 4.90" of spacing, and a Chevy big-block has 4.84" of spacing. This has 4.527", which is somewhere in the middle, but it's certainly closer to those small-block engines than those big-blocks This engine has a large displacement, but the block itself is not that big. If I'm not mistake, the 6.2L has greater bore spacing. So, the 6.2L has a bigger engine block. Even with the cam configuration aside, you can just tell that that the 6.2L is physically bigger engine by just looking at how it fits under the hood. There's much more room around the 7.3L
ThemCanadian Duke boys Shine business is doing well, had to step it up to a 7.3 Heavy Duty to carry the barrels of fine home made Canadian liquor to their customers, these bearded fancy speaking good old boys ain’t fooling this old hillbilly not a bit. As always great review!!! I always wait for popa bears approval and views, dad likes it I agree.That man has a many a day driving trucks and knows his stuff, love how he doesn’t pretty up say exactly what he thinks!!! Also good move using the loader to take off them empty barrels, like their still full of water, wink wink.
It remains to be seen, but Ford claims the Godzilla engine is pretty bulletproof. Maintain it properly and it'll go a whole bunch of miles. Which is THE big selling point for diesels. That and the torque. But diesels are persnickety. If you fail to maintain them EXACTLY as the manufacturer recommends you're gonna have problems. Which is a BIG problem for a bunch of folks transitioning to a diesel from a gasoline engine. There's just a lot more maintenance for diesels. For myself, no contest, the diesel is king for heavy duty work. But for the occasional heavy tow or capacity load, the big 7.3 litre gasoline engine makes sense. Lower initial cost, lower maintenance cost and a bit more forgiving than the diesel. Gimme the diesel, but I fully understand Ford's offering the option of a big, powerful, reliable gas engine for heavy duty trucks. I HOPE it works as advertised.
@@richfarfugnuven6308 Thanks! I thought they supercharged it since there was a video about it but it might have been another truck. Actually right after this comment youtube recommended me the video where Andre talks about the failing wire. Is the wire that goes from the coil to the spark plug. Ford must have a bad batch or a bad supplier of that electrical component, since he mentioned other brand new trucks with the same problem. And this V8 engine has 8 of them😬. Hopefully is just that since the troubleshooting is the difficult part. The wire swapping is fairly easy.
Also, I love your reviews. I have been a fan since TFL days. You and your dad seem like good people in my book and would be fun to hang out with if I didn't live on the opposite side of the states. Lol
For the guys that want to upgrade the suspension check out Carli suspension. They have an amazing King setup that can turn a super duty into a power wagon killer. Combine that with a set of rear bags and you keep the payload capacity while losing the terrible stiffness when empty. Offroad it handles better than a power wagon.
You talk about not taking HD's off road but for many of us, we use what we own and HD's are what most of us own. Maybe it is for construction, logging, Gas and Oil, Mining etc but HD's are Do IT ALL tools. I would like to see you take if Off Road - down the wet Hydro Line etc. Great test.
To your point - we meant not taking an HD off-road for fun. We are well aware of the guys that work with trucks in off-road sites. We expect an HD to handle that.
Great review team. Waiting for your review of 2020 Silverado 3500 HD with z71 gas 6.6 L. Just got one before I retire to add slide in camper and tour North America and curious on how you will think of the off road capabilities 👍. Hope to see GM 3500 HD GAS on your channel
Your discussion on power vs manual is interesting. I’ve had a window switch break and a window crank break. The switch was easier to fix. If it had been the motor, probably not, but I tend to agree with your dad on the tech. It’s pretty reliable until you get into the Land Rover, BMW etc rigs.
Anyone who keeps a truck past the warranty and who doesn't tow maximum weight all the time should really look at the gas trucks. This 7.3 is a very robust and simple engine (big forged steel crank and rods, 6 bolt mains, thick cast iron block, pushrod design) and I would be surprised if it wasn't cheaper on repairs than a diesel over 500k kms. Heck an entire engine replacement would be about the same cost as a fuel system repair on a diesel.
Careful with that binder. Letting go like you did with the pipe was not a good idea. In fact,you should just dump those binders and get ratchet binders instead. I met a guy at a truck stop a few years ago that had a HUGE dent in his head... So I asked what happened. You know the answer.
I think the best bed steps on the industry is the bumper steps on the gm trucks. Simple, no need to unfold and fold them and they work if the tailgate is up or down.
New trucks come with max psi in the tires to handle max towing. My new 1 ton diesel came with 90 psi in each corner. Expansion joints in the highway crushed my spine even at low speeds and bounced my brain off of my skull. I went to 60 psi in front and 45 in back. The ride totally changed and didn't hurt anymore. Also after 5k miles its even smoother. Just have to remember to reinflate for towing or hauling heavy. Just a tip for people who work their trucks and also daily drive them.
As a guy close to the auto industry, the surprising thing to me is, the 7.3 doesn’t seem to sell well. The 6.7 outsells the 7.3 and 6.2 by a large margin. I haven’t figured out exactly why. I thought the 7.3 would sell well. Seems if people are gonna spend 60k+ USD there figure might as well get the diesel. The additional cost of the 7.3 I think turns people away. If the 6.2 was gone and 7.3 was standard, I’d bet things would change. A little at least.
I bought the 7.3L Godzilla. I traded in my 2019 F-250 XLT Premium trim level 6.2/6 speed purposely to get the new 7.3L gas motor/10 speed in my 2020 F-350 Lariat. Extra cost? $1705.00 over the base 6.2L/6 speed. (Sometimes you will see the new 7.3L Godzilla motor on the window sticker as $1705.00 and sometimes as $2045.00. Why that is, I don't know but mine was $1705.00). Well worth it. The Power Stroke will run you and extra $10499.00. Obviously the 6.7L Power Stroke KILLS all these gas motors in terms of torque. BUT, with the Godzilla gas motor rated at 430HP + 475 LBS feet of torque (385HP + 430 LBS feet of torque for the 6.2L) and being a conventional push rod motor with NO overhead cam stuff going on here and packing a HEAVY forged crank AND 6-bolt main bearing caps, among other good stuff, I couldn't resist. A motor like the good old days of our American muscle cars except built stronger.
This is probably the closest engine to a diesel replacement for duty use in SRW applications. That is also partially because of how stupidly over powered modern diesels are for SRWs, and partially because the initial costs of springing for the diesel realistically take over 200k mi or 320k km tobreak even. That didn't even include the ludicrous maintenance costsof diesel, or short life major cost components. There will come a day when they don't exist outside of DRW use.
Not so sure about that. I have a SRW and a dually diesel. Where I live in CO, there is no comparison in towing heavy, even with the SRW diesel vs a gas. If you do your own diesel oil changes and fuel filter changes I am not sure where the huge maintenance costs are associated with a diesel. I buy synthetic T6 Rotella in bulk and do my own maintenance. If I am too busy at work my mechanic charges me $40 usd to do oil and fuel filters if I provide the parts. Not sure where people come up with these huge costs, unless an EGR or DPF fails out of warranty. My old diesel F350 has neither.
There are other aspects: i wonder myself about a calculation after lets say 5 years/10k miles a year and the resale on both the 7.3 vs the 6.7. I guess, the difference will not be that much after all. So the point of doing a TCO (total cost of ownership) depends on if you trade in after a couple years or if you drive it till the end. But the end of a truck is never 0$, until you crash it totally.
@@richfarfugnuven6308 I also live in CO. I wasn't talking about older diesels that don't have urea injection or DPF. DPF ALWAYS fail outside of warranty, and turbos always need a rebuild (which those turbos are $5k plus variable vane geometry units). EGRs are far more reliable now than they were circa 2008-10, but they are still going to crap out ~150k. Secondly, The 7.3 engine isn't the old 5.4 or 6.8. They pulled over 16,000 lbs with it at high altitude with power to exceed the speed limit. Would a modern diesel pull that weight easier? Of course it would, but at that point it isn't necessary, it's a luxury. I'm not telling people they are idiots for choosing a diesel, but it isn't a justifiable expense. It's 100% just a want in an SRW, not a need. You can buy in bulk for a gasser too, but you only need 8 qts of oil, the filters are smaller and cheaper, and the interval is longer. You don't pay for DEF, you only need a single cranking battery, your fuel filters last twice as long and are cheaper, Tires last longer because your truck is lighter, all under-hood maintenance and repair takes far less time and is actually almost 100% possible without lifting off the cab (which means you can do it yourself), No High dollar components that need rebuild or replacement between 100-150k mi that also need 12+ hours of labor due to the fore alluded to birds nest of an engine bay. In a state like ours that gets quite cold at times, the advantage of being able to park out in the open without paying for fuel gel additives, or parking next to an outlet is nice (one reason why virtually all plow trucks are gas, that and the payload) There are a lot of ways the Gasser saves money nowadays. If you are in fact a guy that does like to do it yourself, like I am, that makes you a prime candidate for getting a new gasser over the diesel when it comes time, unless you practically have a reason. For example, in DRW applications.
Add to that list the 800 lbs saved on weight will come in handy in off-pavement applications and save on wear and tear of front end components. Also no $3500 injectors to be replaced.
Good video as usual. Steve, I can't find the video of you interviewing a Ford engine engineer about the 7.3 gas (or was it the 6.2?) a short while ago. Could have been on TFL. Do you have the link for that? Thanks.
I have a 2020 f250 with the 10800LB HCTTP with the 6.7. It stickered at $74280. I drove a 7.3 and hated it. Coming from a 2019 6.7 F350 that 7.3 is still soft on power and non existant compared to the torque. I peticularly dislike the wait for 4000rpm to actually get moving. My payload is 2998lbs , all because of the 900lbs of GVWR over the 9900lb. I took the capability over luxury. NO COMPARISON to the diesel. Traction control is always cutting power. You can't drive it with the advancetrac turned off. The towing chart is simple to figure it out. My truck is rated 20k on the bumper(3" reciever) and 22k gooseneck(19k fifth hitch limited) I have 30k GCWR because of the 7230lb Dana M275 from the F350 SRW(not the sterling 10.5 like this truck) although the legal RGAWR is 6350lbs it has the 7230lb springs so less sag(dropped 0.75" with my 1800lb fifthwheel pin weight)
First, nice channel, I am in Ontario, Canada. Second mpg on a superduty, its a truck , uses fuel, if you want mpg get a compact car. I drive a 2016 6.2l gas 3.73 gears 4x4 f350 lariat longbox, with 5 t, trailer it gets 26 l/100 km- 30/ 100km ( 9 mpg- 7.8mpg) depending on terrain. And 20l/100k ( 12 mpg) unloaded. Which is better an the 2008 we had before which got 4- 7 mpg all the time. So if 2021, 7.3 w/ 10 sp trans, (I ordered mar 2020, but still waiting) gets what you showed its LESS thirsty than 2016 model. ( I could revise after we drive 2021model for a while) Its a work truck, not a luxury sedan ,people. If I hauled more I might justify the diesel cost.
Hi Stephen, thank you again for the great video. I have a request from you; can you please test 4WD set-up on high speed tarmac riding if possible? And what are your and your father's expert opinions and experiments about driving 4HI on both highway and rainy/snowy conditions? How much should we worry about transmission case/front axle bindings? Thanks in advance and warmest regards to your father "the true truck king", cheers mate. PS: I will get my 2020 Ford Ranger Raptor this week and would like to share some short video clips with you, perhaps you can let me know how to do it.
4hi never on the highway unless the snow is extremely deep, you will destroy your transfer case very quickly, and likely damage your trans too. the new 4 auto mode they have is fine because it stays in rwd until theres slip, then the transfercase acts like an lsd
Hey, when you get the truck we'd love to see some video. As for 4HI on higway - we agree with James. But more importantly, its always about stopping. Never drive faster than to the point where you can stop safely in any weather conditions.
Ha! Absolutely fair. Even my 85 K10 rides stiffer than this. Compared to the smooth ride of today's half-tons though, the stiffness of an HD has to be pointed out.
Caught you hanging out the back of your SUV while getting the shot at 13:47 - that's called dedication to your channel! Thanks for the helpful and detailed information on your towing experience. I ordered mine with the 4.30 gears as well and will be pulling a 5800# RV with the 8' bed also full of firewood so my experiences should be comparable to yours. Keep up the great work!
I have the same truck but with the Tremor package. I absolutely love it. It is thirsty, but you do not buy a truck for the gas mileage. With the Tremor package I get 10/11 mpg. Good video!
you talked about... Tuning for extra HP - TFL Truck did a 5 Star Tune on their 7.3, the best that they where able to achieve was 50hp and 61lb-fit of torgue. Which, reality is.. that's pretty stellar. 2800# of payload is peanuts for a SuperDuty payload. The best you can get on the F250 is a bit over 3900#.. my baby-boost F150 has almost 2k. More than 4k is easily found on almost any F350.
And thats all gvwr nonsense limiting the payloads of these trucks, you either get a 250/2500 and stay under 10k or get a 350 and get all the payload. The max payload numbers on the 3/4th tons should be false advertising as they should be bound by the 10k
Hahaha. "It's not Ridgeline day!". Lol I do love the 7.3 gas. I was just watching something called " the unicorn" truck. A DRW Chevrolet 3500 2wd with like 6k in payload. Lol.
@@TruckKing yep. The Chevrolet I was referring to was a work truck. Base model. Rear-wheel drive. I was impressed. A 1-ton truck when I was a kid couldn't tow what half tons do today. Lol.
I just bought this exact truck and I love it that fuel economy number doesn’t really change it gets a little better unladen on the highway but even with max haul in the city it hovers in the same mpg range just like a diesel
After 4 of the 7.3 power strokes I picked up the 2020 Godzilla so far all is good, I tow a 30’ boat around which weighs just under 10K no mileage on the boat hauling yet but 3 trips to Colorado fully loaded under a 8’ cap get me 13.9 -14.3 mpg that’s only 1.7 mpg less than my diesel with a 6 speed stick shift tranny.
Hey buddy, can u explain more about that line item on the build sheet that says dealer tag discount? I am kinda interested in the media mules and how they come up with them. I have seen this blue one around a bit and it has done well. Also, what happens to them when they get done with them?
Each manufacturer puts whatever they are trying to promote on the media fleet - usually for six months. Then they are sold to dealers as used. Where they go from there - who knows.
@@stacimccarter531 roger that. I like the short beds. S&B makes 60 gallon diesels but not gas. Kinda gun shy about the 7.3 being new. Seems to be having alot of issues. I have bout decided to go diesel. Will be a first. Thanks
@@whit10mm72 i have heard of some spark plug wires being bad but maybe it was the first few. I just bought a 4 door f350 long bed with 4.30s. 7.3 4x4. It has a 21000 pound tow. Most i have towed so far was 15k and it done very well.
Its 2 years old now with11k on it. I only use it to tow the toy hauler. Its a 2021 413 raptor. With golf cart and stuff its 17500 lbs. Tgcw is 25500lbs.It has 4.30 gears and 48 gallon tank. Cc long bed 4x4. I average 8mpg which is good in my opinion towing this. I cut 10 and 9 off so the trans doesnt shift past 8. It tacs around 2300 at 65. I love the truck. I wish i could buy another one to play with but they have jumped up in price. Plus the wife would kill me if i bought any more toys.
Looking at the time board, 15.1 was pretty good for 9000 lbs. It just a second slower than the 6.2 gm with 7k. The tundra should be embarrassed. I believe the tundra has a 4.10 gear ratio. Great review 👍.
@JV In the manufacturing world. You usually see more defects selling in larger qtys vs smaller qtys. If Toyota sold the numbers Ford does in a year you would see Toyota's quality drop substantially.
@@shitloveaduck Well I have owned GM and Ford...absolute junk. Where I work, I have a MB Sprinter...another pile of junk. Best truck I had was my 2013 Tacoma...traded for a Tundra. Tacoma had 170 000 kms on it and was almost like new. The 4 best vehicles my wife and I have owned are made by Toyota. GM and Ford have lost me FOREVER.
I’ve had a lot of Fords and I’ve had to replace window motors in every one of them. I had a Windstar that had to have the driver side motor replaced three times.
My wife's 2000 Buick had the same problem. After 4 window motors went out, she never allowed anyone to lower the window. Now she has a Jeep GC and no problems, even after almost five years.
No. Lol. I came from a Lexus RX 350 which was butter smooth ride. I hopped into my 2012 Ford F-250 6.2 gasser and my wife hated this truck. I can deal with it it's a truck and it's done a lot for me that Lexus couldn't do. But it's a rough ride make no mistake about it. On some roads the back end has jumped in the air couple inches. Then there's the time I hauled 3,000 lb of gravel and it rode extremely well. It hold my 23-ft trailer without issue. I'm happy I got it.
Thanks for mentioning fuel mileage. Very few others do. What about non-towing combination city/highway driving. Any indication of what that mpg would be?
Where I live a lot of people have trucks but everyone either will take there jeep to the beach or just take there minivan/just daily driver to the beach and just go to a parking lot Everyone who has a pickup usually is just a working male who just beats it up and is always just throwing things in the back fo it or will just use it to get groceries
I actually have one of these. 7.3l 10spd trans and 4.30 locking diff rear. I absolutely love it! And it has roll down windows, no carpet , and after my trade...I Paid 34K for it. Yes not 70K .
Lets see, Ford cant make enough F-250's or 350's diesel Trucks to keep up with demand. There is a waiting list for them. So what does ford do? Do they make more diesel, less gas engine trucks? No of course not they need to sell more gas superduty's in their mind, aaahh they need to make you pick the gas super. So thats why all these youtube video guys talk about how great the 7.3 gas engine is over the 6.7 diesel....... You ford truck want to be buyers, if you want a super get the diesel, why? Because those in the know buying These trucks are waiting for the diesel. Ok so buy your gas engines and wear it, the engine out, after 100'000 miles, or get the diesel and wear it out after, ohh I dont know a million miles. One guy who, on his video actually said if you get ford super gas engine you dont have to worry about injector's, electric fuel pumps, and a host of other things like you do on the Ford diesel??????? Last time I looked that gas engine has all those things too. Plus it has lots more "break down" stuff like spark plugs and every thing that goes along with them. Remember Godzilla died at the end of the movie, pretty good chance your gas 7.3 will take a dump on you, on the road far from home, like it has for many others by a 24 dollar part that by the way is on super back order. Look at all the videos out saying the same thing the 7.3 gas engine is better than the 6.7 diesel????????? Most are saying "cost", that by the way you get back when you sell it. Wait and see, buy your gas super, a few years from now you go to sell it and 90 percent of the callers interested, in your truck, and the first question you get is "Is it a Diesel", you say no, and they thank for your time and say " I dont want it"................. PS The 6.7 diesel has lots more power than the gas engine. Look at the torque numbers, 7.3 Gas 4 hundred something, 6.7 diesel over a thousand. Excuse me, Torque is what you need to tow your trailer........................... Let Ford fix their own stupid situation, they decided that you would want a very new 7.3 gas engine over a diesel, so they spent tons of money making that 7.3 gas engine put it in most of their big trucks, and you will eat them up like candy, no one buys candy that tastes like crap even if the wrapper makes the candy look so good. Thats what these so called experts are, they are the great looking wrapper on the crappy candy. They should take the name superduty off every gas powered truck out there, or call them superduty light. I dont have an opinion or dislike gas or diesel trucks. I hate deception, how do these guys ever think they can compare an engine that gets 400 something pounds of torque, to one that gets over 1000 pounds of torque, let alone say that gas engine is better???????? If you want a gas superduty for what ever reason, more power to you its fine with me, but dont go bragging to people that your gas truck is way better than the diesel, you will get laughed out of Hollywood bud, by the people that really know, that if they bought a superduty hands down they would get the diesel. If ford wants to play games by shorting the market, then there is always Dodge who would be my second choice. they make a great diesel engines they have in their 3/4 one ton trucks. Michael
