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View Full Version : Powerstroke 6.0 vs 7.3: new truck impressions



Digger
08-09-2006, 07:15 AM
Had the opportunity to tow the boat to NH and back and am extremely impressed with the 6.0 performance. I have 167k on the 1995 7.3 and lots of long distance towing miles... I drove the same route to NH with the new truck... the hills that used to have me in the far right lane, 4 ways on, doing about 45 with the rest of the semi's were no factor. I was able to maintain 65 on every grade save one. Towing 13,000 lbs. Unbelievable. The tow/haul mode is also a big help... it holds the upshift to a higher rpm to reduce bogging down once the shift is made... in cruise control going down hill it will downshift/come out of OD once your speed is about 5 mph higher than what you set to capture momentum induced speed increase... when braking it will downshift early depending on how much braking force you have applied to help you slow down. Through all this the tranny temp never climbed at all which is impressive. I have surge brakes so I didn't get to test the tow command braking feature. The engine is quieter, much quieter, and although part of me liked how loud the 7.3 was it was amazing how much less fatigued I was after 15 hrs behind the wheel of this thing. The cab is much better soundproofed as well. There is no vibration from the motor either, which also helps reduce driver fatigue. Overall I could not be more impressed. I know there are issues out there, and maybe I will experience some of them, but that is what warranties are for. I choose to be optimistic!

Cuda
08-09-2006, 08:06 AM
I went from an 02 7.3, to an 05 6.0, and the difference is considerable. In 05 they used the F550 frame on all the SD, and I can feel it. I used to feel the floor flex under my feet in the 02. Also in 05 they went to front coil springs, which makes it turn a lot sharper. I couldn't be happier with my F350. I have 40k+ miles on it, with the only warranty issue being the cage the a/c fan runs in had broken loose and making noise. It happened at 35,800 miles. I barely got it in before the warranty ran out. :)