7.3 gas engine vs Powerboost

[amschind]

The 7.3 wins hands down, and the reason is really simple: it's in a Superduty with a 10R140. Transmission temps, brake temps, and GVWR will stop you well before anything else does. Nearly any truck made will get a big load moving....a far smaller subset will control that load at highway speeds and get it stopped when the need to do so becomes suddenly apparent.

I agree on the points about gas mileage....if you want more MPG, reduce wind resistance.

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[Samson16]

The 7.3 wins hands down, and the reason is really simple: it's in a Superduty with a 10R140. Transmission temps, brake temps, and GVWR will stop you well before anything else does. Nearly any truck made will get a big load moving....a far smaller subset will control that load at highway speeds and get it stopped when the need to do so becomes suddenly apparent.

I agree on the points about gas mileage....if you want more MPG, reduce wind resistance.

If hauling that #6000 trailer around to campgrounds with hookups is all he’s using the PowerBoost for, then he can get more range with the larger optional tank. The money it will cost to switch vehicles could be spent adding an auxiliary tank in the bed. He’s likely got some payload remaining with that light trailer.

If he uses the PB as a daily or boondocks then no, unless he plans on getting a bigger RV than the PB can comfortably handle. #6000 is not there yet.

 

[Riddick]

Any gasser engine whether it's the 3.5 or the 7.3 is going to get crappy gas mileage towing. If you're set on sticking with gas, I would always recommend going up to the super duty chassis. The SDs handle and brake so much better, they're literally in a different league.

If money is no object, definitely go with a diesel for anything towing. Any modern Diesel with tow your 6,000 lb trailer with ease, you won't even realize it's back there.

I came from a 22 Ram 2500 with the Cummins and it would tow anything you asked it to with ease. While my EcoBoost has the power to tow anything, the truck simply just doesn't handle it nearly as good as a HD truck. For me, the half ton made more sense because I do a lot of short trips around town and I don't tow often.

It all depends on how you're going to use the truck. My recommendation would change based on if it's going to be a daily driver in the city or if it's just going to be used for towing.

 

[tsigwing]

I’m wondering for how long that electric motor & battery can continuously contribute to the V6 before it is depleted and then you have only the power of that tiny turbo V6 pulling an extra 400 lbs of dead battery up that long steep grade. There is still no replacement for displacement.

I know its hard to accept, but the 3.5L TT is just simply a superior tow vehicle to your 5.0L. Especially when that 5.0 has 331 gears. Now run both up in the mountains and talk to me again about no replacement for displacement.

 

[Samson16]

The SDs handle and brake so much better, they're literally in a different league

I am not questioning that, and the 48 gallon optional tank I spoke of is for a Super Duty Godzilla. Specific use-tow/haul it’s superior to any half ton, but multi-use the PB wins hands down.

 

[ktexas04]

I haven't towed with either, but I have driven both. Take it for what it's worth. If you feel like power wise the 3.5 EcoBoost/powerboost is only okay then you'll probably not be super thrilled with the NA gas 7.3. The torque delivery of the turbo motor is far superior to that of the NA V8. Add in the extra loss of power and NA engine has at those altitudes and you'd probably be less thrilled. You would probably see better mpg when towing since it won't drink fuel like a gas turbo engine working hard.

I have a 7500lb gvwr travel trailer and I've pulled 6% grades here in CA with my standard EcoBoost without any complaints. It actually has so much torque I I'm using relatively light throttle to maintain 60. The first time I pulled that grade after switching from my 2013 truck with a 5.0 I looked down at the speedometer and was accidentally doing almost 75 on the up hill. While I understand the elevation will have some impact, but if you're not liking the climbing performance of the powerboost you're only real option is a diesel. Personally a F250 and especially a diesel is major overkill for a 6000lb gvwr travel trailer.

Thank you for this post. This is very much what I was ready to say if nobody else had already. A key factor is the OP situation is elevation. Turbo or any forced induction engines are MUCH better for OP in his situation. So far I am a fan of the design and future of the 7.3 Godzilla and me personally I would like to have one in a Super Duty with a Whipple to avoid the EPA mis-management of the diesel trucks and how awful that has become. Also, at his weight and current needs my 3.5 Tremor F-150 does that and more very well here in Texas and all I have is Livernois MotorSports 93octane tunes and AirLift Air Bags. I pull a trailer at least once a week and until i start pulling more weight than my F-150 can safely/comfortably manage I have no desire for the upcharge and maintenance cost and headaches of the current HD trucks diesel options from any brand. I just drove back last night from Dripping Springs west of Austin pulling my trailer with equipment and even in the narrow roads and hills there I never ONCE felt uncomfortable or underwhelmed. FORD really has a special winning formula with their 3.5L Twin Turbo EcoBoost engines and I have had 7 of them all using LMS tunes for hundreds of thousands of miles and I am more than impressed with all its abilites.

 

[ktexas04]

I’m wondering for how long that electric motor & battery can continuously contribute to the V6 before it is depleted and then you have only the power of that tiny turbo V6 pulling an extra 400 lbs of dead battery up that long steep grade. There is still no replacement for displacement.

Partially True but this statement is quite long in the tooth and currently isn't aging so well. There are scenarios where this hold a little more weight (Large CC 7.3L Godzilla for Super Duty trucks) because considering all factors the 3.5L TT Ecoboost would esentially perform about the same as the new 7.3L NA in the Super Duty but have it might to work harder, create more heat, but mainly MPG would be the big hit. Something that nobody would support. More aerodynamic design, lighter weight materials (Aluminum bodies), and technology have all but surpassed this old saying.

 

[Eighthtry]

Great question being answered by a guy who no longer tows anything. And that is on purpose. The Queen will only stay for tea in a trailer if the tea is Earl Grey and hot. The nights are for Hilton. So I am not towing a trailer just so she can drink hot tea. A Hilton property barely satisfies her taste in travel now anyway, but it is heaven without that trailer. A QT is perfect for unflavored mango tea, and the 200 mile intervals fit her bladder almost perfectly. So the theory goes that I do not need to tow...anything. So I invested in a 2023 GMC Yukon Denali XL for her. She promptly decided it was too big, notwithstanding the fact that since 1985 she has comfortably driven Suburbans and Yukon XLs hundreds of thousands of miles. So I was forced to buy her a 2024 GMC Terrain shoebox with a 1.9 turbocharged 4????????? It hurt my feelings, but other things would have been hurt had I not succumbed to having a Yukon and F150 and Apache 10 and Z06 and Olds Cutlass. I have three cars for sale when I get around to it.

Given that highly interesting yet who cares background, today IF a second opportunity presented itself to invest in another truck to tow anything I would buy the F-250's 6.7L High Output Power Stroke V8 Turbo Diesel engine. Courtesy of AI, it delivers 500 horsepower and 1,200 lb-ft of torque. It features a 36,000 PSI fuel-injection system and an electric-actuated variable geometry turbocharger. The truck can tow up to 30,000 pounds conventionally and 40,000 pounds with a 5th-wheel.

Now any truck that can do variable geometry is a damn smart truck. My F150 sure can't do it and her, now mine, Yukon Denali can't either.

You will be nowhere near overload up or down. From what I read into your post you are looking for comfort, utility, and safety.

I also asked my good buddy, a four decade veteran of long distance recreational trailer towing all over the 48 states, what his recommendation would be. He now has the opportunity to start fresh since his F250 6.7 and camper trailer were totaled in a tornado recently while he and the wife cowered in their uncle's basement while the house was under destruction.

Without hesitation he said that he was not buying another trailer so his wife could have hot Earl Grey tea while spending the night in a Hilton property. He also is taking advantage of this to end his long time vacation stay preference and downgrade to a GMC Yukon Denali XL and learn to spend the nights in Hilton properties. He made this decision reluctantly though, as his wife threateded to cut him off if he restarted his recreational towing habit. He won't admit it, but he was tired as well.

But, he said the above would be his recommendation. He has towed extensively with F150 and F250 gas and diesels. Long distance towing comfort and safety is the reason he finally ended up with the F250 6.7.

Being a hotrodder myself, it makes perfect sense. 1,200 ft/lbs of torque would do wonders for my libido. The Queen would not be receptive but she would agree to not upgrade her barely livable Hiltons.

Good luck.

 

[Suns_PSD]

If power up the mountain is your primary concern, buy the 6.7 PSD.

If your unloaded power and mpg at altitude is your primary concern, buy the PB or the Eco-boost. It'll do the job fine when towing as needed. I'll be toeing my own RV this very weekend.

If you want a very stable 3/4 towing chassis, lower ownership costs, buy the 7.3 gasser.

Turbocharged engines are great at pretending like they are small motors when off the boost. But when on the boost because of the fuel enrichment and ignition retardation that is required to not have pre-detonation, they get especially low mpg. This is exactly why the 7.3 is NA as it's designed to tow very often.

Diesels don't remain in stoic so turbos are all winning. However, you'll never recoup the extra costs of the diesel motor unless maybe you tow >75% of the time.

I really don't see what the big hurry is when towing anyways.

If I had a crew running lawnmowers or the like, I'd put them in a 5.0 for a light trailer or the 7.3 for a heavy trailer. The NA nature of these products makes them more efficient when loaded, and I don't care about going fast. For personal use, empty mostly, I choose the PB. If I towed maybe <50% of the time but towed heavy, I'd buy the 7.3. If I was heading out in retirement pulling a large RV every day, I'd buy the 6.7.

 

[Suns_PSD]

I’m wondering for how long that electric motor & battery can continuously contribute to the V6 before it is depleted and then you have only the power of that tiny turbo V6 pulling an extra 400 lbs of dead battery up that long steep grade. There is still no replacement for displacement.

Like even, 14.7 psi of boost? LOL

We'll ignore the turbo inefficiencies which are no doubt there, but a 3.5L at 14.7 psi boost is pumping the same air as a 7.0-liter motor.

In reality there is some hotter intake air from the turbo which reduces the air density as well as some exhaust restriction from driving the turbo, so it probably takes more like 20 psi of boost for a 3.5 to actually equal a 7.0 NA.

 

[wessermgm]

I am not questioning that, and the 48 gallon optional tank I spoke of is for a Super Duty Godzilla. Specific use-tow/haul it’s superior to any half ton, but multi-use the PB wins hands down.

You are correct for the most part. However, you can only option the 48 gallon tank on the 8' bed. If you order either the 6.8L or the 7.3L on the 6'3/4" bed you are stuck with the 34 gallon tank (which I believe is most F250 gassers).

When you factor in a 34 gallon tank. There is not much difference in range between the 7.3L and the Powerboost. Only real advantage comes from the handling of the chassis and the 10R140 tranny, unless you get the cheaped out 10R100 (TorqShift G) which they have mated to the 7.3L in all but the Tremor or if you get 4.30 gearing starting in 2025. Don't get me wrong, I like the 10R100 - but it is literally marginally more capable than the 10R80 you get in a PB.

 

[v8440]

Are you sure you can get a 10r100 behind a 7.3? I remember reading here that the 10r100 was going to start coming behind the 6.8 for the 2025's, but that the 7.3 still got the 10r140. Is that wrong?

 

[Warlock58]

I tow (now) with both.
In fact with a helper-driver, I recently towed two RV's with the Powerboost AND the 7.3 F350 from coastal Texas to the Tampa area of Florida, and back.

The F350 has a 48 gallon tank, as mentioned earlier, so it could have kept on going each time we stopped for fuel when the Powerboost was crying uncle. ?

Interestingly, aerodynamics is quite the equalizer when it comes to fuel mileage though. Regardless of the considerable difference in cubic inches and number of cylinders, both vehicles got fairly similar fuel economy at 65-70mph. (sea level, obviously)

And although neither truck was towing "heavy", in relationship to their tow capacity, the monster sized F350 with the Godzilla under the hood was no match for the Powerboost from 0-60 under tow. My helper driver drove the F350 most of the time, and he was stunned at how the Powerboost pulls.

I've towed at elevation with the 3.5 Ecoboost. I have not done the same with the Godzilla. But I can't help but believe that the beast truck would actually take the bigger hit on power up high in the Rockies. Great truck. Fantastic bones, if you will. I love it. And I bought it specifically for towing. It will rarely ever have miles unhitched.
But it's no Powerboost for pure utility when RV'ing.

I ran out of patience for the SuperDuty Powerboost. So until it arrives, I need both trucks.

 

[Warlock58]

Most likely what you are seeing is a trailer with poor aerodynamics. I have been pulling my 25', 7300 lb GVW Airstream all over the Rockies for three years. The only time I have ever seen 7 to 8 mpg was going up the grade on the West side of the Eisenhower Tunnel and I got most of that back going down the grade on the other side. At high altitudes straight and level I normally see between 12 to 13 mpg pulling the Airstream at 62 mph with both of my PowerBoosts since 2021.

I do agree the PowerBoost tank is too small. I nominally plan 200 mile legs but it is still a PITA to find a gas station for the 47' rig.

In my experience pulling the Airstream, the PowerBoost has all the power I need. But remember an Airstream is about 20% more aerodynamically efficient than a typical slab sided trailer.

I do get some of the mpg back when I go down the other side of the mountain. My Imagine XLS MKE 17 is somewhat aerodynamic but nowhere near the Airstream. I just returned from a trip to Zion NP and back and at no time in the flatter country did I get 12 mpg. Thanks for your experiences.

 

[Snakebitten]

Are you sure you can get a 10r100 behind a 7.3? I remember reading here that the 10r100 was going to start coming behind the 6.8 for the 2025's, but that the 7.3 still got the 10r140. Is that wrong?

Ford keeps changing the options.
I think currently (2025) you have to step up to the F350 7.3 to get the 10R140

Exception being Tremor option 7.3 on the F250

Ford is hell bent on expanding the use of the 10R100

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