Raspy
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Dec 16, 2006
- Messages
- 1,636
- Location
- Smith Valley, Nevada
- Tractor
- NH TC29DA, F250 Tremor, Jeep Rubicon
For a long time Ford has been playing the high spec game to increase sales. Just a bit more power, torque, towing ability, etc, than the competition so that they can claim to be number 1. And it works. Ram and Cummins are having none of that anymore and are totally stepping up to thwart any gripes people have about power, torque interiors, features, etc. One by one they have covered every base.
Of course 1000 ft lbs is ridiculous, but so was 60 HP in a 1932 Ford V8 that could actually break it's tires loose if you popped the clutch. I've never seen a dirt bike with too much power either, and each successively more powerful one would do things the previous ones wouldn't.
My poor little Cummins only has 850 ft lbs, but towing up mountain grades in 6th while passing slow trucks is very satisfying. Like an old John Deere tractor. No screaming engine, but a satisfying locomotive roar at about 1800 RPM. Besides, I like to see the Ford guys squirm when they have to face that they may be "underpowered".
Meanwhile my other car is a 1983 Mercedes 300SD Diesel. After flooring it, I have to concentrate for a moment to detect any acceleration. Torque management is done exclusively with the right foot. Running down the highway at 3500 RPM is disturbing in a diesel, but the Mercedes is made to do it. Besides, if you run off the road in Nevada, you're likely to only scare a coyote and a jack rabbit or two as you mow down some sagebrush and pick up some Nevada pinstriping.
It turns out the Ram is my favorite all around vehicle. The only real annoyance is/was the torque management and how to deal with it. Some creative tuning has made a difference. There's a tricky balance between engine programming and transmission programming. There is so much horsepower and so much likelihood of making smoke, and so much chance to break something in the drivetrain, that the whole system is really dumbed down. But once it all gets situated and leans into the load, either the load will move forward or the Earth will turn backward instead.
BTW, the new 6.7s are not the same engine. Nodular cast iron block, larger wrist pins, hydraulic lifters, beefed up crankshaft, larger main caps and bolts, different turbo and, get this, 60 lbs lighter! The exhaust aftertreatment system is apparently about 8' long! The G56 stick was only rated for, I think, 650 ft lbs and they installed a clutch barely able to handle the torque, as a sort of fuse to protect it. It would be sweet if they had a new stick to handle the torque, but I guess they've moved on to a new era.
Of course 1000 ft lbs is ridiculous, but so was 60 HP in a 1932 Ford V8 that could actually break it's tires loose if you popped the clutch. I've never seen a dirt bike with too much power either, and each successively more powerful one would do things the previous ones wouldn't.
My poor little Cummins only has 850 ft lbs, but towing up mountain grades in 6th while passing slow trucks is very satisfying. Like an old John Deere tractor. No screaming engine, but a satisfying locomotive roar at about 1800 RPM. Besides, I like to see the Ford guys squirm when they have to face that they may be "underpowered".
Meanwhile my other car is a 1983 Mercedes 300SD Diesel. After flooring it, I have to concentrate for a moment to detect any acceleration. Torque management is done exclusively with the right foot. Running down the highway at 3500 RPM is disturbing in a diesel, but the Mercedes is made to do it. Besides, if you run off the road in Nevada, you're likely to only scare a coyote and a jack rabbit or two as you mow down some sagebrush and pick up some Nevada pinstriping.
It turns out the Ram is my favorite all around vehicle. The only real annoyance is/was the torque management and how to deal with it. Some creative tuning has made a difference. There's a tricky balance between engine programming and transmission programming. There is so much horsepower and so much likelihood of making smoke, and so much chance to break something in the drivetrain, that the whole system is really dumbed down. But once it all gets situated and leans into the load, either the load will move forward or the Earth will turn backward instead.
BTW, the new 6.7s are not the same engine. Nodular cast iron block, larger wrist pins, hydraulic lifters, beefed up crankshaft, larger main caps and bolts, different turbo and, get this, 60 lbs lighter! The exhaust aftertreatment system is apparently about 8' long! The G56 stick was only rated for, I think, 650 ft lbs and they installed a clutch barely able to handle the torque, as a sort of fuse to protect it. It would be sweet if they had a new stick to handle the torque, but I guess they've moved on to a new era.