6.4 powerstroke?

[LT.]

Originally Posted by Jesser04

Imo you are comparing apples to oranges its a Ford F-450 vs dodge 3500. The 450 is made to haul a ton of weight around and that's it. Ford did not design this truck to be driven to the movies or to the mall they made to work and it does that as good as any truck out there. I can't relate with your concern with two trucks in the shop I think that would be the same at any dealership. Who knows what caused the problems with these trucks. it could have been a number of factors out of fords hands such as neglect, programmer turned up to 5 etc who knows. As for the wandering feeling this is only something the 450's do it is the tires they put on them once you put a load on it this goes away. If you are looking at a new truck just to pull toys around and that is it I don't think this truck can be beat.

What I was trying to comment on was the power from a take off. Ford did not have the same seat of the pants feel the Cummins does. The Ford was a great truck, no question about that. It just seemed to be lacking power on the take off. I.E. getting a load moving from a stop. Maybe that is because I have driven my Cummins for so long but, just my opinion. I do think Dodge Cummins trucks are better for towing than the 6.4 liter Powerstroke. Just my opinion, everyone is entitled to theirs as well. These were just my observations on the trucks. As far as the trucks in the garage, you are right. We will never know what caused the damage or what the cause will be. Just pointing out the fact that there was two of them in the shop and they could not have been more than a few years old.

LT.

[oxbronco]

Thanks for everyones opinions, I have seen alot of these out on the road, but like I said I only know one person that has one, He loves his but it sounds like they might still be having a few problems guess I will have to think about it some more. I cant bring my self to buy a duramax because of the independent front end, i have a hang up about it. I like the cummins but I have heard that the new 6.7 has its problems as well. Anyway thanks for the input.

[Barnburner]

Originally Posted by LT.

What I was trying to comment on was the power from a take off. Ford did not have the same seat of the pants feel the Cummins does. The Ford was a great truck, no question about that. It just seemed to be lacking power on the take off.
LT.

That is not due to a lack of power. It is the PCM strategy and Drive by wire throttle programming. You can soft pedal it or flat foot it to the floor, it is going to react basically the same until about 17 mph. Ford did that to reduce torque converter problems (anyone ever see a cummins eat a torque converter?), and reduce any additional stresses on the drivetrain.

I used to be a parts manager at a Ford Dealer and my neighbor is a FSE (Field Service Engineer) for Ford.
When I complained to him about my new 6.4, he showed me the strategy in the processor.
A little re-flash wakes it up a ton. Mine will now boil the tires at will from a stop.

[mbryson]

Originally Posted by Barnburner

That is not due to a lack of power. It is the PCM strategy and Drive by wire throttle programming. .....

I'm not a fan. You can have a $30 cable or a $400ish drive by wire system. What happened to the KISS method? (I do realize it doesn't exist in modern vehicles but it should)

[Corban_White]

So, rather than make the drivetrain strong enough for the engine, they simply strangled the engine. Nice.

[Barnburner]

They didnt strangle the engine. They just softened up the initial fuel strategy off idle. It's a truck, not a Mustang. If you want to boil the tires at stop lights, buy something else. If you want to pull a heavy trailer and allow it to survive a couple hundred thousand miles, do it this way. Alot of the strategy is due to your wonderful government regulations as well. If you could keep those morons out of the puzzle, the trucks would be better off.

I have replaced way too many torque converters and transmissions on tow rigs Dodges, Chevs and Fords to know that after doing one or two of them, they all suck to work on.

Dont knock them until you hang a 44 ft, 19,000# trailer behind one and accelerate on to the freeway. It'll get it done.

I drove the QA1 truck and trailer for a couple years all over the country. The trailer was over 19000# loaded. Crew Cab F350 Dually 4x4, 6.4 auto.
We average 14 plus MPG on the Hot Rod Power Tour this year through the Kentucky mountains. It pulled it just fine.

My complaint about mine is the fuel mileage. It is an'08 single rear wheel crew cab 4x4. I like the pulling power, but fuel mileage is nothing like my 6.0 or 7.3 was. I have not had any warranty issues to this point.