I think this is my last one

[JR]

The last set of 19.5's I dealt with had a speed rating of N (87 mph).

With the ever increasing speed limit on interstates I'd be very surprised to see a set of passenger tires only rated for 65 mph, at least from a set thats been manufactured in the last 15 years . Even china bomb willpop trailer tire manufacturers are finally stepping up the speed ratings for this reason.

 

[jgillott]

My Sprinter is speed limited to 82. 99% of the time, that is more than enough. But, there have been times when we have been in areas where we have been a rolling road block, especially down south where the speed limit is 70 or 75 and the flow of traffic is going 85-90.

 

[Wayne M.]

I can't believe they actually govern a truck in the US to 65 mph. Is that all the freeways are limited to around you Wayne? 65 going through certain cities in the Midwest during rush hour will flat out get you run over!

The NYC speed limit is 50 MPH. They're being generous allowing 65. Ever look into our "Vision Zero" traffic law?

 

[Wayne M.]

So, to be fair, let's look at some mediocre facts about Ford Diesels.....
One thing I just don't understand is WHY do they insist on using vacuum operated actuators? I'm not positively sure what that one there does, but it has something to do with the EGR system. What looks like the RH rocker cover is actually the EGR cooler.

Anyone care to call anything else out in this picture?

 

[6V92TA]

?

its a Ford, they generally package ten pounds of crap into a 9 pound bag.
most of the Power Jokes are horrible to work on under the hood.
I don't know why they still use vacuum, especially on a diesel which doesn't make vacuum by itself but requires a vacuum pump.

 

[Bug Out]

So far, I have had few things wrong with my 16 3500 ST aisin. The radio goes out when you hit a bump, but the dealer has no clue.. The AISIN transmission IMHO makes the truck 100% better.The exhuast brake is 100% better with the AISIN transmission. I have had a few of the above mentioned issues with several of the RAMS i have owned since the 2012 3500 max tow dually, 2013 2500, 2013 Mega cab 3500 dually and now the 16 3500 srw with AISIN. I ordered the ST model for simplicity so not many quirks with electronics would get me..I miss the perks, but not the problems..I sympathize with the guys that buy the 50K+ trucks.. I'd be livid too. Mine is so basic, I dont even have running lights, by design.. So far my biggest headache is RAM not doing the recall work.

 

[KPear]

The reason I can't sign on with this is because Ram doesn't offer comparable diesel output without a significant price bump.

• Ford: 450/935 available across the board, MSRP $9120
• Ram: 385/930 only available with 3500 and Aisin, MSRP $9200 + $2695 (Aisin) + $1100 (3500 over 2500)

Just to match the torque, the Ram's sticker for the diesel option is $3875 higher than a Ford F-250, and $2775 higher than an F-350.

But those are MSRP prices you're dealing with. Does that necessarily translate to actual transaction prices?

From everything I've heard and read, Ram 2500/3500's of a similar configuration will generally sell for lower than comparable Ford's.

Go to TFL trucks and watch the Ford/RAM Ike Gauntlet. RAM beat the Ford by 2 seconds. Really nothing but Ford should have destroyed the RAM. FACT is RAM delivers a higher percentage of power to the ground than Ford.

I've noticed that too. The Duramax and Powerstroke both are rated for higher horsepower, but the 6.7l Cummins does a better job of actually delivering that horsepower when put to work....not to mention it generally gets somewhat better fuel economy.

one of my co workers just bought a 2017 F150 PLatinum that was a dealer demo truck, it has every bell and whistle Ford offers and I believe he paid 58k for it.. and I bought a 2016 Ram 3500 Tradesman 3500DRW 4x4 in 2016 for 44.1k. pays to wait and to shop.

It's a weird age we're living in where a souped up 1/2 ton will fetch more than a HD work truck. That F-150 is a basically a $40k truck with $18k worth of gadgets attached to it. It's financial insanity to buy those higher trims new.

View attachment 107298
The whole Diesel package is $8500, and this transmission is part of it. Add on items like a manual regen and the nifty aux switch panel overhead, and it's a tough to beat package.
Imagine if you only wanted a gasser, this would be a cheap truck.

You can get all of that with the Ram, minus the manual regen feature. Again, when you compare what the Ram's and Ford's actually sell for, not just their MSRP's, I think the Ram usually has more competitive pricing.

 

[KCJackson1]

But those are MSRP prices you're dealing with. Does that necessarily translate to actual transaction prices?

I don't know of a dealer willing to throw away $3000+ just to price-match another brand. Granted, if you don't need all that power/torque, the 370/800 and 68RFE combo is certainly a great deal the other brands can't match. To be honest, I'm surprised Ford and GM have not offered a lower-power option on the pickups that could result in better fuel economy. The F-250 4x2 with the PowerStroke is said to be able to keep up with a LOT of sporty cars at the stoplight drag - Motor Trend clocked one under 7 seconds in 0-60. That's fine if you want to drive that fast. I'm in my 50s, my go-fast days are behind me.

 

[JR]

VW/Audi uses an actuator very similar to that to control vane pitch . Amount of Vacuum is controlled through a remotely mounted electric solenoid valve that opens/closes based on voltage from the ecm. Biggest problem I've seen with them is failure to replace vac lines in a timely manner, they dry up over time and start flaking apart on the inside and start plugging everything up.

 

[JR]

I have 2 questions for you guys who have 4 gen pickups and C&C's. --
1, How many fuse panels are there, and about how many potential fuses are there?
2, Can anyone say for sure weather the rear body markers are directly protected by fuses?

I'll explain where I'm going with this later. First I'd like some reply, thanks.

Here ya go Wayne .

 

[Wayne M.]

JR, is that everything in your ‘14?

 

[JR]

Yes sir that's everything.

 

[jgillott]

Here's the 3rd gen design

 

[Wayne M.]

This Ford I'm working on has 140 fuse cavities.

I put this up to illustrate and prove that Ford has, since the '80's from what I can tell, is just overcooked.
Dodge always has, and I believe, still tries, to keep it real.

 

[6V92TA]

I put this up to illustrate and prove that Ford has, since the '80's from what I can tell, is just overcooked.
Dodge always has, and I believe, still tries, to keep it real.[/QUOTE]

if you think the amount of fuses is bad, take the dashboard out of one of them.

 

[JR]

I did a tire rotation on my truck tonight. As always, whenever I have a tire off for any reason I do a thorough check of all steering/suspension/brake components. This thread came to mind which prompted me to look with more scrutiny than normal.
For those that don't know I came from a gen 2 which I owned for 15+ years and had a VERY positive ownership with, so this is what I have based my experiences on. I don't have the long term review to offer of this truck but I've gotta tell ya, this truck is so much more truck than my 98 in every single way. Just looking at all the criticals, axles, control arms, tie rods, stabilizer, shocks, springs, leafs, brakes, etc. etc. etc. The list is continuous .More power, more refined, 2 extra gears, an integratrd exhaust brake, etc. etc. etc. Interior is more comfortable, quieter, steering and brakes are more responsive and crisp, etc. etc. See a pattern? I can not think of a single area I miss my 98, except perhaps the simplistic nature...but then again that is what makes this truck what it is. People on this forum give the 68rfe a bit of a bad rap but after 200k+ miles of towing with a 4 speed I'm sold . I've had a 110 horse Case IH on the hook multiple times and it's been flawless along with the exhaust brake. Haul the wheelers to West Virginia every year and my buddy in his 13 Silverado struggles to keep up on the grades. With a lighter load no less. We haul our 30ft 5th wheel on several long distance hauls through the summer. I dont do as much towing as some on here do but I do enough to know this pickup truck is the real deal when it comes to moving a load down the road. At 93k miles the original brake pads are still better than 50%. All front end components are also original and tire wear is excellent. I consider this pretty impressive given the poor secondary roads and fields I'm always in and percentage of towing.

I will say the A/C is sub par IMO in 95 degree heat and so is the heat when it's below zero. They both work but really no better than my 98 which is a fail in my book considering they had 16 years to improve upon something.
I had the DEF injector fail at around 85k miles. Other than that the emissions has been flawless. If and when it becomes a liability I'll take the sawzall to it and keep on keepin' on. After thinking about this thread through my tire rotation, I feel the need to stick up for the gen 4's. I've got a Tradesman so can't speak of all the foo foo stuff. But at least as far as the mechanicals are concerned, my 14 is light years above and beyond my 98. Never thought I'd say it, but I don't miss it a bit...at least not yet. I can only hope I have the same opinion 10 years from now.

 

[KPear]

JR, I'm assuming the DEF injector failed out of warranty? If so, how much did it cost to replace?

 

[JR]

Yes, failed post warranty. Pulled injector and verified it was bad with a resistance test, bought a new Mopar injector off eBay for $200 and installed, could not clear the p2048 code and subsequent countdown timer to derate so ended up at a dealership anyway to get everything reset which cost me an hour's labor.