Attention: TDR Forum Junkies Well I picked up my new work truck in Boise ID today and drove it 265 miles to my base in Winnemucca NV. To review, the truck is a 2003 Ford F-350 super cab,cab &chassis with a Knapheid utility body. It is equipped with manual 6 speed transmission,manual four wheel drive,3:73 gears and the new 6. 0 Power stroke diesel engine.
First impressions are that the 6. 0 is powerful but not quite what I expected given the numbers that say it has 325 h. p and 555 lb ft of torque, although it is brand new and no doubt very tight. I am comparing this truck to my 2001 H/O six speed 2500 quad cab 4x4 with 3:54 gears and bone stock except for a K&N air filter. From my seat of the pants feel and watching the speedo during acceleration,the 6. 0 seems to have about the same power but it occurs about 600 r. p. m higher. I believe if both trucks were side by side in sixth gear at 60 m. p. h and you nailed them both the H/O would beat the p. s. d quite handily to about 75 m. p. h. Surprising to me given the lower gear ratio of the Ford. After 75 I think it would be about a dead heat. This engine is alot quieter at highway speed than the 7. 3 p. s. d that was in my last work truck. It is also a good deal quieter than my H/O at highway speed. It is not nearly as quiet at idle as the 03 Cummins that I have heard. I have not driven an 03 Cummins so I can't compare noise level of the Cummins compared to the P. S. D. at highway speed. About all I could hear at 75 M. p. h was turbo whine when pulling, not at all unpleasant. Ride was typical for an unladen 1 ton,firm but not rough. The 40 20 40 seats are great or at least they fit me very well. I am 6'1" but almost all my height is in my legs ( 38 inch inseam in Wranglers). The seat height is quite high which suits me fine with my long legs. I read alot of posts regarding rough idle over at the Dieselstop.com and yup this truck has it in spades. Raising the idle by as little as 50 r. p. m with the throttle smooths it right out but it definitely shakes left up to it's own devices. I will wait to see if other symptoms develop before I decide if I want to risk a reflash or have any parts replaced just to cure the rough idle. Fuel mileage was surprisingly good for the first trip considering that I drove it anywhere between 55 m. p. h and 75 m. p. h and never held a constant speed. Nonetheless first tankful yielded 16 m. p. g.
In reply to a question in an earlier post. Ford specifies 7,500 miles between oil changes for normal use and 5,000 miles for severe use but our company poilicy is for oil changes at 3,000 miles so that is what this truck will see for it's life with me. Like I stated before I didn't pay a penny for this truck so my pride is not at stake and I won't hide any problems this truck has. On the other side of the coin my last Ford work served me VERY well with it's 7. 3 for 165,000 miles so I am not a Ford hater either. I will be the only driver of this truck and will treat it like it is my own. It comes home every night with me. So to sum up my first report, other than the rough idle it seems to be good truck and quite a bit more refined than the 7. 3 P. S. D that it replaces. I certainly have no plans to replace my Dodge/Cummins based on what I've seen so far but neither am I convinced that the new 6. 0 P. S. D is a severely inferior product compared to my 2001 h/o. Sorry to be so long please do not hesitate to ask any questions that I might answer
First impressions are that the 6. 0 is powerful but not quite what I expected given the numbers that say it has 325 h. p and 555 lb ft of torque, although it is brand new and no doubt very tight. I am comparing this truck to my 2001 H/O six speed 2500 quad cab 4x4 with 3:54 gears and bone stock except for a K&N air filter. From my seat of the pants feel and watching the speedo during acceleration,the 6. 0 seems to have about the same power but it occurs about 600 r. p. m higher. I believe if both trucks were side by side in sixth gear at 60 m. p. h and you nailed them both the H/O would beat the p. s. d quite handily to about 75 m. p. h. Surprising to me given the lower gear ratio of the Ford. After 75 I think it would be about a dead heat. This engine is alot quieter at highway speed than the 7. 3 p. s. d that was in my last work truck. It is also a good deal quieter than my H/O at highway speed. It is not nearly as quiet at idle as the 03 Cummins that I have heard. I have not driven an 03 Cummins so I can't compare noise level of the Cummins compared to the P. S. D. at highway speed. About all I could hear at 75 M. p. h was turbo whine when pulling, not at all unpleasant. Ride was typical for an unladen 1 ton,firm but not rough. The 40 20 40 seats are great or at least they fit me very well. I am 6'1" but almost all my height is in my legs ( 38 inch inseam in Wranglers). The seat height is quite high which suits me fine with my long legs. I read alot of posts regarding rough idle over at the Dieselstop.com and yup this truck has it in spades. Raising the idle by as little as 50 r. p. m with the throttle smooths it right out but it definitely shakes left up to it's own devices. I will wait to see if other symptoms develop before I decide if I want to risk a reflash or have any parts replaced just to cure the rough idle. Fuel mileage was surprisingly good for the first trip considering that I drove it anywhere between 55 m. p. h and 75 m. p. h and never held a constant speed. Nonetheless first tankful yielded 16 m. p. g.
In reply to a question in an earlier post. Ford specifies 7,500 miles between oil changes for normal use and 5,000 miles for severe use but our company poilicy is for oil changes at 3,000 miles so that is what this truck will see for it's life with me. Like I stated before I didn't pay a penny for this truck so my pride is not at stake and I won't hide any problems this truck has. On the other side of the coin my last Ford work served me VERY well with it's 7. 3 for 165,000 miles so I am not a Ford hater either. I will be the only driver of this truck and will treat it like it is my own. It comes home every night with me. So to sum up my first report, other than the rough idle it seems to be good truck and quite a bit more refined than the 7. 3 P. S. D that it replaces. I certainly have no plans to replace my Dodge/Cummins based on what I've seen so far but neither am I convinced that the new 6. 0 P. S. D is a severely inferior product compared to my 2001 h/o. Sorry to be so long please do not hesitate to ask any questions that I might answer
