torn between Raptor vs F250 Diesel/Tremor

zombiekiller said:

you can never have too much power or too much braking capability when you're towing over 11K lbs.

There are a few very memorable mountain passes that make me thankful that I've got that 1000 ft lbs of torque.

I don't want to see what the coolant temps and trans temps look like on an f250 gasser when pulling 11-12K lbs from El Centro to San Diego on 8.

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Plenty of online stuff available getting you those answers. From personal experience, eight hours of straight towing did not bring the trans temp over 220 and the coolant over 200 for me. The 7.3L V8 is absolutely insanely great. Sure, not as good mpg as Diesel, but plenty enough power to tow those 11k comfortably and safely.

Pat86B said:

Plenty of online stuff available getting you those answers. From personal experience, eight hours of straight towing did not bring the trans temp over 220 and the coolant over 200 for me. The 7.3L V8 is absolutely insanely great. Sure, not as good mpg as Diesel, but plenty enough power to tow those 11k comfortably and safely.

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There are very few places that I've towed my junk to that I would have no issue with the gasser.


But that one specific stretch of 8, the donner pass (NV/CA border), and the aspen pass are 3 places that I would be terrified to tow with a gasser.

zombiekiller said:

There are very few places that I've towed my junk to that I would have no issue with the gasser.


But that one specific stretch of 8, the donner pass (NV/CA border), and the aspen pass are 3 places that I would be terrified to tow with a gasser.

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To be fair: I haven't towed for such extended times in these environments. But how does this compare to the TFL towing tests with the 7.3L at the Ike Gauntlet? Seems it's doing a marvelous job there too.

If you’re not aware- I did go w/ another Raptor, like porridge it was “just right” lol

7.3 Godzilla gasser tremor felt lil weak to me as I said

Powerstroke Tremor was just too much given I don’t tow anything over 5k lbs & can’t put a plow on a tremor (I don’t think anyhow) so wasn’t even an “upside” option of having more truck than I need

I guess if threw a decent cam into that 7.3 + ported heads + headers & tune it’d be where I’d need it....but then I’d be w/o warranty on a brand new V8 engine from a company that spends a whole helluvalot more time/$$$ R&D’ing turbo/hybrid platforms than N/A large displacement V8s.....

Gotta love that huge power/performance bump w/ just a handheld tune on these Raptors....I’m hooked!

Pat86B said:

To be fair: I haven't towed for such extended times in these environments. But how does this compare to the TFL towing tests with the 7.3L at the Ike Gauntlet? Seems it's doing a marvelous job there too.

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Agreed. Gas or Diesel, it's still a Super Duty. They're tested to the same standards up to and often above their rated payload and tow ratings without overheating. If you load the truck within it's rated capacity, it's not going to overheat. The 7.3 is also used in the F-650/750 Medium Duty commercial trucks, which are rated up to 37,000lbs Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW).

FordTechOne said:

Agreed. Gas or Diesel, it's still a Super Duty. They're tested to the same standards up to and often above their rated payload and tow ratings without overheating. If you load the truck within it's rated capacity, it's not going to overheat. The 7.3 is also used in the F-650/750 Medium Duty commercial trucks, which are rated up to 37,000lbs Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW).

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Yeah I'm totally emotionally biased about this anyway because I love my Super Duty Tremor with the 7.3L so much. It's just a flat out super amazing truck. So is the engine. But it's all subjective. One thing I trust in, no matter the vehicle, is that within Ford specified ranges, this thing will not break/overheat/underperform. Thus far, this held true. Both with my Raptor as well as with my new Tremor.

Pat86B said:

To be fair: I haven't towed for such extended times in these environments. But how does this compare to the TFL towing tests with the 7.3L at the Ike Gauntlet? Seems it's doing a marvelous job there too.

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I take things like TFL with a grain of salt.

How does me towing a heavy, wide, modified raptor on a heavy trailer compare? Not sure. I'm speaking from my experience.

When I tow, it is never for under 500 miles. Usually, a one-way trip is 1900-2000 miles.

I've towed in various areas of the country with the combo of steep grade, lots of turns, and anywhere from 30-50 miles of them.

towing through the vail pass in the snow? I wouldn't have done it in a gasser. the weight, torque, and exhaust brake make a HUGE difference.

Towing the 8 to SD in the middle of summer? Even with all of the upgrades, My trans still got pretty hot, as did my coolant temps.

Towing in Baja? I'll take the diesel too. The control that comes with being able to slow down, but still have more than enough torque makes me more comfortable.

So while I don't know what the "ike gauntlet" is, I do know how my truck performs in the areas of the country that make me most nervous. (and makes me confident in my equipment).

I'll also say that having 120 gallons of fuel onboard and being able to get 1100 miles before having to look for fuel while towing 12K lbs is REALLY nice. ( even though I obviously need to stop for bio breaks between fillups).

YMMV

zombiekiller said:

I take things like TFL with a grain of salt.

How does me towing a heavy, wide, modified raptor on a heavy trailer compare? Not sure. I'm speaking from my experience.

When I tow, it is never for under 500 miles. Usually, a one-way trip is 1900-2000 miles.

I've towed in various areas of the country with the combo of steep grade, lots of turns, and anywhere from 30-50 miles of them.

towing through the vail pass in the snow? I wouldn't have done it in a gasser. the weight, torque, and exhaust brake make a HUGE difference.

Towing the 8 to SD in the middle of summer? Even with all of the upgrades, My trans still got pretty hot, as did my coolant temps.

Towing in Baja? I'll take the diesel too. The control that comes with being able to slow down, but still have more than enough torque makes me more comfortable.

So while I don't know what the "ike gauntlet" is, I do know how my truck performs in the areas of the country that make me most nervous. (and makes me confident in my equipment).

I'll also say that having 120 gallons of fuel onboard and being able to get 1100 miles before having to look for fuel while towing 12K lbs is REALLY nice. ( even though I obviously need to stop for bio breaks between fillups).

YMMV

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you know- I’m only reading this now cuz I get the notifications since I started the thread, but this post here kinda points something out that I think is very relevant for those shopping trucks looking between 1/2 tons, 3/4, 1 ton & diesel vs gas

if you’re towing up to 5-10k lbs on occasion & not going cross country, not plowing, not loading up bed w/ heavy ass stuff & also do a lot of unladen local mall crawling & unladen (non-towing) road trips- like someone who does the occasional tow the camper 2-3x a year or the 5-8k lb boat during summer @ local ramp or within 300 mile radius of home- probably should be looking 1/2 ton

if you’re gonna be doing the above but pushing the upper limits of the towing, or wanna be able to tow something in the 10-15k range w/ some regularity, you also may wanna use truck to plow, load the bed way the F up on semi-regular basis w/ gravel, wood etc, don’t need to worry bout mpg for long road trip/commute & have the truck loaded more often than not, don’t want to deal w/ diesel emissions/maint. stuff & arent traveling huge distances w/ trailer or in very steep mountainous areas - saving $10k in your pocket for a nice gasser SD/HD does probably make sense

if you are doing more of exactly what you’re describing, then 10000% makes sense to step up further to a diesel- the engine braking/mpg/fuel range/TQ all come into play much greater in that scenario

Great thread, as I am considering selling my '12 Gen 1 for a new F250 Tremor diesel. You guys helped me make my decision! Thanks!

raptorman said:

Great thread, as I am considering selling my '12 Gen 1 for a new F250 Tremor diesel. You guys helped me make my decision! Thanks!

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I agree! I am getting ready to add an F250 Diesel Tremor to my garage and this discussion really helped confirm my choice.

I will keep my Raptor for a while, but I may end up selling it if the Tremor works out.