2008 6.4L vs Duramax - Questions

[jascott]

I currently have an 07 Silverado w/ the Duramax and Allision and am looking at possibly purchasing an 08 F250 w/ the 6.4L. I have driven several 6.4L trucks, but none for more than a few miles at a time.

I can tell a noticable difference in "get up and go" between the Duramax and the 6.4L. The Ford seems way down on power compared to the Duramax. Both trucks have the 3.73 axle. I am sure the 6.4L is more than capable of towing my 12k 5th wheel, but I don't understand the difference in perceived power. Any thoughts?

I do currently run a Superchips programmer in my Duramax, but only on level one (tow) - and primarly to correct tire size issues. Are their any programmers for the Ford that make a noticable difference, but not create tranny damage?

Second, can anybody give me some honest input on any potential issues with the 6.4? I have read about the radiator and would ask the dealer to install the venturi/degaus bottle prior to puchase. What else?

I really like the body of the new Fords and would love to pick one up, but I am learry of going from a nice reliable power plant to something that I will have issues with in the future.

FWIW, I am primarly looking at switching trucks to get a nicer interior and more robust front end...

Thanks for you honest input. I am hoping to make a decision in the next day or two.

Thanks,
JS

[CMB430]

As with any truck, the Super Duties have their share of issues. Radiators are prone to fail, but there are no other wide-spread issues. I am about to turn 23K on mine, and besides a few issues not related to the engine, there have been no major problems. I was always a Chevy guy, but when they quit making manual transmissions, I had to switch to Ford. If you are looking for a more comfortable interior, I would not switch. I miss GM seats, as they hug you. Ford's are more like a park bench. Make sure you get dual power front seats...its worth the $500 bucks. If you are worried about the drop in MPG, stay with your Chevy. The other thing to consider...trades on diesels are quite low now, so you may take more of a hit than you would have a year ago when I traded in my GMs.

I love my F350, and would recommend you spend the extra $2,000 and get the 1 ton so no matter what you want to throw in the bed or hitch up to, you can do it.

Best of luck in your decision.

[jascott]

Thanks for the reply. What is ironic here is one of the main reasons I am considering moving is the seats. I have the 40/20/40 cloth seats w/ no lumbar and it is killing my back... I did spend some time behind the wheel of the V10 Lariat today and really liked the seats. Very comfortable interior. I am actually considering the V10 as it would be probably be the most reliabel drivetrain in the Ford right now, but I am really scared off by the mileage...

[DSL_PWR]

Well when I traded my 2006 GMC Duramax in on my first 08 F250, my truck at the time had 13500 miles on it and I got 35K for it on trade. The power of the 6.4 did not seem as easily used as with the duramax but overall as far as the truck went with towing power, looks and feel I was overly pleased and have not looked back since then. Only had one issue and that was the radiator on the 6.4, was replaced when I was out of town and noticed it leaking.

My GMC was in the shop a total of 9 times for various issues, lack of power, transmission issues, rear end popping, interior issues and other misc cosmetic problems that GM would never fix. So that was part of the reason I switched as well.

I have not been completely thrilled with fuel mileage but this truck is also heavier than my GMC was. No other issues to complain about and in fact I was so happy with it that I just traded my job 1 F250 in on a job 3 truck. It does get better fuel mileage so far and rides much better. The truck seems to have more power than the job 1 truck (could be my imagination) but I am thrilled to have a new one and would do it again.

Traded the job 1 truck this Wednesday with 17500 miles on it and got 31500 for it. Paid way less than invoice for the new job 3 truck as well as some rebates and awesome financing. Now is the time if you really want to do it....

Where are you located? I might be able to hook you up with an awesome dealership that would help you.

[timid1]

I bought my 2008 F250 PSD sight unseen. Never test drove any other diesel trucks either. I came from years of driving light duty trucks, from a regular Nissan P/U, Nissan Frontier, and a Nissan Titan. All of them were smooth riding trucks, but this F250 is a tank. It's hard to describe the way it handles, but it definitely took some getting used to.

Anyway, the F250 might be slower off the line because of its size in comparison to the Chevy. Unless tire sizes and GVWR are exactly the same, it's pretty difficult to compare (as I understand).

No complaints here. 6500 miles so far, so I wouldn't expect problems.

[homepukes]

I've had my truck since March. I only have 5,000 miles on it but I still love it. I had an 05 F250 and thought that was a great truck except that it leaked oil. I feel this is an even better truck driving wise.

I have a King Ranch and the seats are awesome. A couple of months ago I had a long day of driving. I spent 10 hours driving the truck without stopping (except for fuel and a couple of drive thrus.) I did not feel one bit of fatigue until after hour 8. It was then I started getting tired not suprisingly. I have a job 3 and have not had one problem.

I have been watching about the upgrades for fuel milage closely. I am waiting until my truck gets more milage on it before I do anything that could possibly void the warranty. I saw where Spratan just came out with a program that will get better milage with the DPF on. Seeing the progress these guys are making, no telling what they will have out in a year or so when I am ready to get a program. Right now I get about 14.5mpg mixed highway and city driving. I have an automatic Crew Cab with 4X4.

I used to be a Chevy guy and even looked at them before I bought this truck. No offense, but whoever designs trucks at Chevy should be fired. I cannot believe how ugly they are. The GMC front end is a little better but not much. I think the '08 Ford Super Duties are the best looking pick ups ever made. I highly recommend getting one. I saw on a website where a guy bought a brand new KR 4X4 for less than $40,000 from a dealer in Houston. What a deal.

[golfljb]

one thing to keep in mind about the chevy/ford power is - chevy builds their trucks to be hotrods. They start by building a truck that is quite a bit lighter duty then the ford, then put really small brakes/tires/rims on them - which equates to a much better power/weight ratio, and with the much lower rotational mass of the wheels/tires/brakes, it makes for a speedier truck.
Most of the people I know buy them for that very reason, because its faster. I don't buy a 3/4 ton or 1 ton to drag race with, I buy it to work it.

I also don't understand this "chevy is more comfortable" arguement, I've ridden in plenty of them, and I think my Fords are every bit as comfortable if not more confortable (but everyone is different) I think the quality of the interior of the new Fords is second to none.

[titaniumfan]

Yup, one thing that irked me was that the 2500HD and 3500HD dually shared the same brakes front and rear, both substantially smaller than the F-450's. I guess the increased payload for the 3500HD didn't justify better brakes (and tow/haul mode downshifting can't solve everything)

Ob 6.4 content: got my F-450 back from the dealer yesterday after original radiator replaced @ 18K miles, venturi installation and reflash to latest TSB. Haven't seen the new regen message yet.

[Maxtorque]

Originally Posted by DSL_PWR

Well when I traded my 2006 GMC Duramax in on my first 08 F250, my truck at the time had 13500 miles on it and I got 35K for it on trade. The power of the 6.4 did not seem as easily used as with the duramax but overall as far as the truck went with towing power, looks and feel I was overly pleased and have not looked back since then. Only had one issue and that was the radiator on the 6.4, was replaced when I was out of town and noticed it leaking.

My GMC was in the shop a total of 9 times for various issues, lack of power, transmission issues, rear end popping, interior issues and other misc cosmetic problems that GM would never fix. So that was part of the reason I switched as well.

I have not been completely thrilled with fuel mileage but this truck is also heavier than my GMC was. No other issues to complain about and in fact I was so happy with it that I just traded my job 1 F250 in on a job 3 truck. It does get better fuel mileage so far and rides much better. The truck seems to have more power than the job 1 truck (could be my imagination) but I am thrilled to have a new one and would do it again.

Traded the job 1 truck this Wednesday with 17500 miles on it and got 31500 for it. Paid way less than invoice for the new job 3 truck as well as some rebates and awesome financing. Now is the time if you really want to do it....

Where are you located? I might be able to hook you up with an awesome dealership that would help you.

My experience has been guite the opposite. My GMC has been absolutely trouble free for well over 300K miles while my 08 Superduty can't seem to stay on the job. As far as another members comment about the GMC being a race truck vs. Ford being a work truck I beg to differ on that one also. From my personal experience the brakes are more than adequate for stopping big loads with the GMC and to be quite frank the Superduty actually sags more when loaded taking the headlights off the road. I also find the Ford is much slower getting up to speed when loaded. Sorry if I offended anyone but it is what it is.

[tjsulli790]

Originally Posted by Maxtorque

My experience has been guite the opposite. My GMC has been absolutely trouble free for well over 300K miles while my 08 Superduty can't seem to stay on the job. As far as another members comment about the GMC being a race truck vs. Ford being a work truck I beg to differ on that one also. From my personal experience the brakes are more than adequate for stopping big loads with the GMC and to be quite frank the Superduty actually sags more when loaded taking the headlights off the road. I also find the Ford is much slower getting up to speed when loaded. Sorry if I offended anyone but it is what it is.

You're comparing two completely different beasts there. My 2000 7.3L also has over 300k on original injectors, original turbo, and original transmission. Lets face it the older diesels are set to be more reliable.

And just because GMC is designing their truck to be a race truck doesn't mean it can't work. I'm just saying, I walked up to an 08 2500HD and thought it had a mini-spare on.

I don't know who big of loads you are pulling with your 3/4 ton, but perhaps you should have stepped it up and invested in overload springs.

And I'm sorry, but you can't sway me on Chevy brakes, those are things are horid and they have been that way for years. Maybe after 300K miles you were able to adjust to them.

[duramax_33]

And I'm sorry, but you can't sway me on Chevy brakes, those are things are horid and they have been that way for years. Maybe after 300K miles you were able to adjust to them. [/quote]

I drive both trucks daily at a farm I work on. One being a F-350 cc 6.4 powerstroke and the other being a 3500HD cc 6.6 dmax. Towing trailers loaded down I would pick the chevy over the ford, due to what I feel has a tad bit more power and comfortable at the end of a long day. Im not saying the super duty is a bad truck, because that is far from the truth it is an amazing truck as well. Moving on to the brake comment, on both 1 ton trucks there is not much of a difference in braking performance with a load and both using brake controllers. Even in size the ford is a tad bigger at 13.66" front and 13.39" in the rear for rotors the chevy has 12.0" in the front and 13.0" in the rear. Trying to compair brakes of a F450 and a 3500 is not fair, If GM made a 4500 that wasent in the medium-duty class im sure it would have bigger brakes just like the F450. Im not trying to start a GM vs Ford debate just giving my input.

[scscrew]

Jascott,
I was in this same predicament back in December 2007. I had a classic style 2007 Chevy 2500 CC 4x4 with the Duramax. That truck was faster off the line than the Powerstroke but the Chevrolet rode like crap. Those trucks have the roughest ride of any vehicle I have ever been in and I have owned several 3/4 ton trucks. That Duramax is a great engine but the truck itself has issues: steering shaft clunk (GM tried to repair 5 times), transmission shudder, worn idler arm at 20K miles, doors that rattle going over any bump, and the seats are not comfortable at all. I regretted buying that truck 2 days after I purchased it. I kept it for 8 months and sold it and bought a new 2008 F250 CC Lariat 4x4. I had owned this same style truck in a 2004 model and loved it and my dad still drives it everyday.

Like you, I was concerned with fuel mileage after reading all the posts from people complaining about MPG. Let's face it though, GM and Dodge are also having to comply with the new EPA emissions requirements and that is what is killing everyone's mileage. I have put 27k miles on my 6.4L since January and I am now averaging 15.5-16 MPG on the interstate at 70 mph but it does drop to around 11-13 mpg in town. The truck rides so much better and the fit and finish is superior to GM.

The only issues I have had so far are the infamous radiator leak (replaced and seems to be cured), a door latch that needed adjustment, and the right rear wheel well molding needed to be reattached as it was not initially attached very tightly (I actually noticed that on the walk around before I purchased it). My Duramax was in the shop 8 or 9 times during the 8 months that I kept it and my F250 has only been in 2 times for warranty work.

Other than taking a beating on your trade right now, I would say go for it and don't look back.

[jascott]

Originally Posted by scscrew

Jascott,
I was in this same predicament back in December 2007. I had a classic style 2007 Chevy 2500 CC 4x4 with the Duramax. That truck was faster off the line than the Powerstroke but the Chevrolet rode like crap. Those trucks have the roughest ride of any vehicle I have ever been in and I have owned several 3/4 ton trucks. That Duramax is a great engine but the truck itself has issues: steering shaft clunk (GM tried to repair 5 times), transmission shudder, worn idler arm at 20K miles, doors that rattle going over any bump, and the seats are not comfortable at all. I regretted buying that truck 2 days after I purchased it. I kept it for 8 months and sold it and bought a new 2008 F250 CC Lariat 4x4. I had owned this same style truck in a 2004 model and loved it and my dad still drives it everyday.

Like you, I was concerned with fuel mileage after reading all the posts from people complaining about MPG. Let's face it though, GM and Dodge are also having to comply with the new EPA emissions requirements and that is what is killing everyone's mileage. I have put 27k miles on my 6.4L since January and I am now averaging 15.5-16 MPG on the interstate at 70 mph but it does drop to around 11-13 mpg in town. The truck rides so much better and the fit and finish is superior to GM.

The only issues I have had so far are the infamous radiator leak (replaced and seems to be cured), a door latch that needed adjustment, and the right rear wheel well molding needed to be reattached as it was not initially attached very tightly (I actually noticed that on the walk around before I purchased it). My Duramax was in the shop 8 or 9 times during the 8 months that I kept it and my F250 has only been in 2 times for warranty work.

Other than taking a beating on your trade right now, I would say go for it and don't look back.

Thanks for the input. This post probably best describes how I feel about the whole situation. I have had the steering clunks, but nothing else. I am very concerned that I will get the Powerstroke and be unhapy with the off-line acceleration. I don't race them, but it is VERY noticable. The fuel mileage is another issue... Guess I could get used to it...

I am kind of just looking for the right truck and the right price, both ways.

We'll see what happens.

[Stymie]

I noticed he asked about tuners, and the tranny. The auto in these trucks is bullet proof. They have proven to take over 500rwhp without blinking. Spartan is running 12.5's on a stock tranny

[torino73]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again- If you take a good motor (the Duramax) and wrap a piece of crap around it, what you end up with is a fast piece of crap. There is absolutely NO WAY that ANYONE could convince me that a Chevy has anywhere near the operating payload of a Ford- period. One of my friends has a 2500HD. He put 17 100' rolls of 1" K copper on the back of his truck, and it put it on its knees. He could barely keep it on the road. I put 28 rolls on mine, and it wasn't even all the way down on the helpers, and handled fine. Yeah, his is a 3/4 ton and mine's a 350, but the payload diff should not be that significant. My other buddy has a 3500 dually, and his dump bed EMPTY puts the truck all the way down on the helpers, and the bed simply is not that heavy. The reason Fords weigh more, is they have alot more steel in them! As for off-the-line throttle response- My truck is a stick, and may behave differently than the autos, but I have found that if you goose the truck off the line, it will fall on its face. Feather it in slowly, then floor it, it will respond better. I have to go through this in between every gear- it's not that tough.