Towing with a hemi.

[Stump Jumper]

My brother tows a 26 ft camper. He is considering trading in his 2001 Ford F150 with the 5.4 and upgrading to a new Dodge (2007-2008) with the 345Hp Hemi. I had heard that the Hemi was a gas hog and that it makes most of it's power and torque in the upper RPM's. Don't want to start a war here, but what are your feelings about towing with the Dodge vs Ford & Chevy?

[DriVer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stump Jumper Don't want to start a war here, but what are your feelings about towing with the Dodge vs Ford & Chevy?

This can fuel a lot of hard opinions but in the end I believe it all depends on preference. All these vehicles are pretty close in performance. GM claims to have an MPG advantage with its truck. Ford is a good truck as well and is a very popular choice for RV towing.

No doubt Tundra & Titan owners will share their opinion as well.

[TXiceman]

There are a lot of opinions on trucks. It is a preference. All of the gassers depend on RPM to develope the torque so they are designed to rev. In order to get the energy out of an engine, you have to put in energy in the form of fuel. Diesel has a higher energy content than does gasoline and a diesel engine is more efficient than a gasoline engine. The diesel is designed to get the torque at a lower RPM and have a broad torque band.

Personally I like the power of the diesel and the fuel economy over a gasser.

Ken

[Ray,IN]

Gasoline engines produce the most HP and torque in the top 1/3 of the RPM range of that particular engine. Engine brand is immaterial. A high HP engine will require more gas than a lower HP engine to do the same work. As to brand, take your choice they each have good and not-so-good points. I do prefer GM engines though.

[two slides]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stump Jumper My brother tows a 26 ft camper. He is considering trading in his 2001 Ford F150 with the 5.4 and upgrading to a new Dodge (2007-2008) with the 345Hp Hemi. I had heard that the Hemi was a gas hog and that it makes most of it's power and torque in the upper RPM's. Don't want to start a war here, but what are your feelings about towing with the Dodge vs Ford & Chevy?

I have the Dodge Hemi 345hp truck & I don't believe it will use more fuel than the Ford or Chevy models. I believe you're referring to the eariler Dodge trucks with the 10 cylinder engines (now that was a GAS hog).
as for power, I have pulled a heavy boat recently (over 5000lbs) in 5th gear with power to spare.

[carlsharib]

I just this year moved up from a 28 ft. Sundance 5th wheel pulled by my 2005 2500 Dodge with a hemi to a Fleetwood Southwind. The Dodge averaged between 9 and 10 mile per gallon towing to and from Indiana to Alabama for 4 years. Had as much power as I needed, just not as powerful going up steep grades as a diesel would be.

[Randy the sly old fox]

I have towed with a 99 5.7L V8 where the torque peaked around 2600 RPM (and yes it ramped up and down quickly). My new 6.0L in my truck has a torque band that starts around 1000 and peaks around 4400 RPM - and BTW only gains about 50 lb-ft over that range. This coupled with the wide range 6sp tranny and 4.11 rear gears gives me ample room to keep the rig moving down the road using gears 4-6 most of the time. I average 14-15 on the hy empty and 10-12 with the AF in tow - about 12,000 CGW - the truck has an 18,000 CGWR so I am well within my specs. As far as milage goes, the 5.7 with 3.73 gears and 4spd made 18 hy and towing the same AF got between 8-9. So I have a bigger engine - much more HP and Torque - and BTW I can now cruise up grades where the older truck faltered. One thing I did not get to try was the 5.3L with the same tranny and a 4.11 gear, another combo would be to put a set of 3.73 gears in my truck - but it is a 4x4 so that would cost too much.

[Stump Jumper]

Personally, I have owned gasoline and diesel trucks and I prefer diesel over gas for hauling. However, as for my brother, he is definitely going to buy a gasser. I guess what I was getting at with the original post is that different gasoline engines make their horsepower and torque at different RPM levels. It seems to me that if all other things are relatively equal, more HP and Torque at lower RPM levels will equal better fuel mileage and longer engine life. I just didn't know if there was a major difference between the Dodge, Ford and Chevy engines in that respect.

[Randy the sly old fox]

Take a look at this article from 2007 PickupTruck.Com - Part 1: 2007 PickupTruck.com Heavy Duty Shootout

[trz]

how did that 5.4 ford do at pullying the 26 footer?

[TXiceman]

The 5.4L Ford has never been know for it's power. If he is getting a new gassser, go to the Ram Hemi or the Chevy 6.0L

Ken

[AZgl1500]

Brand choice falls down to preferences.
For ride comfort and cab comfort, I like the Fords.
For pulling power I want a diesel,
..... and for reliability I wanted a Cummins engine.

So, w/o building up a custom truck, that made me choose a Dodge.

My opinion on that? Damn rough ride, shifts like a sledge hammer (my fault because of upgrades to tranny). Ugly interior and very uncomfortable seats: my butt sits on the frame rails, I really need a custom seat.

Pro: Damn tough truck, reliable as all get out, 85 gallon fuel tanks (TransFlow).
..... and it has been paid for 3 years now. Huge plus for me.

One day, when my ship comes in, I will be installing air suspension front and rear.

[Mopar1973Man]

I've got both worlds on the Dodge relm... I've got a 1996 Dodge Ram (5.9L Gasser) and a 2002 Dodge Ram (5.9L diesel)... By far the diesel does better hands down for pulling power and MPG department over the 5.9L gasser.

As for for Ford's and Chevy's... Well I can't comment on them...

[Muncie_6spd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TXiceman The 5.4L Ford has never been know for it's power. If he is getting a new gassser, go to the Ram Hemi or the Chevy 6.0L Ken

The 4.6 and 5.4 engines are no longer available in new Ford trucks; for the F150 they have 2 V6 engines, one of which has two turbo chargers and 2 V8's, one 5.0L and the other 6.2L

Mike