2008 Ford Super Duty, Round Two for 60 Years of the F-Series

Last month I got to play on almost 4000 acres of Fords Michigan Proving Grounds. Towing trailers (my favorite sport) up and down Fords 7 and 15% grades proved how capable Fords improved 5R110 auto tranny behind the new 6.4L Power Stroke diesel is. Going down hill with loaded 10k trailers was a good test on how the Torq-Shift auto tranny grade shifts, tapping on the brake downshifts in tow mode holding each gear remarkably well. Ford provided a few Dodge and GM diesels to try out beside the Fords at the renovated proving grounds. Sand wash, mud, off-road course, mud, replica of the famous Silver Creek torture track, all means FUN ! Plowing thru the sand wash and off-road with 2500# payload was easy for the loaded Super Duties.

 Cover up your trailer hitch with trailer hitch plugs

For the second round of the 2008 Super Duty (May plus production) Ford strengthened the auto tranny with 3 clutch surfaces instead of one in the torque converter lockup. Besides making the tranny quieter, it stops TC slippage with max capacity trailers. The external bypass filter is replaced back to the new sump pan direct filter that can filter all the oil. Ford raised the interval for servicing tranny oil and filter to 60k with a larger pan and filter. Starting in January, the 5R110 automatic transmission has a 5 gear planetary instead of 4 of last year, picture right.  The torque converter has more oil pressure, a new spring damper and one way stator clutch. The line pressure in the tranny is the same since it was lowered in 1999 in the 4R100 for smoother shifts.

Another improvement for the 2008 second series, the F350 dually shares the front axle, suspension and frame with the F450 pickup. You'll notice the front fender flares for the wider axle. My calculations puts the "Fat Boy" as the engineers call it, seven ft. shorter turning circle than a standard F350 dually. $450 option makes it a no-brainer for extra capacity axle and increased GVWR up to 13,000 lbs.

F450 pickup has a frame vibration damper. The cab and chassis F450 which doesn't have the frame damper, shake at highway speeds with a 4.88 rear axle ratio, while the F450 pickup doesn't. The pickup version of the F450 also has 8 inch longer rear leaf springs than do the cab and chassis versions for a smoother ride. There was a whole industry of conversion companies that converted Ford F450 cab and chassis to pickup trucks taking a F450 c & c, adding a dually bed and a blank 6 inch section behind the cab since the cab and chassis is longer than fits an 8 ft bed. Or they took a regular bed and cut out forward for the duals and added fenders there.

Offset fan blades lesson noise, fan is attached to engine instead of radiator for closer tolerance providing more air volume.

Fifty percent larger water pump, thirty-three percent larger radiator. The theme, cool.

A sign of the 3rd year of three dollar diesel has Ford raising the standard axle ration from 3.73 to 3.55 with 17 and 18" wheels, 3.73 on 20's. Ford has the most choices of axle ratios. The F350 dually can be 3.73, 4.10 or 4.30 properly equipped.

Celebrating Harley-Davidson's 105th birthday, Ford has matching F150 and F250 HD editions for the first time. 

My survey of Ford service writers that I know show the new 6.4L Power Stroke diesel is doing well with little problems especially compared to the first year of the 6.0L PS. Though now to work on anything major, they lift the body off the truck which becomes labor intensive. Might be wise to take Ford up on their new extended factory warranty called "Diesel Engine Care" package which goes beyond the standard 5 year/100k diesel engine warranty.

Ford is one of the OEM's involved in the upcoming SAE trailer standards matching trucks and trailers. I've seen Ford line up towing and payload capacity increases with actual improvements in frame and suspension. Something I wish all OEM's did. Having an industry standard for what trailer loads specific trucks can handle, will help the public make better trailering choices.  For more read....

Now for fun speculation looking to the future.

The message is getting louder that Ford won't have Navistar diesels forever. I'm seeing subtle hints that the next Super Duty my have a yellow colored diesel engine. There are only so many diesel makers to choose from. Doubt if Dodge will share Cummins, no way Ford would use a Duramax or Isuzu, Navistar is on the way out, so we're left with Cat and John Deere with domestic diesels. I think it would be hard for Ford to use a European or Japanese diesel. I think a 6.4L CAT engine could be the solution to help us forget about the 6.0L Navistar.

I'm predicting Ford will have a exhaust brake within a couple years. Dodge's recent factory exhaust brake will force their hand just as Ford having the first factory trailer brake controller in 2005 prompted GM to follow in 2007.

I hope to see the comeback of axle two-speeds. On the farm we had them in the forties thru the seventies on 2-ton trucks. Ford offers electric 2-speed rear axles on the F650/750 now. This could be a great way for better fuel economy as well as help climbing the hills we have in Colorado with Interstates going over 11,000 ft passes. Dream on.

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