Ford expects better mpg on new Super Duty
C. E. White
Jamie LaReau
Automotive News
December 8, 2009 - 1:41 pm ET
DETROIT -- Ford Motor Co. has designed a new transmission for its 2011 Super
Duty pickup that will achieve "significant" performance and fuel economy
improvements over the current five-speed automatic, a top Ford engineer said
today.
The truck goes on sale next spring. It will have a new body, Ford's first
in-house designed diesel V-8 truck engine and a new six-speed automatic
transmission.
"It's a clean sheet; it is not an evolution of the current product," said
Dick Boerema, Ford engineering manager, during a Web conference. "We're
going to be significantly improved over what's available today."
Boerema declined to give fuel economy estimates for the truck other than to
say it will be "very competitive."
The EPA does not require fuel economy estimates to be given on the window
sticker because heavy-duty pickup trucks are in a different weight class and
do not have to conform to passenger-car standards.
Ford will announce more details on the fuel economy of the truck as it gets
closer to launch.
Derrick Kuzak, Ford's global product chief, has committed Ford to fuel
economy leadership in every segment. But engineers stopped short of saying
the 2011 Super Duty trucks would top General Motors and Chrysler products'
fuel economy.
"Testing continues, and it continues to look very good," Boerema said. "The
market will be very happy with the end result for fuel economy."
Ford can use the same base transmission in gasoline and diesel trucks.
Ford engineers benchmarked the GM Allison transmission used in heavy-duty
versions of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra. Ford's new transmission
uses a one-piece case that saves 25 pounds compared with the GM transmission
that uses a three-piece case.
The transmission has two novel features. It can be made to mimic a manual
transmission. It also has what engineers call a "live drive" power takeoff.
That enables auxiliary equipment, such a salt spreader, to be used while the
truck is stationary.
Steve Austin
Most of the bad rep Ford got for their Taurus trannys was because they
cut too much weight out of them.
Steve W.
Nothing like taking weight out to make JUNK.
Guess they didn't bother to note that the three piece case allows
stronger parts inside and easier service than a one piece case.
Last I heard the new engine was still struggling to meet the new
emissions regs as well.
Then there is the minor item that while fuel economy is not a bad thing
to go after, they are building a TRUCK.
--
Steve W.
dr_jeff
This isn't weight off the inside, it was weight off the outside. Big
difference.
Steve Austin
Sure is. I'd rather buy a new forward piston than a case though.
Scott Dorsey
>> Most of the bad rep Ford got for their Taurus trannys was because they
>> cut too much weight out of them.
>
>This isn't weight off the inside, it was weight off the outside. Big
>difference.
Might be.
But then again, I had a Chrysler Laser whose transaxle case cracked. Actually
three of them cracked, three times. Sometimes you need a little more weight
on the outside. Sometimes not.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
Ad absurdum per aspera
> >This isn't weight off the inside, it was weight off the outside. Big
> >difference.
> But then again, I had a Chrysler Laser whose transaxle case cracked. Actually
> three of them cracked, three times. Sometimes you need a little more weight
> on the outside. Sometimes not.
Remember, we're talking about an F250 Super Duty with a diesel
engine. The proportional returns for shaving a small amount of
weight will be a lot smaller than in a small sporty car or even a big
family or luxury car... and you want to be *really* careful that you
aren't compromising its durability in, uh, super-duty use in order to
accomplish this. You have to assume that its buyers will really use
its hauling and towing capabilities for either work or play, and you
may bet that some of these applications will fall into the "may
constitute abuse and void warranty" category.
We're not even talking about much weight. From the original posting:
"Ford's new transmission uses a one-piece case that saves 25 pounds
compared with the GM [the premium Allison-branded] transmission that
uses a three-piece case." Twenty-five pounds. That's what... half a
feed sack? a third of a dog? the mud caked onto the bottom of the
running boards by the time you've gotten in and out of a construction
site? three gallons in the holding tank for the potty in your fifth-
wheel?
Making the innards more *efficient* (while keeping them suitably heavy
duty) might have a big payoff, but the weight they're saving on the
transmission case matters little on such a vehicle.
--Joe
Steve
Powerjoke that wastes tons of fuel by dumping it out the exhaust to run
the DPF clean cycle will save even more fuel. The fact that the old 7.3L
Powerstroke got significantly better fuel economy with a *4* speed
transmission is a dead giveaway that the transmission isn't the leading
culprit.
I'll hold my judgment on the new Ford Scorpion diesel until its been out
a while... the aluminum block makes me really nervous in a medium-duty
truck diesel application. If I were in the market, I'd run to
Cummins/Dodge really fast.