2020 Ford F-Series Super Duty Tremor Brings 7.3 Liters of V8 Power

by Anthony Magagnoli

Published: June 27th, 2019

2020 ford f series super duty tremor brings 7 3 liters of v8 power

The new Tremor off-road package will bring a new 7.3-liter V8 and 10-speed automatic transmission to the heavy-duty F-250 and F-350 lineups. The 6.7-liter Power Stroke turbo diesel V8 will also be available, paired with its 6-speed automatic.

Ford’s Tremor package is a shot across the bow of the RAM Power Wagon. The 35-inch Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac tires are the largest diameter rubber available on any HD pickup and a 2-inch lift of the front suspension and shorter air dam enable real off-road prowess for the Super Duty trucks.

For those looking to push the limits of their truck off-road, 10.8 inches of ground clearance are provided, as well as a claimed best-in-class water fording of 33 inches. Approach and departure angles are also improved to 31.65 degrees and 24.51 degrees, respectively. Larger dampers (shocks) feature internal hydraulic jounce bumpers (bump stops) to help soften the really big impacts — whether off-road or on.

Additional hardware includes off-road running boards that tuck up next to the body for damage control, extended-axle vent tubes, and thick skid plates.

Selectable drive modes will provide flexibility to power or traction as needed, based on the conditions encountered. Normal mode will be complimented by tow/haul, eco, slippery, and deep snow/sand — all of which should be self-explanatory.

To maximize off-road traction, the Tremor uses an electronically-locking rear differential, paired with a limited-slip front diff. Working with the 10-speed automatic transmission is a new rock-crawl mode, which is optimized to operate in low-range 4×4. Tremor trucks equipped with the 7.3-liter gas engine have a 53:1 crawl ratio while the 6.7-liter diesels have a 44:1 crawl ratio. Trail Control will be included, which acts like a cruise control for off-road driving.

Power figures for the 7.3-liter engine have not been released yet, though we can expect a healthy bump over the 385 horsepower and 430 ft-lbs of the base 6.2-liter V8. Meanwhile, the 6.7-liter turbo diesel will carry forward and is assumed to make the same 450 hp and 935 ft-lbs as the 2019 model.

Ford claims that the Super Duty Tremor package provides greater towing and payload than Ram Power Wagon, with tow and payload ratings similar to non-Tremor models. We’ll have to wait to find out exactly what those figures are, however.

The Tremor off-road package will be available on F250 and F350 models when the 2020 Super Duty launches later this year — but it will be limited to 4×4 single-rear wheel SuperCrew models with the 6.75-foot bed.

[Images: Ford]

#10-speed #4x4 #7.3L #FSeries #F250 #F350 #Ford #Off-Road #SuperDuty #Tremor

Anthony Magagnoli

Following 10 years in Toyota's Production Engineering division, Anthony spent 3 years as a Vehicle Dynamics Engineer for FCA. From modest beginnings in autocross, he won a NASA SpecE30 National Championship and was the 2017 Pirelli World Challenge TC Rookie of the Year. Aside from being a professional racecar driver, he is a private driving coach and future karaoke champion.

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12 of 77 comments

IBx1 on Jun 28, 2019

Ford: We're making a new 7.3! Everyone: WOOOOOO Ford: It's a gasser! Everyone:

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- Hummer on Jun 28, 2019
  
  Who’s the last everyone? I’m super excited about a gas 7.3L I wouldn’t care 2 seconds for another diesel in today’s emissions predicament. Big displacement gas engines are the ultimate fantasy.
  
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- 28-Cars-Later on Jun 28, 2019
  
  @Hummer I think large displacement gasoline motors will become en vogue because of how they ruined diesel, but man 935 ft-tq from the new 6.7? That's so ridiculous I'm in awe, part of me is must-have-ludicrous-product-just-because (of course that attitude is how I ended up with my Audi 100 C3). "Meanwhile, the 6.7-liter turbo diesel will carry forward and is assumed to make the same 450 hp and 935 ft-lbs as the 2019 model."
  
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- Mopar4wd on Jun 28, 2019
  
  @28-Cars-Later I'm waiting for the low pressure Turbo v8's, to become a thing in trucks. You could run a diesel like turbo setup (or 3.5 ecoboost) on a 5.0 liter v-8 and have very diesel like low end grunt. Based on Ford's experience with ecoboost 150 and ranger I'm surprised it hasn't already happened.
  
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- Jack4x on Jun 28, 2019
  
  @mopar4wd Turbos and aluminum engines won’t stand up to an HD duty cycle like this 7.3 will. Without pressure from fuel economy standards there’s no reason to complicate or downsize in this market.
  
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- EBFlex on Jun 29, 2019
  
  Ford mouth breathers: GM and Chrysler suck because they use ancient pushrod V8s. Ford: Launches a massive pushrod V8 Ford mouth breathers: OMG it's the second coming! All hail pushrods!
  
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- EBFlex on Jun 29, 2019
  
  @mopar4wd "I’m waiting for the low pressure Turbo v8’s, to become a thing in trucks. You could run a diesel like turbo setup (or 3.5 ecoboost) on a 5.0 liter v-8 and have very diesel like low end grunt. Based on Ford’s experience with ecoboost 150 and ranger I’m surprised it hasn’t already happened." I'm not surprised at all. Those engines aren't that reliable (egobust) In most all forms, the 3.5L egobust has more power and delivers it better than the 6.8L V10 yet the V10 soldiered on because the 3.5L is not reliable enough for heavy truck use. It's a shame Ford chooses to focus on power numbers that look good on paper and not making their stuff more reliable. You'd think reliability would be a more sustainable path forward.
  
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- Mopar4wd on Jun 29, 2019
  
  @mopar4wd I wasn't really thinking of the coyote 5.0. I was thinking a dedicated iron block with low pressure turbo. You could make it durable and still have the unrea low down torque diesel buyers go for. The high redline actually has me a bit concerned the old 460 and 454 truck engines had really low redlines and tuned for longevity and pulling power. There are some guys online buying old gas HD trucks and putting low pressure turbos and seeing big jumps in low end torque with the right tuning. I had been thinking of putting a Cummins in my ramcharger but my new thought is to see what I can do with a turbo and a RV or boat grind can on the 318. On the Ecoboost, I have been trolling the forums, the 3.5 in the flex and other applications has a ton of issues, but the truck versions seem to do better, at least better then the 5.4 used to do.
  
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Micko4472 on Jun 28, 2019

I lived in CO for 20 years and did a lot of off-roading to a lot of very interesting places over some very gnarly "roads". None of these full sized pickups have the slightest chance of traversing any of these "roads"/trails. You gotta have something the size of a Jeep Wrangler to get to these places. Anything bigger ain't gettin' there. See the website www.traildamage.com for examples.

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- Mopar4wd on Jun 28, 2019
  
  Micko, I have to agree I was offroad constantly from a teenager thru my 20's. Here in New England it was much the same. My Toyota pickup and Cherokee were much better suited to the trails up here. I took my ramcharger out alot as well but the short wheel base helped mitigate damage. And even then I got lots of trail rash. Now I did wheel with guys running full size pickups in the day but it usually resulted in lots of body damage or them avoiding the tighter sections. When I was in Maine the trails tended to be easier on a fullsize but it was still problematic. However in the mud of Florida and the Desert Southwest the size thing isn't as much of an issue. Also the bigger trend in offroading is away from more extreme scenarios and into the overlanding, which usually involves easier trails and longer trips. Which again a fullsize does well with.
  
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- DenverMike on Jun 28, 2019
  
  The big trucks are definitely a "compromise", but all trucks have to compromise something. But by far the best trials I've been to aren't accessible by any Jeeps, not even if Samurais.
  
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- Lou_BC on Jun 29, 2019
  
  @DenverMike Most off-roaders buying full-sized trucks aren't planning on competing head to head with Wranglers. They tend to be used to haul or tow their toys (bikes,quads,boat) to to their base camp. If one switches over to the industrial side of off-road use, all I see are full-sized pickups.
  
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