dalola

Need to see specs first....HP@rpm, TQ@rpm, and weight. Then I'll decide.

11screw50

Agreed on the mustang and that is pretty much what the article said about why they would not expect it there. They also do not seem to think it would make sense in the F150.

I think I would rather have forced induction on the 5.0 from the factory (I mean, they did design it with forced induction in mind, seems like a waste to not do it).

hwmeador

While I am excited to see Ford build the 7.3 "godzilla" I'm a bit surprised by the path. It is lacking in technology in several key locations:
->Port Injection - they stated this engine will be port injected, not direct injection. While I understand from a reliability standpoint you are giving up efficiency gains of the direct injection
->Push Rod w/ 2 valve - when was the last time Ford built a push rod engine (other than diesel). The trend since Ford dropped the small block has been for OHC, 3 valve, 4 valve....all of which flow really well. While I think a push rod 2 valve engine is very reliable you leave a lot on the table.
-> Variable Cam Timing - While the new engine will have variable cam timing it will not have independently variable cam timing (Intake vs Exhaust). Lots of the gains on the 5.0 coyote are benefits from independent intake and exhaust cam timing. Since this engine will have a single cam you can not independently vary the intake and exhaust systems. There are some complicated systems out there that exist but I don't think they plan to employ here since they are looking for reliability.

I start to compare it to a Gen IV GM 6.0 (L96) which turns out 360hp/380lbft technology wise. We would expect the 7.3 to have more HP due to the increased displacement but just look at the gains GM gets from the 6.2 (L86) with direct injection , 420 hp/460lbft.

Personally I would not want the 7.3 in a F150, I love the 5.0 and it has plenty of power and fuel economy.

nlitend1

I would like to rent one, not own one though.

WarSurfer

Just because it's a large displacement engine doesn't mean it will be slow revving. I had a 496 that wound up like a small block and would hold 8grand all day. It's all in how you build it. With the right cam(s) and heads you could have 650hp on pump gas easy.

WildernessLVR

If it came to the 150 on reg cabs I'd know who would be screaming yeepykaei at the distance!!

Screw cab owners would be tossing out all the extra seats, bed covers, huge subwoofers and even the factory antenna. Any weight gain for payload would count wahahaha!

Spooled

Ford will never put the 7.3 in a half-ton truck or a car. If they did, it would affect CAFE. It's specifically a heavy duty engine because of this reason. Will it be offered as a crate engine? You can almost bet on that!

Napalm

SO another few things about that engine.

It's ECU and the intake is setup for DI and Port injection like the Coyote - but it will come out later supposedly. Why the wait I'm not sure of.

It is meant to be a low RPM/high torque curve motor - as it's purpose is for the HD truck line to be a GAS/CNG alternative to diesel. Read that slower again. There was a test stand motor that was rigged to run on CNG instead of gas and another 2 that ran on E85. As this is meant for fleet use that doesn't want diesel. Imagine you are someone like I don't know - ATMOS engergy - as natural gas company. ANd supposed you would like to run your whole fleet on CNG for the tax credits and energy cost savings (use your own supply etc).

Or imagine you are in the midwest and you would like to run on the cheap and prevalent E85 but need a few trucks in your fleet to tow 18K+ lbs.

I think it's a hell of a move and you'll see GM retool the 8.1L vortec in a year or 2.

acdii

As discussed elsewhere, Maintainability, simplicity, reliability. These are the main reasons Ford went old school. They have an advanced cam setup, but in the block not the heads, so it reduces the complexity of the chain drive system. 4 valves doesn't always equate into HP and TQ, you can get plenty of power out of a 2V pushrod engine. It also gave the engine a smaller footprint, larger displacement in a smaller design. The heads are designed with DI in mind, and in a few years they will more than likely have dual fuel injection like the current gen 5.0 and 3.5. And most important, it keeps the costs down.

acdii

I think they wanted to get the engine out on the market and didn't want the complexity of a dual fuel system at the start. The EB could have been dual injected from the start too, same with the Coyote. I also think that this new engine is a slow revving type which would make for a poor choice in the F150 compared to the 5.0. It is meant to pull a house, not race a Vette.