The 2020 Ford Super Duty has been revealed with a brand new gas-powered 7.3-liter V8 engine option.
At the launch event for the truck, we were able to speak with the engine’s chief engineer to dive deep into what makes it work.
ALSO SEE: All the Details on the 2020 Ford Super Duty
First, the basics. It is a 7.3-liter V8 with an iron block hooked into a 10-speed automatic transmission. Power numbers for the engine have not been revealed yet, so we can’t compare it to the competition just yet. Of course, Ford is already promising that the new 7.3-liter will make more power than the 6.2-liter V8, which means more than the 430 lb-ft of torque and 385 horsepower.
The new 7.3-liter uses an overhead valve, or pushrod design, which should give it strong low-end torque and in theory, make it reliable. This is also one aspect that allowed Ford engineers to make the 7.3L skinnier than the gas-V8 it replaces, ensuring that it will fit into a number of different packages, from consumer-focused Super Duty trucks up to medium-duty commercial trucks.
Port fuel injection is used to help the customer save money according to Ford, and also because the engine was already optimized for efficiency, so direct injection would not have had a major benefit.
The new heavy-duty 10-speed automatic uses the same design philosophy as the transmission in the F-150, but physically it is larger and employs different hardware to make sure that the torque can be handled.
There’s plenty more to be learned about Ford’s new big gasoline engine, but you’ll have to watch the full interview above to get it all. And below, you can learn about all aspects of the new Super Duty.
