2011 FORD F-SERIES SUPER DUTY LEADS HEAVY DUTY CLASS IN TOWING, HAULING CAPABILITY, FUEL ECONOMY
The most capable heavy duty pickup in North America
just became the most powerful and the most fuel efficient with gas and diesel engines.
DEARBORN, Mich., Feb. 25, 2010 – Facts are facts: The 2011 Ford F-Series Super Duty delivers leadership in torque. Leadership in horsepower. Leadership in fuel economy. Leadership in towing. Leadership in payload. Leadership in everything that matters to heavy-duty truck customer.
With Ford-built diesel and gas powertrains, the all-new Ford Super Duty dominates the competition in payload, conventional towing, fifth-wheel towing and gross combined weight rating in both pickups and chassis cabs. Diesel engines account for 65 per cent of the Super Duty sales with gas engines making up the remaining 35 per cent.
The new 6.7-litre Power Stroke V-8 turbocharged diesel – designed, engineered and built by Ford – delivers class-leading fuel economy as well as best-in-class 390 horsepower and 735 ft.-lb. of torque – that’s 75 ft. lbs. more than its nearest competitor in the market today. Plus, the all-new Super Duty fuel economy improvement averages 18 per cent better for pickup models and up to 25 per cent for chassis cab versus the outgoing Super Duty.
This significantly improved torque – 85 ft.-lb. more than the current 6.4-litre Power Stroke diesel – is good news for the nearly 97 per cent of Super Duty customers who tow and helps the 2011 Super Duty deliver class-leading towing capability at 11,068 kg (24,400 pounds). The 2011 Super Duty also has class-leading payload capability at 2958 kg (6,520 pounds).
Built to last, just the way customers like
During the Super Duty’s development, engineers put more than 10.3 million equivalent test miles on the new diesel engine, including extreme road and weather conditions. The new Power Stroke diesel is the most-tested Power Stroke ever, incorporating the most rigorous engine tests found in Ford globally.
Extensive CAD (computer-aided design) and CAE (computer-aided engineering) work was completed to identify any potential challenges before hardware was created, which not only is time-efficient but also helps ensure quality at the outset. Further, a comprehensive examination of warranty data and quality tools was used to identify potential failure modes for every component and system.
Customer data, including driving styles, road types and vehicle usage (towing and payload), also played a key role in developing the testing program that best replicated Super Duty use.
Components were tested in the laboratory with a regimen designed to exceed what even the most extreme-use customer might dish out. Engines literally ran continuously for hundreds of hours. Engines were started in below-zero temperatures more than 2,600 times. Plus, laboratory tests simulated 10 years of use in arctic conditions.
B20 compatibility added for 2011 model year
The strict testing work also ensured the new engine is B20 compatible, which allows customers a fueling option using blends of up to 20 per cent biodiesel and 80 per cent petroleum diesel. Because biodiesel fuel varies in quality around the United States and Canada, durability testing cycles were run on multiple blends of the fuel to ensure the robustness of the system. This is especially important to the agricultural industry where biodiesel is often the preferred fuel.
“These tests give us the full spectrum of Super Duty customers – from those who run their trucks at maximum power with a maximum load for long periods to those who use them more in a start-stop mode,” said Ed Waszczenko, lead engine durability engineer.
Finally, a battery of in-vehicle, real-world tests validated the work done in the laboratories. The 2011 F-450 Super Duty, for example, can tow a 11,068 kg (24,400-pound) trailer up a 6 per cent grade at 47 mph, which is more than 50 per cent faster than the outgoing product. The F-450 and F-550 have no competitors in the marketplace.
“That’s the difference between trucks passing you, or you passing trucks,” said Chris Brewer, Super Duty chief engineer.
Class-leading capability
Growing Super Duty’s heavy-truck leadership, the 2011 F-250 and F-350 pickup trucks have best-in-class conventional towing and payload capability. The F-250 and F-350 single rear wheel can tow up to 14,000 pounds (6350 kg) with payloads of 4,050 pounds (1837 kg) and 4,600 pounds (2087 kg), respectively. In addition, the F-350 dual rear wheel delivers best-in-class conventional towing of 16,000 pounds (7258 kg) and fifth-wheel towing of 21,600 pounds (9798 kg) and best-in-class payload of 6,520 pounds (2958 kg). With chassis cab sales accounting for up to 25 per cent of the Super Duty mix, the leadership towing capability of the F-550 fifth-wheel hitch is notable: 26,400 pounds (11975 kg).
The improved torque also enables the driver to hold a higher gear longer, which helps with highway fuel economy. “This prevents transmission ‘gear hunting,’ and lets you stay in gear longer before downshifting, ultimately saving fuel,” Brewer said.
Quietest Power Stroke ever
In addition to its capability, the new 6.7-litre Power Stroke V-8 has the lowest NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) in the class with a notably quieter, more refined sound than ever. Improvements to the combustion system, structural integrity of the compacted graphite iron block and the single turbocharger mounted to the engine block account for many of the NVH improvements.
Specific design upgrades were made to both the piston and the piston bowl to optimize the combustion process, which features a two-stage combustion event instead of a single-injection event. Single-injection events can cause harsh, sudden and loud combustion. On the 2011 Super Duty, a starter or pilot injection of fuel begins the combustion process before the main injection.
The result is smoother combustion and a more refined sound for the customer. When at idle, two pilot injection events are used to make the firing process even smoother and aid in quietness. The “ticking” of the high-speed injectors also is quieted by specially designed covers on the engine.
Mounting the turbocharger from the center housing directly to the block provided several advantages as well in terms of NVH.
“When turbochargers vibrate, it can lead to other parts of the vehicle, such as the exhaust system, vibrating,” said Adam Gryglak, chief diesel engineering manager. “So when the turbocharger vibrates a lot, the exhaust system vibrates too, and that’s disturbing to the customer. Bolting the turbocharger directly to the block eliminates that concern.”
Using one turbocharger, instead of two operating in series or sequentially, helped resolve some NVH challenges as well. The single turbocharger eliminates air-handling noises – the whooshes – typically heard when the engine switches from one turbo to the next. Also, the single turbocharger has ball bearings that pilot the shaft in the turbo, eliminating the potential for the shaft of the turbocharger to gyrate in its housing, another potential NVH issue.
Other improvements include the addition of two resonators in the intake system as well as a third resonator near the air cleaner. These additions made it possible to tune the diesel intake system to the desired sound.
New gas engine leads in torque, horsepower and fuel economy
The 2011 Super Duty features a new, more powerful and efficient standard gasoline engine that also delivers class-leading numbers. The new 6.2-litre V-8 gasoline engine produces 405 ft.-lb. of torque (at 4,500 rpm) and 385 horsepower (at 5,500 rpm) on regular gasoline. These numbers represent an increase of 40 ft.-lb. of torque and 85 horsepower versus the current 5.4-litre V-8. The new engine also is E85 compatible.
Already cementing its ‘Built Ford Tough’ status
Nearly all the components of the 2011 Super Duty 6.2-litre V-8 are shared with the 6.2-litre V-8 engine found in the 2010 F-150 SVT Raptor, a purpose-built, high-performance off-road truck versatile enough to take on the most challenging desert adventures as well as the everyday commute. In November 2008, the 6.2-litre Raptor R not only survived its first grueling Baja 1000, it earned a podium finish.
Testing on the 6.2-litre V-8 included running multiple engines for more than 500 hours at peak torque and peak horsepower as well as customer-correlated 1,000-hour road load tests to ensure dependability for even the toughest Ford F-Series Super Duty customer.
“Having two outstanding powertrains to choose from is a real win-win for Super Duty customers,” said Doug Scott, truck group marketing manager. “Both Ford’s new diesel and new gasoline engines deliver the ‘and solution’ – best-in-class horsepower, torque and fuel economy.
“Leadership in areas that matter most to customers will help ensure the 2011 Super Duty will continue to be the undisputed leader in full-size pickup towing, payload and capability.”
Highlights include:
• Fuel economy on the all-new 2011 Ford F-Series Super Duty equipped with the 6.7-litre Power Stroke® V-8 diesel engine averages an 18 per cent improvement for pickup models, up to 25 per cent improvement for chassis cabs versus 2010 models. Trucks equipped with new base 6.2-litre V-8 gas engine average a 15 per cent improvement versus 2010 models
• The all-new Ford-engineered, Ford-designed, Ford-built 6.7-litre Power Stroke V-8 turbocharged diesel engine has best-in-class torque of 735 ft.-lb. (at 1,600 rpm) and best-in-class 390 horsepower (at 2,800 rpm) – 85 ft.-lb. and 40 horsepower more than the outgoing product – with best-in-class fuel economy; new engine is B20 biodiesel compatible as well
• All-new 6.2-litre V-8 gas engine also best-in-class with 385 horsepower and 405 ft.-lb. of torque – 85 more horsepower and 40 ft.-lb. of torque more than the current 5.4-litre V-8 gas engine – combined with class-leading fuel economy and E85 compatibility
• The all-new powertrains are the backbone of the new 2011 F-Series Super Duty, which has class-leading towing capability of 11,068 kg (24,400 pounds) on pickups and 11974 kg (26,400 pounds) on chassis cab; best-in-class payload capability of 5766 kg (12,711 pounds) on chassis cabs and ( 2958 kg) 6,520 pounds on pickups
