twiceblessed....nacole 433 Posted June 20, 2015 Report Share Posted June 20, 2015 So... we're going to head out and drive some trucks this weekend. Help me understand torque. Again, our goal is to be able to navigate mountains (not just hills) without blowing up a truck or it slowing down to 35 mpg. Our TT is 32' and if we load, load, load it up... it would weight about 6800#. The newer trucks (Ford, Chevy, Dodge) all have incredible torque (765-800; usually around 1600 rpm) as of 2011. Anything older (2006-2010) and the torque can drop as low 570 at 2000 rpm. Do we need the higher torque?? If we go with an older TV with the 570 at 2000, will that truck pull our TT over a MOUNTAIN without breaking a sweat? Truly... this is the goal. I don't want to be climbing up and think, "oh crap". We've done that once; once is enough. But we have no other experience to go after... so opinions would be appreciated. What type of torque do we need? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Grumpy and Grandma 739 Posted June 20, 2015 Report Share Posted June 20, 2015 Torque is more important than horsepower. Torque is the energy it takes to turn the flywheel which turns the transmission is the easiest way to explain it. As you said the newer engines have higher torque at 1600 RPM which is usually cruising speed. So yes you want the higher torque. Our new Duramax develops 765 lbs-ft of torque at 1600 the 2007-2010 engine only developed 660 at 1800 rpm. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rtguy007 74 Posted June 20, 2015 Report Share Posted June 20, 2015 My 5.7 hemi did the same thing going over jelico and up the mountain to Elkmont in the smokies. The engine was not the issue as much as a low rear end ratio with the 6 speed auto. The trans would slam shift when it had to change gears. It was not a pleasant sound. The goal with torque is to have it peak at the right spot in the rpm range when towing over the mountain. At least that is what I would say in your case. More is better but 570 is a lot to start with. Then again, my experience with the 5.7 hemi and a 5.9l v8 from chrysler was the peak torque was to high up the rpm range for towing heavy stuff. Hence where the diesel comes in. Diesels normally won't run over 4k rpm at a max in most conditions. 2000 rpm would mean your max torque is in the middle of your rpm range. For towing it is probably just fine there. At 1600, it would be fine there as well. You just don't want it much over the 2k rpm mark otherwise you will be running the hell out of the engine. I would be more concerned with the rear gear ratio. If you can get something around a 3.73 in a diesel, it will probably be your best bet. On the new ram 2500, you can only get the 3.42 with the diesel which is a little low for me but it still pulls really hard being that low. Hope this helps. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DinDavie 37 Posted June 20, 2015 Report Share Posted June 20, 2015 More horse power dictates how fast you will hit a fence. More torque dictates how much fence you will destroy. arthuruscg 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Humphrey Bear…Rob 42 Posted June 20, 2015 Report Share Posted June 20, 2015 When I hooked up my 10K lb toy hauler (old one) in a muddy field and never touched the accelerator - but slowly idled my way out of the field. That's Torque... Throwing mud 20 feet in the air and covering everything behind you and getting stuck in the process is horsepower... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
h2odivers...Ray 952 Posted June 20, 2015 Report Share Posted June 20, 2015 A higher torque truck can accelerate and maintain speed better than a lower torque truck. Especially when pulling a load. Some people will tell you that torque is the important thing to look for but you have to remember torque and horsepower go hand in hand. Torque= horsepower x 5252 divided by speed. Horsepower = torque x speed divided by 5252They are both important. The best way I can explain torque is with a socket wrench. If you've ever used a socket wrench to put a nut on a bolt you've experienced torque. When you first start putting the nut on the bolt it turns easily. (Your using very little torque). When the nut gets almost all the way on you have to turn the wrench harder. You are using more torque. You have to have the horsepower to move the wrench (torque) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PGHFiend 140 Posted June 20, 2015 Report Share Posted June 20, 2015 Torque is your friend! It's a measure of rotational force and the engines ability to maintain that rotation. We are on our way to the fort via myrtle beach- I am sitting in the Wytheville VA cracker barrel and got through all of the crazy mountains last night- my truck pulled my 8500 lb 5th wheel 65 to 70 mph except the steepest of hills, never slower than 55. I have 460 torque and im happy with it. I'm also getting my best tank mpg yet at 14.5 mpg.Horsepower is the ability to do work over time, and is kind of like figuring out how long it would take you to get up a grade. (I haven't looked it up in a while, but it was a conversion invented when we went from horses to steam and calculates the time to lift a load a certain distance in the air) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
twiceblessed....nacole 433 Posted June 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2015 Torque is your friend! It's a measure of rotational force and the engines ability to maintain that rotation. We are on our way to the fort via myrtle beach- I am sitting in the Wytheville VA cracker barrel and got through all of the crazy mountains last night- my truck pulled my 8500 lb 5th wheel 65 to 70 mph except the steepest of hills, never slower than 55. I have 460 torque and im happy with it. I'm also getting my best tank mpg yet at 14.5 mpg.Horsepower is the ability to do work over time, and is kind of like figuring out how long it would take you to get up a grade. (I haven't looked it up in a while, but it was a conversion invented when we went from horses to steam and calculates the time to lift a load a certain distance in the air) First... have fun!! :) Second... a couple of the Fords we're looking at today are the older ones (yes... with the dreaded 6.0, we're weight the pros/cons); those have 325 HP and 570 torque at 2000rpm. Sounds like that would be enough for our 6800# TT? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Travisma 1,317 Posted June 20, 2015 Report Share Posted June 20, 2015 Do you have any truck only car lots in your area? We have Gator Ford here in Tampa, all they sell are trucks, pick ups to the big boys.I'm sure a place like that can answer all of your questions. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rtguy007 74 Posted June 20, 2015 Report Share Posted June 20, 2015 Curious how your day of truck hunting went. Updates? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
twiceblessed....nacole 433 Posted June 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2015 Oh my gosh...exhausting! I think we've narrowed it down to the F250 and the Ram 2500. We found a couple in our price range that could work...we're going to talk it over and maybe look for a couple more weeks. The F250 we found was a 2008; we would prefer a 2011 for the torque, but the price is too high. The Ram was a 2011. I like the torque of the Ram better , but the Ford had more bells and whistles which I think Tom appreciated (torque was still decent). So, no purchase... yet Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Humphrey Bear…Rob 42 Posted June 21, 2015 Report Share Posted June 21, 2015 One thing to check on - what size is the fuel tank on the Ford? The Dodge is typically 32 gallon, but I have a friend who was not happy with this ford with a 25 or so gallon tank - it may not sound like much but even a 10 miles per gallon - that could mean the difference between stopping every hour and a half more often for fuel. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
twiceblessed....nacole 433 Posted June 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2015 One thing to check on - what size is the fuel tank on the Ford? The Dodge is typically 32 gallon, but I have a friend who was not happy with this ford with a 25 or so gallon tank - it may not sound like much but even a 10 miles per gallon - that could mean the difference between stopping every hour and a half more often for fuel. Good thought, thank you! We'll check on that. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
twiceblessed....nacole 433 Posted June 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2015 Just checked Ford's website and (for the model we've been looking at)... looks like 38 gallons on the fuel tank. I just wished the torque kicked in, at 1500 or 1600 rpm... instead of the 2000 rpm's that Ford has it set to. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Davydee 3 Posted June 21, 2015 Report Share Posted June 21, 2015 Check & make sure on those tank sizes. I think the short bed Fords have the smaller tanks. When we towed TTs with our 2001 F250, we only had a 27 gal tank. I think the long bed Fords have the 38 gal tank. If you need that range or more, you can add a tank in the bed of the truck or have the original tank (OEM) replaced with a larger tank. Expensive options, but doable. We currently have a 50 gal Transferflow installed in the bed of our truck. There are several brands & sizes to choose from should you decide to go that way. If I had it to do over again, I'd choose the OEM replacement tank as I'm short and it's hard for me to get that fuel nozzle over the bed rail and into the bed tank - especially when using the larger, high-flow "truck" fuel nozzles. Good luck! David Quote Link to post Share on other sites
twiceblessed....nacole 433 Posted June 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2015 Yes... shorter bed has the smaller tank. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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