Going Big
Nick Tipswood lifted his truck 21 1/2 inches to make it one of the biggest HD trucks we've ever seen driven on the highway. The big rig wheels and tires actually make the truck look proportional. And check out the size of those exhaust stacks! Now that's a heavy-duty truck.
Six-Speed TorqShift
Ford is claiming more power and better fuel efficiency. Part of the credit has to go to the six-speed TorqShift automatic transmission. Bigger, stronger gears can handle the extra torque and the torque converter locks up at lower speeds.
The Scorpion
The '11 Ford Super Duty trucks are available with the much-anticipated Scorpion engine—an all-new 6.7L V-8 that replaces the Navistar engines Ford was using previously. It's an inside-out design where the turbocharger is located where you would expect to see the intake. This has many benefits, among them a much shorter route for the turbocharged air to run to get into the engine, and the result of that is less turbo lag time. And the turbo itself is no ordinary part, either. Using two smaller turbos wrapped into one housing for a sequential approach, it is said to be far better.
Scorpion AfterCare
The exhaust aftertreatment system uses an oxidation catalyst that is said to eliminate unburned hydrocarbons and increase exhaust temp. By increasing exhaust temperature, Ford is able to improve the efficiency of the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system.
The SCR is of a urea injection design. A mixture of 2/3 water and 1/3 urea is sprayed into the exhaust stream. The urea decomposes into ammonia, which reacts in a second catalyst and turns NOx into nitrogen and water. After all that, the exhaust goes through a particulate filter to trap most of the remaining soot.
The Rearend
The 2011 Ford Super Duty trucks will ride down the road with a lot of new ideas in the future that will make them faster and more efficient in many different situations. Here's a look at the electronic locking differential for the new '11 Super Duty trucks.
Truck Buddy
Every so often we get a press release from a company called InventHelp touting some new product one of its inventors has come up with. This one was appropriate for the truck market and the company claims the California inventor has received a patent for it. We'll let the press release tell the story. "The Truck Buddy features a telescopic tool with an easy-to-grip handle and an angled grabber located at the other end. The tool helps eliminate the need to climb in and out of the cargo bed repeatedly, thus minimizing the risk of back strain and injury. The easy-to-use, compact design allows for easy storage. The item is ideal for physically challenged individuals." InventHelp can be reached at GDelliGatti@InventHelp.com or by calling Gia DelliGatti at 800/424-2089.