Trailer Weight = 1,994 lbs
FPIS = 4,000 lbs (estimated)
Some impressions: These are so close in performance there does not appear to be a winner. The less gears are offset by the 3.73 axle in the ford, whereas the fuel savings 3.21 axle in the ram is offset by having the nice 8 spd tranny. Pretty much a complete wash just as you guys have stated. The ford with the leaf springs did squat some, but was no where near the bump stops. The dodge coil springs did handle the tongue weight a little better and maintained a more level appearance. When hitting bumps the ford continued to bounce one more and you clearly felt the trailer. The suspension on the dodge took the bumps a lot smoother. However what I found alarming is that on the dodge if you were to sneeze, or twitch, you would accidentally invoke a trailer sway. It was not a problem but the steering does not firm up at highway speeds so you need to be more attentive to the steering corrections. The ford electric rack must be programmed to firm up a bit at highway speeds as there was no twitch to the steering and it was firm and easy to control without much thought.
Power and Performance: My past experience comes from 2007 and 2008 F-150's that had the base 4.6L V8 (cop car) engines. And I also have owned (2) 5.4L V8 2 Valve engines. In my opinion both V6's feel equal if not a touch more powerful than the 4.6L V8. I beleive the 5.4L V8 might have an edge from its higher torque numbers even though they are old skool now. I intentionally got the trucks up to speed and let the cruise take over to see how they did and how aggressive the shifts are. It is very aggressive on the RPM whenever a hill comes up but it is very livable for the little I will tow. One thing to note the ford did shift out of 1st gear and then fell on its face in 2nd gear. I will rev more in 1st next time.
I honestly expected these both to fail miserably, but it was not bad considering the small displacement. I have no problem taking the slow lane at 65MPH now that all others are speeding at 85~90 MPH these days.
I'm not sure all of this is correct. The ford does have a higher axle ratio, but that is lost against the Ram's higher transmission gear ratios.
You'd need like a 3.92 in the Ford to match the Ram's deep first gear with the 3.21, yes that transmission is that strong.
The fuel savings in the 3.21 are not offset by the 8 spd; both the 3.21 AND the 8 speed will give you better MPG than the Ford's.
So strictly from a tranny view: the 6 speed is a very clear strike against the Ford. The Ram has more gears available, a deeper first gear for better off the line performance, while also managing to have a taller overdrive for unloaded fuel savings.
For the trailer sway, hard to say, you said the Ram handled the weight better so possibly the trailer tongue sat higher on the Ram leading to a little more squirrely feel. Tires also play a role here.
The Ford seemed to be busier in those first 2 videos, the Ram picked a gear with a slightly higher RPM and stayed there. This may have been just a fluke based on the speed and weight you chose in this specific test, or it could also be transmission tuning, again hard to say without further tests and time. If you had picked a slightly lower speed, the Ford might have upshifted and stayed there, or, if you picked a faster speed, it may have made just enough power more to hold that gear. (My truck can't tow my trailer in 7th at 60, but it can tow it in 7th at 68 and hold it there for quite a while though it still seems to do better in 6th all around)
The Ford "fell on its face" (your words), that's probably the missing gears you're noticing on the 6 speed, it matters at lower speeds.
Was there a clear winner, who knows, but financially you'd be better off keeping the truck that you have (regardless of which one you picked initially, the winning move is usually to hold onto it until it costs you money).
Edit: guess the v6 uses a slightly different 8 speed than I'm used to in my truck, after looking it up on the 'net the 3.73 in the Ford is pretty much identical first gear vs the 3.21 in the ram. So a wash there.
