If you’re in the market for a Super Duty, the 2020 model year has got you covered with endless choices both inside and out. Under the skin, the most interesting option that Ford offers for the heavy hauler is the 7.3-liter Godzilla.
A pushrod V8 as opposed to the DOHC valvetrain of the Coyote 5.0-liter engine, the Godzilla is the best powerplant in the segment in more than one way. In addition to 430 horsepower (434 PS) and 475 pound-feet of torque (644 Nm), the eight-cylinder motor boasts class-leading towing capacity at 21,200 pounds.
The 6.2-liter gasser that comes standard, therefore, can’t hold a candle to the Godzilla. And at $2,045 over the entry-level mill, the 7.3-liter option definitely makes more sense than the Power Stroke turbo diesel that costs $10,495.
Having said that, how much tuning potential does the big boy have? Whipple is currently accepting pre-orders for a supercharging kit that centers around a 3.0-liter blower. With 700 horsepower (710 PS) and 750 pound-feet of torque (1,017 Nm) on deck, some may say that it’s a little too much for an already punchy motor.
Livernois Motorsports & Engineering has a different approach to unlocking the potential of the Godzilla by modifying the engine control unit in accordance with the octane rating. The 87-octane tune dynoed at 337 horsepower and 396 pound-feet of torque, peak to peak, representing gains of 9 horsepower and 30 pound-feet over the baseline figures of 328 horsepower and 366 pound-feet (333 PS and 496 Nm).
Level up to 93-octane fuel, and the dyno shows 21 more horsepower and 60 more pound-feet of torque, peak to peak, at the rear wheels. That’s 348 horsepower and 415 pound-feet, translating to 353 PS and 563 Nm in the metric system.
Livernois is currently developing tow tunes as well as something for the flex-fuel crowd and a no-nonsense E85 blend for maximum performance. If you were wondering why the ethanol-gasoline mixture makes more power with the appropriate mods, that’s because it burns cleaner, has a higher octane rating, and absorbs heat from the combustion charge better than gasoline.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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