In the world of heavy-duty pickups, specs are king. These are the machines used for a lot of work, and finding a setup that matches the needs of a particular customer isn’t always easy. Today, GM’s cross-town rival, Ford Motor Company, announced the ratings of its new 7.3L V8 engine for the 2020 Ford Super Duty F-250 and F-350, allowing us to finally compare it with the latest GM 6.6L L8T V8 gasoline engine cradled by the 2020 Silverado HD and Sierra HD. We’ll also take a look at the Ford Super Duty’s standard 6.2L V8, and line up all three for a side-by-side-by-side comparison.
| GM 6.6L L8T V8 | Ford 7.3L Godzilla V8 | + / – GM V8 Ratings | + / – GM V8 RPM | Ford 6.2L V8 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aspiration: | Atmospheric | Atmospheric | - | - | Atmospheric | |
| Displacement: | 6.6L | 7.3L | -0.7 | - | 6.2L | |
| Configuration: | OHV V8 | OHV V8 | - | - | SOHC V8 | |
| Power (hp @ RPM): | 401 @ 5200 | 430 @ 5500 | -29 | -300 | 385 @ 5750 | |
| Torque (lb-ft @ RPM): | 464 @ 4000 | 475 @ 4000 | -11 | - | 430 @ 3800 |
First, a little background on these powerplants. GM’s all-new 6.6L L8T V8 enters the all-new 2020 Silverado HD and 2020 Sierra HD line as the all-new base-level gasoline-powered engine, slotting in alongside the 6.6L L5P Duramax diesel alternative. Based on GM’s fifth-generation Small Block engine family, the L8T made its debut with the all-new 2020 Chevrolet Silverado HD and 2020 GMC Sierra HD as a replacement for the archaic-but-capable 6.0L V8 L96/LC8.
The 2020 Ford Super Duty 7.3L gasoline V8, codenamed “Godzilla”
Meanwhile, Ford’s new 7.3L gas-powered V8, internally known as “Godzilla,” joins the 2020 Super Duty lineup as a newly-available engine option. The standard Super Duty gasoline engine is the same 6.2L V8 as in the previous model year, and although Ford has yet to provide exact figures, it’s expected that the 6.2L will offer the same specs as in the 2019 model year.
On to the comparison: all three engines are natural air breathers, as opposed to having some form of forced induction, such as turbocharging or supercharged engine. The construction for all three is similar as well, with an iron block and aluminum head found across the board.
2020 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD
However, once we start digging into the valvetrains, we begin to see the mechanical differences. The GM 6.6L L8T V8 in the 2020 Silverado HD and Sierra HD offers an overhead valve (OHV) layout, otherwise known as a pushrod configuration. Ford’s new 7.3L V8 also uses the same configuration, but the Ford 6.2L gasser comes with a single overhead cam (SOHC) setup and two valves per cylinder.
The 2020 Ford Super Duty 7.3L gasser gets its go-juice thanks to a port fuel injection system, while the GM 6.6L L8T and Ford 6.6L V8 both use direct fuel injection. What’s more, GM 6.6L L8T goes without Active Fuel Management, Dynamic Fuel Management, or Auto Start-Stop since it’s intended for Heavy Duty trucks that are not governed by the same fuel economy standards as light-duty models.
2020 GMC Sierra 2500 HD
In terms of sheer displacement, the Ford 7.3L Godzilla is obviously the big boy of this comparison, followed by the GM 6.6L L8T. The base-level 6.2L Ford gasser is the smallest in this regard. That said, the power differences between these three engines are not as large as the differences in displacement may suggest.
| GM 6.6L L8T V8 | Ford 6.2L V8 | + / – GM V8 Ratings | + / – GM V8 RPM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aspiration: | Atmospheric | Atmospheric | - | - |
| Displacement: | 6.6L | 6.2L | +0.4 | - |
| Configuration: | OHV V8 | SOHC V8 | - | - |
| Power (hp @ RPM): | 401 @ 5200 | 385 @ 5750 | +16 | -550 |
| Torque (lb-ft @ RPM): | 464 @ 4000 | 430 @ 3800 | +34 | +200 |
While the Ford 7.3L Godzilla gasser produces a best-in-class 430 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 475 pound-feet of torque at 4,000 rpm, the GM 6.6L L8T throws down 401 horsepower at 5,200 rpm and 464 pound-feet of torque at 4,000 rpm. That means that, despite an extra 0.7 liters of displacement, the Ford 7.3L only manages to produce an extra 29 ponies and 11 pound-feet of torque compared to the smaller GM 6.6L L8T. What’s more, peak power arrives 300 rpm later with the Ford. Of course, these output differences will likely be fairly minor in terms of real-world performance, but they might come in helpful when it comes to bragging rights and settling differences of egos.
As for the Ford 6.2L, output is rated at 385 horsepower at 5,750 rpm and 430 pound-feet of torque at 3,800 rpm, notably less than both Ford’s Godzilla and GM’s L8T.
GM 6.6L L8T V8 serves as the base engine in the 2020 Silverado HD and 2020 Sierra HD
Finally, the Ford 7.3L engine pairs with an all-new 10-speed heavy-duty TorqShift transmission that, ironically, was co-developed with GM. Meanwhile, the GM 6.6L L8T mates to the GM six-speed automatic transmission (6L90) The 6.2L Ford gas connects to the TorqShift Heavy-Duty Six-Speed Automatic Transmission.
All in, there’s no denying that Ford’s new 7.3L V8 is powerful, but it’s not that much more powerful than GM’s smaller 6.6L L8T. In fact, we would have guessed that the Godzilla’s displacement advantage would have translated to significantly greater power and torque advantage over the L8T, which simply isn’t the case. Moreover, GM’s plenty-capable L8T is standard on its Heavy Duty trucks from Chevrolet and GMC, while Ford offers the 7.3L as an extra-cost option.
And that does it for the base engines, for now. Meanwhile, both The General and the Blue Oval offer even more torque-laden turbo-diesel V8 engines in these trucks: GM customers can opt for the optional Turbo-Diesel 6.6L V8 L5P Duramax in the 2020 Silverado HD and Sierra HD, while Ford offers the optional 6.7L V8 PowerStroke in the 2020 Super Duty. But that’s a comparison for another day.
In the meantime, subscribe to GM Authority for more Chevrolet Silverado news, GMC Sierra news, Chevrolet news, GMC news and 24/7 GM news coverage.
Comments
GM is potentially working in an 8L gas engine right? Or was the rumor put to bed?
The rumor is still alive and well… but it might not be a 100 percent GM effort.
Which would make sense because it’s not going into only GM trucks!
I can just imagine what the Gas Mileage would be
Look at the torque output at lower numbers like 2,000RPM. The Ford will likely have a decent amount more available down super low like the traditional old big blocks.
Comparing engines peak to peak without examining the powerband and it’s intended usage is what rookies do on keyboards.
Given that the trucks with the engines in question are not available in the real world and won’t be for a while longer, and given that torque curve-level details about the engines in question are also not available and won’t be available for a while, peak-to-peak comparos is all we can do for the time being. You are welcome.
That said, I would be delighted to show you the equivalent of the middle finger on your own keyboard. On a Mac, hit Command-W. On Windows, hit Alt-F4. Bye bye, cheerio.
I like the Comparo Alex, you do a good job.
Do your research, GM motors almost always reach near peak torque (90%-95%) 300-500rpm earlier then the “blue pill” boys or the “Italian stalling” girls and their rubber band (two decade old tech) “hybrid” trucks!.
Here’s your figures Syco.
https://i0.wp.com/www.ford-trucks.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/2020SuperDutyPickupHPTorqueCurve-e1564687467783.jpg?ssl=1
I guess the the $5.9 billion taxpayer loan Ford received from the U.S. Department of Energy in the throes of the Great Recession to build fuel-efficient cars which resulted in small turbocharged engines (revolutionary stuff) really payed off!
ooh well, least we still have the “blue pill” option as buyers!
The 6.6 V8 makes 400 ft/lb of torque at about 1800 rpms. So it’s doing pretty well compared to the 7.3 at low rpms.
This. I’m generally a GM fan, but the 7.3 Ford is the engine to get if you want to tow heavy and tow forever.
The torque curve from the Ford is flat as a pancake…not so much in the GM 6.6.
https://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/topic/220732-deep-dive-2020-hd-l8t-66l-gas-and-l5p-duramax-66l-diesel-engines/
I will say this the 6.6. gas is like the older vortec 454 with kick. To me it is just as powerful as the 8.1 was And i own several of these.
Why do you think GM is also developing a big cube V8? To get the low torque up for those that want a diesel alternative. There would be no point to keep developing it if their 6.6 already competes apples to apples.
This is a dumb hot take article without proper context, don’t be mad at me.
The only thing dumb here are your comments. I have yet to read anything remotely decent from you, so why do you even bother? Notice that you’re the only one complaining like a little baby who didn’t get mommas teet.
As for me, I actually want to see these comparisons for competitive purposes and I love that GMA does them.
The dually Denali at the top of the article is an absolutely gorgeous truck!! If I didn’t live in such a tight area, and I had the money, that’s the truck I would buy.
Cannot say the same for any of the Silverado HD models though. I hope Chevy got the rest of their design team back, now that the C8 is revealed.
I wonder what kind of gearing the ford will have because the new 6.6 sound like it was struggling during the test journalist took it on
I’m curios is to how Ford is able to put the 10 speed tranny behind the 7.3 and why GM is sticking to the 6 speed ? wouldn’t this give ford a better selling point to potential customers and probably better fuel economy
Ford has never and will never beat GM when it comes making a reliable and bullet proof small or big block gas V8.
Ford’s new engine is designed to go in everything from a F350 (3500) to a F750 (7000) series. Their primary conditions are fuel economy and longevity. HP numbers are for water cooler conversations, all I’m worried about is can it do the job and will it break the bank. I’m looking forward to seeing how this engine/tranny combo works in a real world medium duty truck. Chevy’s usually run ok and last a long time but they hate hot weather as much as they love fuel.
The new Ford is only 29 more horses and 11 more lb ft than new Chevy and you say it will probabaly be negligible, but the new Chevy is only 16 more horses and 34 more lb ft than the old Ford and you say its Chevy is much higher rated. Both differences are pretty are pretty close…but with Chevy being new it better be noticeably more capable than the old Ford
Gm authority, maybe you could do some testing and see what kind of fuel mileage these trucks get? I would suffer 21 less torque for 2mpg better fuel economy. I bought the gm 6.2 gas in my 1500 vs the 5.3 because it does better on fuel mpg vs the 5.3 gas, enen tho it cost 2
$2k more. I jave no problem getting 24mpg on the highway doing 70 in a cc 4×4 that is as close to a rocketship as one could expect from a heavy truck..
I loke the idea of a big gas motor that will run 250k miles with cheap oil changes that are 5x cheaper than the diesel’s. I have a fleet of 6.7 diesel’s for the fire dept and they are in the shop constantly for air flow sensors, fuel issues and check engine lights.. FYI all manufacturers dumb down the hp and torque on chassis only (no pickup bed) trucks to about 300 hp and 660 torque for as i was told by the ford engineer at the factory, (durability issues).
The latest real world test of the new 7.3 liter ford is on you tube. It is quite impressive towing 16000 lbs up a mountain in Colorado.
I will say after owning a 2020 6.6 gas i am pleased. I have traded trucks every 2 years for the last 10 . i owned 8.1 engines i love them and i went the Duramax route on 4 . Love the l5p , but this 6.6 gas is just as good and cheaper to run and maintain.