V10 now standard on Ford Cutaway

[Chance]

V10 and 6-speed now standard on Cutaway and E-450 stripped chassis. I can only find 5.4L V8 and 5-speed remaining on E-350 stripped chassis. It seems Ford is finally dropping the 5.4L V8 as previously suggested by Thor and others. The 5-speed transmission which now comes with V8 appears to me to be on way out also.

Now that they are making the 6.8L V10 the "standard", I wonder if there is much possibility that a smaller engine will become standard in the near future -- like maybe a detuned heavy-duty version of the more powerful 5.0L V8 from F-150, as an example.

[Atlee]

I would think if Ford went away from the V10, the logical replacement would be the V8 6.2L which is available in the F250/F350 trucks and was and still may be available in the F150.

Originally Posted by Chance

V10 and 6-speed now standard on Cutaway and E-450 stripped chassis. I can only find 5.4L V8 and 5-speed remaining on E-350 stripped chassis. It seems Ford is finally dropping the 5.4L V8 as previously suggested by Thor and others. The 5-speed transmission which now comes with V8 appears to me to be on way out also.

Now that they are making the 6.8L V10 the "standard", I wonder if there is much possibility that a smaller engine will become standard in the near future -- like maybe a detuned heavy-duty version of the more powerful 5.0L V8 from F-150, as an example.

[BCRacing24]

The Ford 3 valve 362hp-457lb/ft 6.8L should be the standard issue.
The 310/425 2v version just doesn't have enough guts, even on a smaller/lighter 21-26' E-350 chassis.
^speaking from experience^

[Chance]

Originally Posted by Atlee

I would think if Ford went away from the V10, the logical replacement would be the V8 6.2L which is available in the F250/F350 trucks and was and still may be available in the F150.

I agree that the 6.2L V8 may be a logical replacement for the V10, which is now used only in commercial trucks and RVs as far as I know. By the way, I'm fairly sure the 6.2L is no longer offered in F-150, having been replaced by the EcoBoost V6 as top engine.

I read recently that Ford will be upgrading the 6.2L V8 for the new 2017 Super Duty pickups, so it's likely they will be around for a while still. The 6.2L V8 already makes more power than the larger and older 6.8L V10, so any improvement taking it over 400 HP should be welcome by many truck owners.

Whether Ford keeps the V10 or replaces it in the future with the 6.2L V8 for RVs, it still leaves a void to add a smaller "base" engine under that that would take the place of the outgoing older 5.4L V8; one better suited for smaller RVs that don't need so much power.

The 5.0L V8 should have plenty of power for small Class Cs and As (Axis/Vegas), and would increase cargo carrying capacity due to lower weight. It may also improve fuel economy slightly.

My V10s have been loud and not particularly smooth at higher RPMs, so I would welcome a switch back to V8s.

[Chance]

Originally Posted by BCRacing24

The Ford 3 valve 362hp-457lb/ft 6.8L should be the standard issue.
The 310/425 2v version just doesn't have enough guts, even on a smaller/lighter 21-26' E-350 chassis.
^speaking from experience^

I'm curious, what is your Gross Combined Weight that you find the 2-valve V10 inadequate for?

[Nursx2]

They should put more time in developing their transmissions - six and eight speeds would improve fuel economy so much!

[Chance]

Originally Posted by Nursx2

They should put more time in developing their transmissions - six and eight speeds would improve fuel economy so much!

Six is the new standard on all 2016 chassis, with the old 5-speed remaining for the time being only with the outgoing 5.4L V8.

Ford has a new 10-speed automatic coming out in the next year or two, but it's not heavy enough for trucks or motorhomes for now as far as I know.

More gears can make an automatic more efficient (approaching a CVT at extreme), but drivers hate a lot of transmission gear shifts (hunting). For that reason I personally expect turbo gasoline engines and electric assist will be used in place of more and more transmission gears.

Ford just announced $4.5 billion investment towards electrification of many more models. In time that technology may work its way down to motorhomes.