99 or Newer.....Best Year with a 7.3?

[dakotajeep]

I am looking to possibly upgrade my truck to something newer. I am curious what the masses think the best year from 99 to 2003 is. I am really only considering the 7.3 diesel and nothing newer.

What is the best and why?

What is the trans to have for MPG?

Is the auto trans a weak point or nothing to worry about?

Thanks
Thad

I am making a 500+ mile trip home and may get a newer truck while I am there....

 

[Mat J]

they are all solid motors. if you want to add alot more power i think once you get over 400hp its better to have a 99. the 99s and a few 2000 and even a few 01s depending on the plant, came with forged rods instead of the powdered metal coated found in the later blocks.

the only trans options you have are the 6spd or the 4r100. iv never driven one with the zf-6. if you keep everything stock the 4r100 isnt to bad but its no 5r110 that the 6.0s have. you can get a built 4r100 that will fix any issues you would have. dp tuner also makes a chip that will give you more power and help the trans shifts.

 

[dakotajeep]

One of my buddys has the 6 sp in his 01 and loves it......swears it will crawl up a mountain in first gear.....

I am assuming that the F250's have a solid axle?

Thad

 

[dmaxjoe]

I could be wrong but I believe the 99 to 2001 had a dana 50 front and 2002 and later had the dana 60. Both a solid axle and not the ttb.

 

[smokin69]

Yes all Super Duty 4x4's come with a solid front axle, weather it's a Dana 50 or Dana 60, they are both immensely strong. The gross vehicle weight determines the front axle, I know the duallys came with a 60 but I don't know about SRW. DP makes a very good chip, and you can get custom tunes. The 4R100 is the same as an E4OD with some upgrades, a good trans and can be upgraded to take anything you can throw at it, and a ZF-6's are solid, very low Low gear and 1-5 are spaced good.

 

[memphisrain]

Early 99s had smaller injectors that don't flow as well as 99.5-03, which somewhat hinders the amount of power available with just a tune. The ZFs are nice transmissions with a handy low gear (not 1st, but actually a "low" gear) which I think will actually cause the Earth to rotate under the truck, rather than propelling it foreword, if enough weight it placed on the truck.

Make sure to check everything in the front end including balljoints, tie rod ends, unit bearings, etc, because the factory stuff was a joke.

mR

 

[Brianedwardss]

I owned an 00 F250 with a ZF6. 3rd and 4th are very close feeling and made towing my 26' fifth wheel a breeze. (5th is overdrive, first is L).

 

[DragRag]

As mentioned some of the 01's had the forged rods, some got the powdered metal rods. They work fine without doing mods that net more then 400hp at the crank. Anything over that is tempting fait. Personally I would stick with a 99-01, but make sure it has the forged rods if getting the 01' if big power is priority. a 99-00 will have them for sure. The 99' does have a smaller turbo, so it doesn't make what the 01' does. I have driven both, and honestly can't tell the difference between the two. Having said all that, I would stick with an old body style power stroke if I was looking. Smog laws around here will have us smogging any diesel over 1997. I personally prefer the IDI though, not sure if you have bought powerstroke injectors, but you can get a whole used IDI engine in good shape for just the cost of P Stroke injectors, then you have harnesses to deal with to. They are a just big pain in the ass if you ask me, and cost to damn much. Look at that, I just talked myself out of daily driving a power stroke again.

 

[NJKen]

02 and 03 7.3 is the most powerful factory calibration. 250hp 535tq auto and 275hp 535tq with a stick.
Ken

 

[fx4wannabe]

2000 would be my model yr of choice. For the reasons stated above. I have a buddy that has a 99 with a zf 6. its got a 20" lift and 46x19.50 tires. It has stock gears and it will take off in low just like it had the factory tires. Great truck. I am partial to the old ones though.

 

[dakotajeep]

I was thinking about going with a 02 CC 6sp. I wouldnt be looking to mod it out for power I just want something that will pull and be reliable.

My current rig has a history of letting me down on big road trips. Just want to know what the options are for those years if I have to get something new.....basically I dont want to buy something I dont know anything about.

With that being said I love my truck and everyone tells me its bad @ss........so I'd hate to sell it!

Thad

 

[69oiler]

if you're shopping you may want to avoid the early '99 models...i have one, and it's a bit of an oddball when it comes to buying parts. the front brakes, wheel bearing assembly, turbo, and a few other things i cant think of are different than the late 99-03. i have switched my front brakes and wheel bearings to the late '99 style because they are easy to find, and its a direct swap.

also the early '99 turbo design makes for EXTREMELY LOUD TURBO WHISTLE in the cab under load. i think that's why they switched to a different turbo. it will make your ears ring. cool for 1/2 hour but annoying as hell after that.

all in all the SD is a great truck though..and i'll probably replace mine with another one when the time comes.

 

[Black dawg]

some of the 99 model year trucks were built in 98 and can be a pain buying aftermarket stuff.

 

[Double-S-Diesel]

early 99s arent that bad, some odd ball stuff, but remember they where built starting 3/98, so they will be a year older than the model

 

[Michael Fowler]

I always thought that the 7.3 engined ended sometime during, or just after the 1994 model year.