Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the F-Super Duty deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Silverado HD’s airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.
Both the F-Super Duty and the Silverado HD have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height-adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, available four-wheel drive, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding and rearview cameras.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Ford F-Super Duty is safer than the Chevrolet Silverado HD:
F-Super Duty |
Silverado HD |
|
OVERALL STARS |
4 Stars |
2 Stars |
Driver |
||
STARS |
4 Stars |
2 Stars |
HIC |
415 |
504 |
Neck Injury Risk |
26% |
30% |
Neck Stress |
193 lbs. |
374 lbs. |
Neck Compression |
50 lbs. |
150 lbs. |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
102/112 lbs. |
593/651 lbs. |
Passenger |
||
STARS |
4 Stars |
2 Stars |
HIC |
376 |
435 |
Chest Compression |
.7 inches |
1.5 inches |
Neck Stress |
165 lbs. |
270 lbs. |
Neck Compression |
84 lbs. |
195 lbs. |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
198/254 lbs. |
414/434 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH, results indicate that the Ford F-Super Duty is safer than the Chevrolet Silverado HD:
F-Super Duty |
Silverado HD |
|
Front Seat |
||
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
27 |
31 |
Chest Movement |
.6 inches |
.7 inches |
Abdominal Force |
50 G’s |
96 G’s |
Rear Seat |
||
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Hip Force |
236 lbs. |
266 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
The F-Super Duty’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Silverado HD’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).
The F-Super Duty 4x4 has a solid front axle with a floating power axle for durability that the Silverado HD 4x4’s independent front suspension and exposed front driveshafts don’t offer.
To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the F-Super Duty has a standard 157-amp alternator. The Silverado HD’s standard 150-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.
J.D. Power and Associates rated the F-Super Duty first among large heavy duty pickups in their 2015 Initial Quality Study. The Silverado HD was rated second.
The F-Super Duty’s 6.2 SOHC V8 produces 25 more horsepower (385 vs. 360) and 25 lbs.-ft. more torque (405 vs. 380) than the Silverado HD’s 6.0 V8.
The F-Super Duty’s 6.7 turbo V8 diesel produces 43 more horsepower (440 vs. 397) and 95 lbs.-ft. more torque (860 vs. 765) than the Silverado HD’s 6.6 turbo V8 diesel.
The F-Super Duty Diesel Long Bed’s standard fuel tank has 1.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the Silverado HD (37.5 vs. 36 gallons).
The F-Super Duty has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Silverado HD doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.
For better stopping power the F-Super Duty’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Silverado HD:
F-Super Duty |
Silverado HD |
|
Front Rotors |
14.3 inches |
13.98 inches |
Rear Rotors |
14.3 inches |
14.17 inches |
For better traction, the F-Super Duty’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Silverado HD (275/65R18 vs. 265/70R17).
The F-Super Duty’s optional suspension has front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the F-Super Duty flat and controlled during cornering. The Silverado HD’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.
The front suspension of the F-Super Duty uses coil springs for better ride, handling and control than the Silverado HD, which uses torsion bars in front. Coil springs compress more progressively and offer more suspension travel for a smoother ride with less bottoming out.
For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the F-Super Duty’s wheelbase is longer than on the Silverado HD:
F-Super Duty |
Silverado HD |
|
Crew Cab Standard Bed |
156.2 inches |
153.7 inches |
Crew Cab Long Bed |
172.4 inches |
167.7 inches |
For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the F-Super Duty is 2.7 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Silverado HD.
The F-250 Standard Bed Lariat Crew Cab 4x4 handles at .74 G’s, while the Silverado 3500 Long Box LTZ Crew Cab 4x4 pulls only .68 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.
For better maneuverability, the F-Super Duty’s turning circle is tighter than the Silverado HD’s:
F-Super Duty |
Silverado HD |
|
Extended Cab Standard Bed |
49.1 feet |
49.2 feet |
Extended Cab Standard Bed 4x4 |
47.5 feet |
49.2 feet |
Extended Cab Long Bed 4x4 |
52.3 feet |
53.1 feet |
The F-Super Duty Regular Cab has 6.4 inches more front hip room and 2 inches more front shoulder room than the Silverado HD Regular Cab.
The F-Super Duty SuperCab has 6.9 inches more front hip room, 3.2 inches more front shoulder room, 7.1 inches more rear hip room and 3.8 inches more rear shoulder room than the Silverado HD Double Cab.
The F-Super Duty Crew Cab has 6.9 inches more front hip room, 3.2 inches more front shoulder room, .3 inches more rear headroom, 1.2 inches more rear legroom, 7.4 inches more rear hip room and 3.7 inches more rear shoulder room than the Silverado HD Crew Cab.
The F-Super Duty Crew Cab shortbed has a much larger cargo box than the Silverado HD Crew Cab shortbed (64.4 vs. 61 cubic feet). The F-Super Duty Crew Cab longbed has a much larger cargo box than the Silverado HD Crew Cab longbed (77.4 vs. 76.3 cubic feet).
A low lift-over bed design makes loading and unloading the F-Super Duty easier. The F-Super Duty Regular Cab’s bed lift-over height is 35.2 inches, while the Silverado HD Regular Cab’s liftover is 36.3 inches. The F-Super Duty Crew Cab’s bed lift-over height is 34.2 inches, while the Silverado HD Crew Cab’s liftover is 34.9 inches.
The F-Super Duty’s cargo box is larger than the Silverado HD’s in almost every dimension:
F-Super Duty |
Silverado HD Regular Cab |
|
Length (short/long) |
81.8”/98” |
97.8” |
Max Width |
69.3” |
64.9” |
The Ford F-Super Duty has a standard tailgate assist feature, which prevents the heavy tailgate from falling with a crash and causing injury. It allows adults and children to easily open and close the tailgate with one hand to better facilitate loading and unloading. Tailgate assist is only available on the Chevrolet Silverado HD LT/LTZ/High Country.
The F-Super Duty’s available front power windows open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Silverado HD’s optional power windows’ front passenger window doesn’t close automatically.
In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the F-Super Duty’s available exterior keypad (not available on F-Super Duty XL). The Silverado HD doesn’t offer an exterior keypad entry system, and its extra cost OnStar ® can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.
The F-Super Duty’s speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Silverado HD’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.
Both the F-Super Duty and the Silverado HD offer available heated front seats. The F-Super Duty Lariat/King Ranch/Platinum also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Silverado HD.
Both the F-Super Duty and the Silverado HD offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the F-Super Duty SuperCab/Crew Cab has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Silverado HD doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.
The Ford F-Series outsold the Chevrolet Silverado by 29% during the 2015 model year.
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