Video: Diesel vs Gas vs EV - Tesla Cybertruck Takes on the Ike Gauntlet World's Toughest Towing Test

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How will the new Tesla Cybertruck do on the Ike GauntletTM – the world’s toughest towing test? We test it along side a new Ford F-150 V8 and a Ram HD 2500 diesel. Let’s find out!

Big thanks to our friends at Weigh Safe hitches for keeping us equipped and safe for all of our trailer towing and recovery needs. The Weigh Safe hitches are capable of towing trailers as heavy as 21,000 lbs. They are made of light-weight aluminum, and they have a built-in weight scale to help us balance the trailer load perfectly.

The Diesel

We are going to set the benchmark for this comparison with our 2022 Ram HD 2500 Cummins-powered truck. This is our project truck that we call “Trail Hound”. This truck’s powertrain is all stock. It’s a 6.7L turbo-diesel I6 with 370 hp @ 2,800 rpm and 850 lb-ft of torque @ 1,700 rpm. It’s using a Stellantis 6-speed 68RFE automatic transmission and a 3.73-to-1 rear axle ratio. The modified this truck with a BDS suspension lift, FOX shocks, 37-inch BFG KO2 tires, and AEV bumpers.

This Ram’s original payload capacity was 2,200 lbs, and the original tow rating was 20,000 lbs. These numbers are lower now after we made the suspension and tires modifications. However, we are confident that it can set a high benchmark on the Ike GauntletTM.

The Trailer

We are towing 8,800 lbs for this test. It’s a Big Tex flat deck trailer with our 1997 Ford Expedition on top. This Ford Expedition is a co-star in our new “Go Big… Again” video series.

The Gas V8

The gasoline-powered truck is a 2022 Ford F-150 that is equipped with a 5.0L Coyote V8. I picked a V8-powered truck so see how a traditional pickup truck performance on our mountain. Ford sells more EcoBoost twin-turbo V6 trucks, but the V8 is still part of the lineup.

This engine is rated at 400 hp @ 6,000 rpm and 410 lb-ft of torque @ 4,250 rpm. It’s mates to Ford’s 10-speed automatic transmission that they co-developed with General Motors. This crew cab 4×4 truck has a 3.73-to-1 rear axle ratio. This truck is all stock. It’s rated at just over 1,700 lbs of payload and 10,400 lbs of towing.

The Electric One

This is our first chance to run the Tesla Cybertruck on the Ike GauntletTM. This is a dual-motor Foundation Series version of the truck. It has one motor at the front and one more at the rear for a combined output that is near 600 horsepower. Tesla rates it at 2,500 lbs of payload and 11,000 lbs of towing capacity. Let’s see how it does!

If you are searching for the best truck and trailer accessories, take a look at our friend Mr Truck’s store.

Join us in the video below for all the fun and the numbers.

Credits