Full-size heavy-duty trucks have got the reputation of being tow pigs or haulers, but that changes with the 2020 Ford Super Duty and the addition of the Tremor Off-Road Package. The Tremor package brings new technology and hardware to the Super Duty that enables it to head further off the beaten path.

The 2020 Ford Super Duty featured with the Tremor Off-Road Package.

“A growing number of Super Duty customers use their trucks for more than work. They’re fishing, camping and towing boats on weekends and they go off-road, so we designed this truck specifically for them – more ground clearance, bigger shocks, bigger tires, and more off-road capability,” said Todd Eckert, Ford truck group marketing manager. “Tremor balances what customers demand in terms of work with what they need in the great outdoors.”

The Tremor Off-Road package will be available for XLT, Lariat, King Ranch, and Platinum trim levels on both the F-250 and F-350 Super Duty. The 2020 Super Duty will be offered with an all-new 7.3-liter gas V8 or 6.7-liter Power Stroke diesel engine.

Off-Road Upgrades 

The key to the Tremor package is obviously all the off-road minded features. One of those features that we really liked to see was the truck coming from the factory with a set of 35-inch Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac tires with a set of 18-inch matte black wheels. Having a manufacturer set up a vehicle to succeed from the start means that they put plenty of thought into it.

2020 Tremor Super Duties will have a two-inch lift in the front and a shorter air dam, which gives the truck 10.8 inches of ground clearance. While that sounds impressive, the ability to ford water up to 33 inches with an approach angle of 31.65 degrees and a departure angle of 24.51 degrees adds to the overall package.

Keeping grip while off-road is important and the Tremor package addresses that as well. The package features a locking rear differential with electronic shift-on-the-fly engagement and a new Dana limited-slip front differential. Depending on what mode the truck is in, the front axle has the ability to feel when a tire has lost traction and uses the brakes to send power to the wheel with traction.

Cruise control is great on the highway and Trail Control will benefit off-road. The Tremor package features the same technology that was introduced on the Raptor and Ranger. Rounding out the off-road minded add-ons are off-road running boards, extended-axle vent tubes, and the same skid plate as the FX4 models.

Beyond The Dirt

Vehicles, if designed to specifically for one application, can suffer greatly in other areas, but it appears Ford has made sure the 2020 Super Duty will not. One of these ways is with selectable driving modes which include modes for normal, tow, eco, slippery, deep snow/sand driving.

Normal is for around-town use, tow is for optimized performance under load, eco for enhanced fuel economy, slippery for icy conditions, and deep snow/sand for low-traction conditions. In addition, Tremor 2020 Super Duties also feature a new rock-crawl mode, which is optimized to operate in 4×4 low and is enabled by the standard TorqShift 10-speed automatic transmission. The crawl ratio for Tremor Super Duties with the 7.3-liter gas engine is 53:1, while trucks equipped with the 6.7-liter diesel engine have a 44:1 crawl ratio.

Spring rates have been balanced to make sure normal driving and towing performance needs are met in addition to being able to control body motion off-road. The rear sway bar was made to allow for less head toss over obstacles during severe suspension articulation.

Tremor equipped Super Duties will have custom 1.7-inch piston twin-tube dampers. A shock this size allows for a larger oil volume to keep internal temperatures low, while the large cross-section works to improve responsiveness. At low speeds, the shocks are tuned for soft damping as well as for more severe impacts. They also feature an internal hydraulic rebound to help soften hard hits off-road.

When the 2020 Super Duty launches later this year are you going to order it with the Tremor Off-Road Package?