Could be the Ethanol, I have no idea. But it sure is a bummer to see the mileage reduced significantly. I try to drive like a grandma and I haven't seen 12mpg yet.

 

I know for a fact that we should be getting the same mpg as you do. How do I know? I had a rental for 3 months and put thousands of miles on it. I consistently got 16 mpg city, now mind you my city driving is steep mountains and hills. I would get between 19 to 21 when driving all highway. Now I go and buy one and it absolutely is horrible. There is not a doubt in my mind that there is something that is causing this problem. I just really wish Ford or someone would figure it out..

 

i get a kick out of every thread where someone is complaining about the gas mileage they are getting in a very heavy vehicle, with a very large V8 engine. WHAT DID YOU EXPECT Mine probably averages about 11 or 12....i bought the truck understanding that would happen.....

 

I hate replies like that. Same with the posts like, "You truck weighs 6000lbs moron, it wasn't made to go quick". It's about personal interest, not about the stubborn masking of what we truly want to say ("Ford f*cked us with stock performance"). Don't take that literally, it's a strong engine but it's not up to par with the competition.

However, don't get me wrong, in Ford's defense my truck feels pretty quick stock, I need to test drive or go heads up with a Titan. For the last time, I chirp them around every corner on accident and spin 360's powerbraking fantastically. And COFX4...I expect to get no less than what is on the sticker...the quoted mileage should be the absolute lowest we can expect to get while driving in normal circumstances (not towing, etc).

I may be alone on this but I'm really tired of hearing all these remarks. Don't be so jealous of the competition, admit our flaws and ways to fix them, don't put down those who do.

 

I get a kick when someone thinks that is what they should be getting. I bought the truck KNOWING it should get 16mpg average.

 

Well, since you ask, I expected to get about the EPA amount, 15-19, as I usually get a little better than EPA.

I get about 14.5-15.5 around town, and 20-22 usually on freeway so while I am a bit disapointed in the town miles, I'm more than satisfied on the freeway. I can get 24 on an onramp to offramp long distance run. Going up to Vegas I got 23.9 going up, and 22.9 coming back. Went up at 60-65, came back at 65-75.
If it got twelve on the freeway, I would get it fixed.
But then I have the smaller engine, and a regular cab.

By the way, where do you get 'a very large V8'? My engine 281 cubes and the 'big one' is 330 cubes.
That's big in the same way a Toyota Camary is a 'full size' car.

Kidding of course, these modular engines do pack a pretty good punch.
Chris

 

I knew what I was getting into, but I thought it would be better than my 12 MPG. Hell, I got 10 or 11 in my Ram SRT-10 and had a whole hell of a lot more fun doing it.

 

Me and my nephew went on a road trip with our 05 FX4 fords. His is the long bed (6.5) and mine is the short bed (5.5) both Scabs. Both have 3.73 gears and 18" wheels with 275 65 18 tires. He always got .8 mpg better than I did, every tank. I think some just do better than others.

Mine has had a surging problem since I got it, reflash almost fixed it, but it came back. If I drive my truck nice and easy for awhile, it gets worse. My last two tanks were 9.8 mpg and 11.2 mpg. It's either on the farm or on the open road.

Awesome truck, it just needs a small V8 diesel under the hood, like the one Cummins was testing in a Dodge half ton. All aluminum, I think it was a 5.6 with over 300 hp and 400 something torque, and the engine only weighed what a 5.3 chevy motor weighs. Ah, to dream.

 

I see you live in Kali. It's hard to compare the stop & go (and long waits for lights to change) city driving in the People's Republik to say TX or NC. Couple that with eco-friendly fuel... you're gonna get bad mileage.

I think you could improve your mileage by changing out your tires. Tires with pronounced cleats along the outer edges are good for off road, but they create unecessary friction on pavement and produce significant drag at highway speeds. If all you're doing is driving on pavement, put on a set of fair weather tires like the old Goodyear Wrangler AP's. I've lost as much as 4 MPG city with just conservative off road tires.

 

Several people who live near one another should take a trip on the freeway together and reset their MPG readouts, all should own the same or similar trucks and see what kind of mileage you all get. Put a rest to this mystery.

 

16-17 is normal for a 2wd...13-14 seems to be normal for 4wd.

 

In my 2004 FX4 with 3.73 gears and 18 inch wheels I recently did a 2500 mile roundtrip (Arizona, Cal, Oregon) I averaged about 70 mph and had a good size load (Cruise Control on). I got just over 18 mpg both coming and going. I probably stopped only 3 times each way. These were optimum conditions...recent reflash, new oil/filter, tires at 35PSI, new air filter. I don't think I'll ever get better MPG than that.

 

I see alot of people are in the same boat as me. What I dont understand is how some can get in 16 MPG city if this is true what is different between these truck. Makes no sense to me. As far as knowing what I was getting, I'd be happy to just be getting the minimum of the sticker. It's not even the money because I dont pay for gas. It just sucks to watch the gauge drop so fast.

 

I average btw 13.5 and 14.5 with 50/50 highway/city driving.
I am pretty satisified with those numbers considering I have talked to Dodge and Cheby owners who average around 10MPG.

 

What blend are you running? On Nevada gas, premium tune, I get 16 around town. On High Desert blend I get 15 around town, on LA blend I get 14.
When the winter blend hits I will get 14.5 around town on High Desert gas.
You are near SF so you are gonna be running PC gas, not gas mileage gas...
Chris