I am in the market to purchase an F150 in February and I am looking for some advise,

My mind is set on the 5.4, there just isn't another option for me.

But I am undecided on whether or not to get a 4 wheel drive.

I live in Florida, so I don't deal with snow in the winter or an actual need due to weather for 4x4. The 4x4 is just for the occasional mud play and those moments of "hey I'm stuck can you help" calls on the weekends.

But after talking with a couple guys they laid it on me about how much more I'll pay in fuel for a 4x4 vs a 2WD

Either way I plan to lift it and do 35's, but after that is there really gonna be THAT big of a different in mpg between the two? I've heard some guys say there is a 4mpg difference and others say .5

can anyone help me out here?

 

MPG is almost negligible.

If you don't need 4wd, just get a 2wd and install a locker in the rear (can install a selectable if you don't want to be locked full time). If you want 4x4, get it. It's your decision, don't base it off MPG though as its pretty much a wash.

Why risk messing up your truck because your friends or random people went out unprepared? I will help someone, but i'm not going to risk damage to my truck to help an unprepared person out.

 

Thanks for the reply,


I don't mean friends that are out mudding and putting themselves in stupid situations on purpose. I work on ranches and at times after a good rain you can get yourself into a situation you couldn't prepare for in a 2WD

 

4wd. if you do a 2wd, just know that you can get stuck in wet grass. if you do however never plan on going off road, then get a 2wd and lower it. much cheaper than lifting

 

i traded in an 08 f250 fx4 for my new truck and I never used 4 wheel drive...except during 4hi launches it really comes down to what you want...

 

If you plan on doing anything outside of the confines of pavement, get 4WD.

2ndly, a 4.6L engine, from a reliability standpoint might serve you better for a daily driver. With the spark plug issues, fuel injector issues, etc... a 5.4L could potentially end up costing alot more without some sort of warranty.

 

One thing i have learned is get the 4x4, you may never need it but if you do atleast you got it and not sitting in the mud thinking if only i got it. Ill never own something without it, only cause i am a hunter, and i know on occasions having it has gotten me into more trouble than if i hadn't, but more times than not i have always been glad knowing i have the 4x4 if i need it

 

4x4 is worth it.

 

The last time I bought a truck, I really wanted to get a 4x4 just to say I had one. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized I would never use the 4x option and it would just be a waste of money for how I would use the truck. You've got to look at how you'll use the truck and then decide.

By the way, if you're going to lift it and put on mudders anyways, then you might consider going the 4x route just so you're not a poseur.....

 

I have a 4x4 with the 4.6 and I have a 2wd with the 5.4. I bought the high mileage, inexpensive 4x4 just to visit my inlaws in Buffalo during the winter. Now I drive the 4x4 every day. I like the gas mileage and making it to work every day of the year, especially those dewey mornings i gotta yank the trailer out of the yard...wet grass? forget it in the 2wd...and don't underestimate the reliable 4.6...

 

Oh yeah, the 4.6s are like "bulletproof". I have 2 now and have had three in assigned police cars from '98-'10 ..... and that last one is still on the job here carrying my replacement after I retired.

As to whether get a 2WD or a 4WD ...
... up here the 2WD from 04-08 are ...
... rare.

4WD is about all you can find unless your looking at a service truck. Rarely will you "need" 4WD ...
... 2WD and a good LS or locker type differential will do about all you'ld want and a lifted 2WD is lifted for the same reasons as 4WDs are, 99% of the time it's "looks" and when lifted, they look the same.

I do use 4WD some to move about in a hilly yard, pull the trailer out, maybe pull a stump or log, use 4WD LO maybe, and have the ability to go if needed in the bigger snows (2WD is OK in lighter snow with 4 snow rated tires and maybe a little weight and there's chains for when it won't).

 

I've been just fine through the snow and ice storms in Oklahoma. If you are just going out into muddy fields (not bogs) or driving in 12" or less of snow, there's little reason to have a 4WD. I've been stuck (stuck as in couldn't go any further and reversed back out) one time in my 2WD and it was when we got 20"+ of snow last year and the front tires simply couldn't push through the snow. Aside from that, I go out into some muddy land and have not had an issue. With A/T tires and some sand bags in the bed, I get around just like anyone else. Never had an issue at a boat ramp either, but I'm always on concrete ramps. The gas mileage won't be a big deal, but remember that you need to maintain the 4WD system too, and repairs can be pricey. Get 4WD if you think you'll really need it, otherwise, get the 2WD.

PS - I've pulled out a small 4WD Kubota tractor (1500lbs) a few times when the mower deck (belly mower) got stuck in the mud and the turf tires wouldn't grab, but that's about the biggest thing I've pulled out of the mud. The truck did it with ease and minimal wheel spin, but it wasn't much weight.

 

4x4 bud, like alot of people are saying, go 4x4, you dont always need to have it locked in. but if you lift it like you would on a 4x2 you will get about the same mpg's.

 

If you lived where there was snow and ice... definitely 4X4

... but you live in Florida...
So I would say go with 2WD.

Reasons not to get 4x4:
- additional purchase cost
- lower MPGs (not drastic, but its real)
- higher maintenance cost (look into IWE issues)
- don't have to go help those buddies that get stuck in the mud
- 2WD truck is lighter

Reasons to get 4x4
- occasionally useful if you might get stuck
- cheaper brake changes (front rotors on 2WD have bearings built in)

There are probably more things I'm not thinking of...

 

I have the luxury of a "beater" 4WD Explorer for nasty weather, but find my 2WD gets around pretty good even in the deeper stuff with a few hundred pounds in the bed and the trucks limited slip, would be even better with AT tires. They way over salt the roads where I'm at, and I've owned plenty of full size 4WD's in the past that I would only use 4WD maybe once a year, even though our area snowfall amounts are near 50".