Guys, I'm looking for piece of mind. (Just joining btw, nice to be here.)

In Feb., I bought a new 2010 Supercrew 4X4 lariat w/ 3.55 LS. I noticed it wasn't getting better than 14 highway (I live in ks...and i've always gotten maximum window sticker on all my f150's.)

So the dealer took it back and put in me in the identical twin. I can get 17-18 mpg on a mild day, but I noticed this 6 speed sure kicks down a lot to get up even the slightest of hills. Also, if there is much more than a 20 mph wind, this poor truck will kick in and out of OD 30 times in a 70 mile trip no matter what speed I run. That inturn drops my mileage to 12 mpg.

I can't see how I have two bad trucks, and I drive like an old man going to sunday church, soooooooooo i'm baffled as to why this tranny is so much junk?

Is there really a learning curve for it? I find that whole thing BS anymore these days. It's so bad that on a lot of days I can't even run cruise control..I can't believe I can get 18 one day and the next get 12 just because of a little wind.

any comments or thoughts?

 

Trolling Again?

 

I'm just looking for some answers. One dealer says it takes 10,000 miles to learn the next says it is as good as it will be when it leaves the lot. One day i get 18 the next day i struggle for 12. Surely i can't be the only one with these fluctuations. If anyone else has some serious insight as to why these new trucks are so fragile, it would put me at ease before I keep sinking money into payments on a truck i won't like.

 

I drive mine like I stole it, and I get 19-20 mpg all the time with city / freeway mixed driving day to day, I also only have the 4 speed 4.6 but i thought they were supposed to be close to the same mpgs

 

That's my thing.... My other trucks I drove, maybe not like I stole it, but I didn't waste any time getting up to speed and got great mileage.

With this truck I have to really put around, maybe that's my problem. I'd really just like to know if there is a learning curve and break-in.

My opinion, is a minimal amount, but I just can't see how this truck can continue to run like it does.

If there is a learning curve, great. If not, I can see this will be traded in soon. It's almost embarrasing that I've gone through two brand new trucks in two months.

 

open up the air box. There is is a piece of fabric in there that can com loose and it will restrict air flow. The truck will lose speed and will shift a lot. Happened to mine when I got it. The fabric is between the filter and where the air comes in.

 

Yes, there is a learning curve/adaptive learning process and you will see better shifting after 5000 miles. Just be patient.

Also, you need to not pay much attention to the mpg gauge. Fill it up and run it down to E, then do your math with however many gallons you put back in.

My truck with the 3.73 gears will get 16-18, and in some rare cases above 20mpg, and I drive 70 almost all the time.

I just returned from a trip to Austin, and driving back into Dallas in some of the strongest headwinds I've ever faced, keeping it 70, I got around 15. Driving down I got 17. If I could stand to drive a little slower and keep my RPMs below 2000, I'm sure I could get even better.

 

Is this the new truck or the one Ford bought back?

 

They both did it. The only difference is this one gets a lot better mileage.

See, the one they bought back had paperwork that said "truck not for sale", which I found in the glove box after i bought it...so i took i told the dealership that with 1,000 miles on it, I can't get better than 13.7 mpg no matter how i drive, plus they had to tear the tranny apart, plus i found the paperwork...so the dealer told me to drop whatever i was doing and get to them immediately and they were going to put me in a new truck. They sounded in panic.

I'll give this thing some time, i'm just gun-shy now after the one Ford bought back.

 

I'd say that not only does your trans need to break in, but so does the motor. Mine was pretty tight when it was brand new, but after about 1,200 miles it started giving me better MPGs. Also, the 6 speed is going to shift more because it has more gears. It is trying to keep you motor in it's sweet spot as far as RPMs for the speed you are driving. It also have a double overdrive, so at 70 when you "drop a gear" you are still in overdrive, just not full overdrive.

 

Yeah, but when it drops down, i figured the lower OD gear would still be less than 2500 RPM at 70 mph. Hopefully it will get better. I expected it to kick down more than my 4 speed, but wow, it can't even power itself on a flat highway. We'll see how it does over the next 3,000 miles or so.

 

Maybe the guy who mentioned the 10,000 miles is right. The 2010 Screw XLT with the 4/6 and 6 speed that I used to have mysteriously got 3mpg better on the highway after 10,000 miles. I tested it several times. Oh well, I'm back to my new Lariat with 100 miles, so I guess it will be almost a year before I'm getting good mileage again!

 

My truck with 5.4/3.73 4X4 isn't getting great mileage either and I've been driving it gently. Should I be driving it "like I stole it" to break-in the motor and transmission?

 

Before I bought my truck, I borrowed my buddy's Platinum for a weekend. I noticed the same thing about the trans. It kept downshifting on very slight inclines. His truck had the 3.55 in it as well. I then went to the dealer and test drove an FX4 with the 3.73 gears. I drove the same stretch of highway and the trans didn't downshift at all.

I ended up buying an FX4 and I've been really happy with it (and the trans). I'm getting about 15MPG in mixed driving.

 

X2, the FX4 with 3.73 gears is very sweet. Seems to be the perfect setup for a well rounded package.