Yeh, the lousy 4 speed trans you had couldn't use the power of the 5.4L efficiently with it's large gaps between gears and it's poor over all trans/axle gearing. 6 Speed transmissions are much better. You get better mileage than almost all here even without towing, using a 5.0L or the EB 3.5L . I would have your instrument mpg display checked as those numbers are way off by everyone elses reported mpg here and other forums. Those numbers are closer to a truck NOT towing and even so, are still better. What do you have, a 2WD, Regular cab that has no options and weighs 4000 lbs. ???

 

I'll explain it again for you Mike as you are a little slow. The 5.4 could not hold TOP GEAR at 100 more RPM (3.73 16in wheel, vs 3.55 18 wheel) with the same load, (2800lbs.)on the same road at the same speed(60mph). This has nothing to do with transmission gears, the truck drops a gear after it drops 2 mph while in cruise control , the 5.0 never drops ANY mph and it does not downshift because it has more LOW END TORQUE and low end HP!

I am sorry you bought the wrong motor, it's a fact that ithe 5.0 gets better mileage than your 5.4 and also the EB in my application! Mike Levine concurs; "If you’re going to tow a trailer regularly around geography like the Midwest, we’d suggest the 5.0-liter as a better choice. The 5.0 gets better fuel economy in that scenario." http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2011/04...-6-part-2.html

 

I never had trouble holding top gear in my 08 towing 4050lbs of TT. I had 17" wheels with 3.73 gears. Ran in OD all the time except when in the mtns. Ran down the freeway @65 in OD, and got 10-10.5 mpg. Ya the 5.4 4sp was not that efficient, but it wasn't that bad either. The 5.4 with the 6sp is a different truck when towing. I have a new 7200lb TT that I towed with the 08 and the 2010 5.4 and the 2010 does a way better job. Sure it gives up HP/TQ but with the discounts of $6000.00 it would take a long tinme to make that up in gas. Also normal driving in the mtns is 50-60mph and having 310HP or 360HP is mostly negated till you get to a 6% grade and my 2010 will hold speed well enough to not worry about getting to the top 5 sec latter. I can still cruise all day@65mph down the freeway and TT tires are only rated for 65mph anyway. Most F150 owners would like either the EB or the 5.0 but like I said before $6000.00 in rebates did it for me. I'm not really worried that a guy in a 5.0 or EB can go faster than I can. Heck I also own a 03 Accord 4cy AT and I get there just as fast as traffic allows. I'm retired and don't drive to work everyday like lots of people so getting 2 mpg more not towing don't mean a thing to me.

 

I'm not slow as maybe you are by the fact you are not comparing apples to apples and are using this misinformation to convince yourself that you made the better choice. The 5.0L is a very nice motor with a lot of HP but the reason it's not offered with the Max Tow Package is that Ford obviously feels better low end power is needed and that the Ecoboost provides that, as well as the 6.2L, and the 5.4L.

Comparing a 4 speed against the 6 speed in just ignorant. 5 Speeds are much much better and then 6 speeds are even better. You are essentially saying that the 5.4L paired to either will have the same driving characteristics and that is false. Your comparing Oranges to Apples.

The 5.0L is the 4.6L 3 valve motor direct replacement. Same lower displacement, same torque curve, same higher rpm power peaks. EB and 6.2L are the motors to go with for deep low rpm torque, with the Max Tow Package.

That said, I'm only getting roughly 1 mpg less than I got with my 4.6L 3 valve engine in my previous Sport Trac that was rated 1 mpg better on both city and expressway than the 4WD 5.0L F150. My mileage is great for a 5770 lbs truck and I'm really happy about that as I drive 24,000 miles/year. Glad I made the choice to stay with the 3.55 axle plus have a 9600 lbs tow rating.

Oh, in case you didn't catch it, the reason you dropped a gear is because it was a "4 speed". It didn't have the closer gearing to provide a better gear ratio that is provided by the 6 speed trans, to keep it from dropping to a lower gear.

 

Your really thick! How does it being a four speed cause it to drop a gear? At 60 MPH on a incline the 5.4 won't pull the same load! This is with a lower net final drive. This has NOTHING to do with the transmission , the transmission does not cause the motor to drop a gear when on cruise control, the motor not being able maintain the set MPG forces the downshift. If anything a six speed would downshift sooner as the ratios are closer. I guess you are blind to the postings of all the new 5.0 owners who used to own a 5.4 and all are claiming the 5.0 has more low end torque and horsepower.

 

I had a 5.4 4sp and now a 5.4 6sp and there is a difference. I imagine that those new 5.0 owners never owned a 5.4 6sp. I would venture to say that if you and I hooked up 7000lbs of TT and took off for a camping trip that we would get there at the same time. So your point about the 5.0 being so superiour to the 5.4 is really invalid in the real world. Sure we can sit at a stop lite and drag race and you would win. And we would both get a ticket if caught. So whats the point. I would take the bigger motor making less power over the smaller motor making more power as the bigger motor is less stressed. Not saying there is no need for lots of HP/TQ but most times it's just not needed.

 

Great analogy by your reasoning a 8 liter motor making 100 hp and 120lbs of torque would make an better engine yet. Unfortunately that fails to take in consideration what actually makes a engine reliable. Despite all the 5.4 fan clubs attempt to defend a mediocre engine it makes less low end HP and torque than the 5.0 and does it at a fuel savings penalty. At least in the ford chevy debate the 5.3 boys have a decent motor to defend.

 

I'm not a 5.4 fan guy, just a guy that wanted a nicer truck than I had and the 2010 5.4 with $6000.00 in rebates was a better deal than the 2011 5.0 or 3.5 with no rebates. I would've been just as happy with a 5.0 or 3.5 with rebates. But since there were none, or so small they didn't matter I went with the 5.4. Figuring you get 2 more mpg accross the board you save about $400 a year in gas compared to my 5.4. $6000.00 divide by $400=15 years. Seems like fuel for us is really not an issue. I didn't buy my F150 soely because it had a 5.4, I bought it because it was a good deal. I could care less if your truck goes faster than mine, they both do what each of us intend for them to do and that's all that matters.

 

I also had a Nissan similar to yours. I had a 2005 SE 4WD Pathfinder. Lousy suspension but dealer helped with price to get me out of my problem prone 2004 Titan.

My 2008 Sport Trac with the 4.6L 3 valve engine, 6 speed auto, 3.55 axle, and 4WD actually got about 1 to 1.5 mpg better than the 4.0L 24 valve/ 5 speed auto combination in the Pathfinder. I'm down about 1 mpg in the F150, from the Sport Trac so I'm doing the same or slightly better in the F150 over the Pathfinder. Amazing that these large vehicles, with larger displacement motors, can equal or better smaller vehicles with smaller engines, in mpg. Ford has done wonderful things with their motors. If the rebates were not so good on the 2010s, I may had considered an Ecoboost 2011 F150. Unfortunately the EB models are few and far between in my area and when I bought mine, they were not even released by Ford yet.

BTW, my Sport Trac had excellent resale value next to my Pathfinder. I went by Kelly Blue Book and I had both Ford dealers use that as a reference for my trade valve. Both the Pathfinder and Sport Trac were 3 years old, but Pathfinder had ~50,000 miles and it's trade value was ~$13,000 and the Sport Trac had ~70,000 miles and it's trade value was ~$16,000. Guess Fords depreciate less than the Foreign market. BTW, both vehicles were the same price within $500.