My dad has a 2009 5.4 f150 now, and he likes it. I'm thinking that a diesel f250 might be better for him than another gas truck. He's probably going to sell the f150 this summer before it hits 100,000 miles. I know the older diesel engines (2004-2008 I think) are high maintenance and temperamental. How are the newest ones? Neither one of us has ever had a diesel or know much of anything about them. The reason I'm thinking a diesel might be good for him is his driving style. He puts 25,000-30,000 miles a year on his truck, at least 80% of which are highway and interstate miles going 55-70mph. The heaviest thing we tow is our 9,000-10,000lb tractor 8 or 10 times a year. Our f150s can do it but it pretty much maxes them out. Anyway, I've always heard that a good programmer on a diesel truck is amazing and can get you all kinds of power and really good gas mileage. How true is that? The way he drives seems like a diesel truck would last him forever. He would either leave it stock or level it, nothing more than that (until I stole it from him) What is the best highway mileage you could expect to get out of a 4x4 f250 diesel with the newest engine with a good programmer custom tuned?

 

As good as the mpg is for some diesels you don't buy one because it's an economical daily driver. tuners don't really go well with any warranty work with the new diesels either. Some guys are running them with the new 6.7 but they feel they can afford any repairs should they come up. Automakers are becoming very intolerant of tuners and now check for them before any engine repairs are approved. If your Dad really wants or needs a diesel, go for it, soooo much power/fun, but if you aren't towing heavy and often it is wasted.

 

Do you think the better mpg of the diesel would cancel out the higher cost of diesel? That's what I was thinking since he does so much highway driving. I know maintenance costs are higher on a diesel

 

I dont think so. You wont get better MPG stock on a diesel than a F150. ANd youll probably get about the same as a gas f250 but with the higher cost of diesel. Check out the 2012-2013 F150's the power on those are an upgrade to a 2009. If you need a diesel buy one, but if you dont, you wont know what your in for as far as cost until you have one.

 

Not really what I wanted to hear cause I've always wanted to drive a diesel. You mean the new 5.0 has more power than the 5.4?

 

The new 6.7 diesel is getting better mileage than the 6.0 or 6.4 did - but you also have to keep the DEF tank full too. I'm hearing fuel mileage around 20 on the highway. A max tow/max payload F-150 with the EB can get that kind of mileage, or very close to it, and periodic maintenance is cheaper. The diesel will get better mileage towing heavy though - the mileage doesn't drop off anywhere near as much when loaded. Towing heavy, the EB is down in the single digits.

 

What's the DEF tank?

 

Yes the 5.0 and EB both do. The EB has 365hp and 420 torque as the new 6.2l has 385 hp and 405 torque.

Yeah if your going newer dont waste your time with the 6.4 The 6.7 has a Def tank which cost like 50 bucks or $5 a gallon to fill up with urea, which is going to last you about 7500 miles so twice a year on this. I talked to an older gentlemen who tows around 24ft travel trailers everday for a business and he gets about 12-13 towing in his 6.7. And normally a little higher he said. I think 20mpg plus on the highway is very liberal. Maybe going 55. IVe been hearing 16-17 if your lucky.

DEF holds urea or maybe something else by now, but it cleans out your DPF(basically a CAT) DPF's were mandated in 2008 and above. They used to use Diesel to burn off the DPF tank. But heres the deal the DEF tank is 8 gallons and maybe Urea is better at cleaning out the the DPF IDK. This is why I dont buy that the 6.7 is that much greater in MPG than the 6.4, because if your using 8 gallons over 7500 miles you couldnt have been using say ten times the diesel to do the same job as the urea, so its not saving you that much diesel. As awesome as the 6.7 is I dont think many are acheiveing great gas mileage on them as ford has claimed, and you dont even see ford advertising that anymore.

 

if you want to go older which I know a little bit more about, get the 1999-03 7.3's those things will out last everything else on the truck if you keep them maintained. 6.0's don't get me started, some people love em, I'd steer clear of them. its all in what you want. I think all diesels use a little oil from what i know.

 

I read a thread on a different forum where this guy picked up a brand new 6.7 F-250 (well, it had about 4k on it so it was broken in) in Detroit and drove it to California. He got 19.5 mpg for the whole trip.

 

It's kind of sounding like a diesel wouldn't be worth the extra cost for us besides the fact that diesels are just awesome and I've always wanted one

 

Its what you need mossy. Best case scenario is you get a diesel that gets the same MPG as a gas, but I dont see that happening. If you do your still paying 10k more for a comparable model, the fuel cost more and so does maint.

I hate old crap and will never go back, so newer it is for me. And until diesel comes down in price and or the trucks get more efficient Im done with them.

 

Well we don't need a diesel. I just want one really bad. Our f150s do fine with 90% of what we do with them

 

Just do what works for you. Just be warned the operation and maint cost are not a walk in the park. But if you budget for that and have the money its not like its ungodly.

One thing about newer diesels is the allure of having a big loud, smelly, black smoke poofing truck isnt true anymore. Besides being big they are not loud, smelly or blow black smoke anymore

 

Unless ya spend some money like I did, and have a tuner friendly dealer.

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