So what exactly was disappointing?

 

The 3V 5.4L is pushing 3-400 pounds more per equivalent -03 truck. That's a lot for only 15 more ft-pounds. Also, what the gear reduction giveth (3.73 to 3.55) the wheels taketh away (20" diameter and heavy). Regardless, 17mpg is great for pushing 6000+ pounds through the air @ 70+mph. I've never gotten more than 14.5 in 40k miles!

 

My sentiments exactly....

Comparison of an '01 to the '06 is pretty much apples and oranges. '01 weighed in (per Edmunds) at 4994 and the '06's are around 5800. 17 is very good especially given the speeds..... Hey at least with the added weight you have a 5 star safety rating. I remember when I had my '97. Some of the reports were to sell it no matter what after the safety tests showed the cab crushing like a Coors Lite can.

 

FYI, 97-03 F-150's have 5 star crash ratings for every test except front offset. The media sucks.

 

on my 04 screw fx4 im was gettin about 13 average, which is what really matters, your average number. after an s&b intake i jumped up to over 15 average. add in the not having to buy a filter anymore and i think it will pay for itself eventually. added maganflow exhaust but havnt really noticed an increase in mpg. but i love the sound and throttle response. hopefully when i get some custom tunes from TP i'll go up a bit more. i know i'll be offsetting my improved mpg with the cost of my upgrades but hell like the thread on the first page says, if you worry about it too much you probably shouldn't own it in the first place.

 

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