I am looking to get a 98-02 F150. is the MPG for a V6 a huge difference over a V8?
Craig

 

From my experience nope. Go with the 8 you'll regret it later.

I avg. for the time 20 mpg on the interstate from Houston to New Orleans with the 4.2. Regularly I get 16-17 but I do have a heavy foot.

 

Go with the V8 without question. The V6 is nice in theory, but the milleage difference is negligable when driven like trucks are normally driven. I went from a V8 to a V6 and have regretted it ever since. I love my truck still, but I wish I would have chosen the higher-miles V8.

 

id say theres not much difference from a 4.2 to a 4.6.. id say theres a HUGE difference when you go with a 5.4 though. a 5.4 is much bigger than the 4.2 .. we have a 97 5.4l light duty f250 and my 03 4.2 f150 can go much much further but if ur lookin at a 4.6 or 4.2 theres really not that much difference. but like i said if ur lookin at a 5.4 or a 4.2 well thats totally diff.

oh and if u go with a 4.2 u might be better getting something more like 2000+ because i nkow in the past the 4.2's had a lot of problems, the 97 had leaky headgaskets.. i just think the later 4.2 u get the better that way ford has enough time to fix the bugs on the 4.2l

 

None of them get good mileage. Get a V-8 to pull the brick around. My Lightning can get 17 on the highway.

 

Get the V8, I am happy with my 4.2 truck but if I had my druthers, it'd be a 4.6. The V8 is a lot smoother, and the mileage difference is small for the 4.6. The 5.4 eats gas though.

 

I went from a reg cab 4.2 2wd to a supercab 5.4 2wd and the hwy mileage was better on the 5.4 (both auto and 3.55) (19mpg 5.4 and 15 mpg 4.2) and city mileage was only 1 mpg less on the 5.4. Get the v8.

The 5.4's low end tq is worth it. The v6 has no low end.

 

damn u r5.4 gets awesome gas mileage.. our 5.4 gets horrible gas mileage.. my 4.2 gets about 19/20 highway and 15-16 or so city

 

There always seems to be large variation when people post their gas milage. I have a lot of hills around here and get 15.5 mpg with my 4.2. It was 14.5 mpg but recently started using MMO every other fill up.

It may be best to choose what is best for your application.

If you tow anything large the V6 may not cut it.

Loading down the bed the V6 won't skip a beat. It's a solid engine. I've had mine loaded down pretty good and had not troubles pulling out on a steep hill and accelerating.

The V6 will cost less to buy over a truck with a V8. That could be a factor if you don't tow anything heavy like a large boat.

The average claims for the V8 are less than what I get. The truck itself cost a significant amount less than the V8's to justify going that way.

97 - 99 a lot of fords had gasket problems. The 4.2 seemed to be the worst for it. I believe it had do with a new re-usable style gasket.

97 - 2000 F150 will develop door cracks. Actually by now they will already be there. https://www.f150online.com/forums/sh...&threadid=1468

 

My highway mileage on both trucks was the result of many 1200 mile round trips to the same place (oklahoma city to lafeyette and back, had a gf there) so I didnt take mileage readings for other various hwy trips. You make this drive every week and you look for anything to keep you awake. There were trips where I would set the cruise and not touch the gas pedal for a whole tank. The first time I only got 15mpg on the v6 I was not happy. Pulling the boat with the v6 gave me 9 mpg and it was running second gear full throttle up any hill. That was the purpose in getting a 5.4. Pulling the same boat down the hwy it got 12mpg. The biggest deal with the 5.4 is empty it never downshifted up hills on any of those trips where as the v6 would, I think thats where my mpg went.

 

trust me,get a v8!!! i ust to have a v6 f-150 and now have a v8 f-150. same truck just different year and motor.

resale is higher and milege is the same or better w/ a v8.
tows better
more fun to drive and sounds better w/ exhaust

I would tow w/ the v6 but if it was any real weight it was terrible on milege.
I mean dont get me wrong the v6 will tow and get you around town but dont punish yourself spend the extra money and get a v8. when you finance a truck the difference is very small in monthly payment.

 

Stock, the V6 is gutless at low rpm but makes OK power with revs. A Superchip ($225) dramatically helps the low rpm power of the V6. It greatly improves the fun to drive factor and also imrproves mileage (though you need to use premium, so there is little or no money savings at the pump).

When I bought my V6 (new), the price difference with incentives was about $1,400 for the exact same truck with a 4.6. I thought $1,400 was a lot of $ for 15 hp and 40 lb.ft. of torque. I used $600 for a chip, air intake and electric fan which closed or eliminated the power gap, as well as improved mileage. Then I added about $500 of suspension improvements, and put the remaining $300 towards better stereo equipment.

If you get a used V6 with 5 speed you might save $3,000+ over a similar truck with 4.6 and automatic. Thats a lot of money.

Its a tough choice though, because stock vs. stock the 4.6 is clearly more powerful and has better resale.

 

Maybe it is me, but my V6 has been great. Sometimes I wish I had a V8 but that would have just saved me a right rear tire. It has hauled stuff to the dump, carried 2 yards of mulch, although I thought the springs are a little weak, and have towed a 79 F100 lwb truck 60 miles on a dolly with no problems or excessive fuel mileage. It suffered the most when I put on the 285/50/20 wheels and tires on it. It went from 18 mpg to 16 mpg, but it is time for alignment. The check engine light came on and I replaced the egr valve, but the intake needs to be pulled and cleaned. Off the line sucks, but above 2g's it is strong, and I have ran with a 4.6 before and it did not pull away like I thought it would. It got me off the line but I caught him in the upper rpms and in the quarter only beat me by a truck length. In so many words, yes for heavy towing, the V8 is needed, but for everyday use and normal home depot stuff the 6 is what you need. Also for resale the V8 is better. But for light use and you dont want to drive a little ranger, then the full size with the V6 in my opinion and my opinion only, I will not speak for anyone else, will be just fine.

 

I would worry more about the year and condition of the vehicle you can afford then the mpg. You can buy a lot of gas with the repair bills on some of the earlier models. Calculate out a 2 to 5 mpg difference in your annual driving and see if is big enough $$$ to worry about.

I have run 97 - 2000 F150's as company and personal trucks with 5.4 and 4.2. Run away from a 4.2 unless it is a 2000 or new. Had good luck with a 97 with a 5.4 towing a lot for work, but had co-workers with a lot of problems with theirs. The newer ones seem better.

Good luck with your search

 

Thanks for the input. I think I am leaning towards a 2000 with the larger triton v8
Craig