First off I'm a newbie here, but not new to forums, normally I'm over at jeepsunlimited.com. I'm considering purchasing an 01 F150, XLT, 4.6L, 4x4, OffRoad pkg with 60K mi. I've never owned a Ford truck before so I'm curious what the common positives & negatives are for this model with these options. How does the 4.6 perform on the highway and when towing? Will i regret not stepping up to the 5.4? Is the short bed big enough for typical city-folk use? Any info you all can provide would be greatly appreciated, they're only asking $11,800 negotiable, so it sounds like a good deal...

 

I say get it! You won't regret not having the 5.4 unless you're towing a lot, and it's really hard to kill a 4.6. Sounds like a good truck if everything looks good!

 

There is no comparison between my 4.6 and my dad's 5.4.

His car is a 4x4 screw and it hauls *** in comparison to my 4.6 2x4 scab. Granted his has PI heads and mine does not. We are also running approximately 32" tires and have 3.55 gears.

I say go with the 5.4 if you can.

 

that leads me to my other question, what's the largest tires that can be ran on this year/model with stock wheels/suspension with minimal to no rubbing???

 

I believe 4x4'ers are running 33's without rubbing. They are probably trimming the valances and cranking torsion bars though if it matters to you.

 

You can run 33's without having to crank the torsion bars or trim anything. A 285 (33" tire) is just right on a truck like yours. In regards to the 4.6, I've towed a many a mile with mine and have no complaints about not having enough power. That includes towing a 55hp John Deere tractor up and down some pretty steep hills. I think my 4.6 has plenty of pep. I think the truck you are looking at is most likely a great truck at a great price.

 

Oh yeah, unless you haul 8' or longer items in the back of your truck regularly, the short bed is fine. I personally have the long bed and think it is great too, but for "city-folk" use, the short bed is fine. I just like my long bed because I can haul my Honda Rancher 4x4 atv in the back behind my tool box and have room to close the tailgate. If you don't have a tool box in a short bed, you don't have to worry about that.

 

i just read a 285 was a (33") tire. I thought that the 305 was the (33") tire. Please clean this issue up for me

 

Take it out on the road and kick it in the a$$ and watch the tail pipe for smoke. I had an 01 4.6 that smoked from the day it was new and they never could figure out what the problem was. Otherwise, go for it!!

 

The tire size (when figuring from the 285, 305 numbers) depends on a couple of things. That number is the width of the tread in mm. If you want to know what that is in inches divide the 285 or what ever by 25.4 to give you inches. The next number tells you the sidewall height. A 75 series tire for example has a sidewall that is 75% of the tread width. And finally the rim size. Whatever the rim size in inches is also included. So here is how you get the height:

Rim height+(2X sidewall)= tire height. So a LT285 75 R16 would be ((285/25.4)*0.75)*2 + 16 = 32.8 or almost 33".

Hope that makes sense.

Mike

 

Well it sold before I could get it. But I found a 96 F150, ext cab, 4x4, 5.8, custom topper, 99K miles, in immaculate condition, asking $7800 obo (but its been for sale for at least 2 months). Anything to look out for with this year model?