Guys, I'm a newbie and not yet an F150 owner. However, I have my current truck up for sale and intend to buy an '02 or '03 Screw. I've been snooping on this and other Ford/F150 sites and found this one to be the best with your insights and experience. I'd love your thoughts, here's my situation. I needed a truck, so last year I bought an '02 Nissan Frontier. It's a really nice truck, 4X4, crew cab long bed and has a V6 so it's good on gas right? Wrong, I get between 15.5 and 16.5 mpg, recently with the humidity in the mid west, I've gotten 17 but suspect that will drop back down with the cooler dryer fall weather. Not only does it get what I would consider V8 gas mileage, it's really weak, 170 hp. To offset the weak engine they put 4:90 gears in it, that's right, not a typo 4:90's. So, at 65mph I'm turning 2500 rpm...hence the mpg's. I'm sick of the tight quarters, poor power and poor fuel economy. So, if I'm going to get V8 gas mileage may as well have the throaty roar of a V8 I say. A couple friends have or had Screw's with 5.4's and 3:55's, they say they averaged 18mpg? They both loved their trucks, the interior room, power and overall drivability. I like the Screw's as well but didn't consider them last year because they had V8's and I didn't want to be tied to the pump. Well, I am anyway so why not get a larger more comfortable and powerfull truck and get the same or better fuel economy? Some posts on this sight agree with the 18-19 mpg figure for a 5.4 3:55 some seem to get much less. I drive like an old lady as it is to nurture 16 mpg out of the Fronty. What do you think? I know I will like the size, comfort and power, but can I get equal or better mpg's from a 4X4 5.4 with 3:55's?

 

4:90 is a typo....you mean 4.90 gears. That means that your ring gear/axle turns once for 4.90 turns of your drive shaft. When you are using ratios like 4:90 is more like how you rate a transmission gear, but nothing as steep as you're showing. High gear is usually 1:1 before OD. This means that the engine is turning the same speed as the drive shaft. A transfer case for 4x4 might increase the gear 4:1 for a rock crawler. Does that make sense??? I'm sure lots will tell you all kinds of different ratios for stuff.

I have a 5.4 '03 xtended cab short bed with oversized 33" tires and 3.55 gears. I get 16 before I do my conversion for big tires. With the conversion it's closer to 18 mpg. I do not baby the throttle at all.

 

My 05 FX4 Super Crew with 3V 5.4L and 3.73 gears delivers a pitiful 13-14 MPG city, but on the highway with the A/C on I'm getting just over 20 MPG. I can actually watch the gas gauge drop between stop lights in town. But, on the highway it just goes into super-cruise with RPMs hovering around 2K at 65 MPH. I never got 20 MPG on the highway with the older 2V 5.4L.

The F-150 Super Crew is huge as compared to the foreign trucks. The interior is spacious and it rides like a Cadillac. When it comes to the 4X4 Super Crew, gas mileage differs greatly depending on quality of fuel (uh, hum environmentally friendly) in your area and how you drive.

 

Worland, thanks for your input. That's incredible hwy mpg for your truck, I had no idea the '04's or '05's could do that...in-fact I've heard/read exactly the opposite. I may have to give the '05's a second look.
COsprey, thanks for your input as well. I need a little clarification on your response though. I understand differentials, you lost me when you went to the transmission and OD gears. With the Fronty, you got one of three diffs, if supercharged 210 hp V6 then 4.363, if N/A 170 hp V6 King Cab then 4.636 and in my case if N/A 170 hp V6 Crew Cab then 4.9. To me is seems ratios that high should be reserved for special purposes, towing, drag racing, not hauling my **** back and forth to work and an occasional load of mulch or lawn tractor. But then again, lower gears would put the work up front on the anemic engine. Anyway, enough about the Fronty, tell someone you don't like, there's a nice one for sale in southern Ohio.
I just lost my second deal!! I negotiated with a dealership here on a white '03 Screw XLT 5.4 3.55 w/30K mis. for $19,500, they took a check from someone as I was driving to the dealership!! Apparently, they were at the dealership negotiating with another sales person at the same time I was on the phone with a sales person. I also lost a deal in Columbus, a black '02 XLT FX4 5.4 3.55 with 16K mis for $19000 with hard tonneau!! Private seller, took a check from his neighbor as I was filling out the overnight delivery slip. AAargh! Oh well, I haven't sold the Fronty yet so I will try to be patient. I have my eyes on two others both with nice fitted caps...not really looking for a cap, would prefer a hard tonneau. Is there a market for used caps? What's something like that worth? I would use the proceeds to offset the cost of a hard tonneau if I get one of them.
Thanks for your comments, I hope to join the F150 club officially soon!