I just took delivery of my 99 SC 5.4 AT 3.73 last week and like it very much. I DO however, miss my 5.7 ltr 97 silverado's towing manner though. I am getting HORRIBLE gas mileage and miss the ability to tow my 3800 # sailboat in OVERDRIVE. This new Ford is superior in most all other aspects but the 5.7 3.73 GM's effortless low end is missed. Any ideas for getting that effortless towing power into this new truck would be greatly appreciated.

 

Get a superchip! To do so, and find out info on it, Mike Troyer's info is below.

Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com

my .02

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1999 Ford F150 XLT 4x2, Cloth Seats, Amazon green, 16" All season tires, Soft Tonneau Cover, CD Player, 4.6 liter Triton V8, 3:55 ls, towing package, 4 speed auto, K&N Airfilter, soon Superchip and K&N GEN II.

Fast46Triton

The Terminator!

 

Towing in overdrive is not a very good idea unless your are on VERY level ground. Using it on ANY tranny will stress both the engine and the tranny itself. Keep your speed 60-65 and you should be able to get 12-14mpg. You can tow almost double your tow and still get no worse than 11mpg. If your looking for more than 15mpg forget it. The 99 5.4 will out tow any stock 5.7 power wise.

 

According to my Owner's Manual: Towing in Overdirve is fine EXCEPT if the transmission is constantly shifting in and out of OD. In that case, switch off OD and wait for level ground to turn it back on.
Good Luck.

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1999 F-250 XLT Super Duty Crew Cab Long Bed
V-10, Automatic 4R100, 4.30 Limited Slip.
GVW = 6700# Towing Capacity = 13,300#
4 Wheel ABS disks + Reese 15K hitch
Dark Hunter Green. Ford Running Boards.
Grey Rhino-Liner. Captain's Chairs. CD+Tape
* * * Non-Leaking Sliding Window * * *
http://members.home.net/jchartier/jnctrk.html

 

I also tow with my 99 5.4. I have added flowmasters, superchip (yahoo) and K&N. All these mods are simple and not too expensive.
They really increased the towing condition of my truck. I plan to add the rear sway bar as soon as I can find out the cost. I have some rear end sway while towing. If you do these mods, I hope you are as satisfied as me.
Good Luck and let us know if you have any questions.



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White 1999 F150 4X4 XLT Regular Cab, 5.4L Short bed, 373 Rear, Towing & Off Road Pkg, 6 Disk CD, Keyless Entry

Mods Include : Superchip, Flowmaster exhaust, Chrome bed rails and Smittybilt nerfs, Full window tint,
K&N filter, Ventshade window deflectors. Triton boats tag on front - BASS sticker in rear glass

 

It takes 6K-10k miles to break in the engine. They are very tight from the factory and need to loosen up. As you can see my truck is pretty heavy, but I have dusted plenty of 5.7's and 5.3's. Get a superchip and do some of the other mods listed on the board. You'll certainly see more improvement.

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99 SC 4X4 5.4 ORP 3.73LS Lariat Black over Gold on Tan.
Mods-K&N FIPK,Superchip,Dual Flowmasters,Westin Nerf Bars, 305/70/16 GY M/T's

 

Everyone here is correct. the 5.4 will out perform the 5.7. IT IS A OHC engine and it really comes to life around the 3500rpm mark. And dont try judgeing overdrive as a measure for pulling. THE 5.4 IS superior in so many ways compared to the 5.7. Want me to list just a few? OHC not ohv. (fewer moving parts) 6 qt oil capacity, coil on plug to eliminate plug wires, it delvelops 90% of it torque at 2000rpm , failsafe cooling/high flow water pump, this engine was built to new high standards with 150,000 mile durability targets, Cast Iron blocks and light weight aluminum heads (STRONG).......sorry just got of an one of my tangents......mlaugh

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97 F-150 4.6 auto, 4x2, 3.55 LS, trailer tow pkg, ABM with K&N, Dynomax Super Turbo exhaust.
Oh yeah, it's Oxford White with crome wheels, Legacy shell & custom grill.

 

Here, Here. I tow with my 5.4 all the time. Gas mileage is where I expected it to be. 12-14 mpg with 4000lbs towed. To expect more is unrealistic while towing. My last tow trip was 750. The only timeI turned over-drive off was in the hills of Kentucky. Ford built my 99 RIGHT!!

Ender

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1999 F150 S/C 5.4L ORP, AMAZON GREEN, WESTIN NERF'S, AIRRAID, KENWOOD 7011 W/ INFINITY KAPPA SPEAKERS