lookingat getting a new truck this fall, looking at the 5.4 in a f-150 ext cab 4x4 with towing pack. or the v-10 in a f-250 more than likely a single cab. just wondering what kind of milage you guys areseeing for both and how the performace difference is for offroading/ raceing i was also wondering about performace part such as chips and so forth if you can get them for a v-10? thanks poter

 

my truck is a f150 5.4 auto sc 4x4.
stepdads truck is f350 dually v10 5 spd sc 2wd

mileage: mine= 14.5 in town, 17-18 hwy
his= 12 in town, 15-16 hwy

performance: 5.4 auto= not bad but auto stinks
v10 5 spd= not bad at all.

racing: my truck would probably win off the line, long haul he could probably catch me.

overall: if you want a truck to work with and haul, definitely get the superduty. i use mine to haul dirtbikes and other things on the weekend but during the week it just gets me to work.

his is used regularly to haul more then any truck should be asked to haul and it has never complained.

 

I say if you can afford it step up to the F250 and V10.

 

I have long been a supporter of the 5.4 over the 6.8 V10 because it wastes so much gas and I believe has little advantage over the 5.4 performance wise. But, just recently at least one if not a few companies came out with a turbo kit for the V10 giving it more horses and torgue than the PSD. I think now I would be a lot more tempted in getting a V10 over the diesel since the price difference would about equal the turbo kit and maintenance is less on a gas engine. I have also been looking and pricing new F150's vs. F250's and you can actually get an F250 cheaper than an F150 if you want the 5.4--since the 5.4 is base in the 250 and about a $2500 option in the 150. My grandfather just got a new F350 and I can't believe how well it rides, almost better then my '97 halfton. With all that said, if you aren't gonna tow a lot of 10,15 or 20,000lb loads I would go with an F250 5.4 and take the money you save on not getting the V10 and get the lariat or some other goodies, or maybe even go F350--it is roughly $700 more depending on what you get. I.E. single cab etc.. They make chips for both engines and my mpg has gone up a little with a chip in my 5.4.

 

another question has anyone heard the v-10 with straight pipes or flowmasters on ? some one told me that they don't sound very good but i have never heard one myself.

 

I have a '00 F-250 S/C 4x4 with a V-10/auto. The mileage has the V-10 showing an actual 15.5 HWY MPG. The 5.4s in the SD trucks aren't doing much better than that, if they are doing that well. Power? NO COMPARISON! The V-10 will smoke the smaller engine. There's no sense trying to kid anyone either. There's no replacement for displacement. Further, it was only a $600 option when I ordered my truck. Well worth it too.

 

With the right gears, the 5.4 can do a lot. If you're going to do frequent heavy hauling/towing, close to the max, then go with the V10.
I love the 5.4. Something about the rumble of a V8 that's hard to beat. The best mpg I've gotten is between 16 - 17. The worst being 11 - 12. And because it's 8800GVWR, in CT, they only do an idle emissions test. I was WAAAAYYY under the limits. So I believe this gives me a lot more room for modifying and still being legal.
Sometimes, I'd like to have the V10. But only for a toy truck. If I were constantly doing towing and hauling on a grand scale, I'd just get the diesel and be done with it. IMHO.
But, if you aren't familiar with diesels and like the less maintenace of a gasser and you DO need lots of power for lots of hauling and towing, then the V10 is for you as it is for many others.
Ford makes 3 great engines for the Superduty. Each one has it's niche. Just don't forget that gearing makes just as much of a difference!

 

my truck - 2000 F150 4x4 ORP automatic w/ 3.55
typical mileage 13-14

dad's truck - 2002 F350 (single rear wheel) 4x4 automatic w/3.73
typical mileage 12
V-10 sounds better when idling

both have K&N filters

if you're going to be working the truck hard, get the V-10; if not, the V-8 will work just fine. Personally, if and when I step up to a F-250, it will have the V-10.

 

While I can't give you information on EXACTLY what trucks you are considering, I can relate information on the 5.4 V8 vs 6.8 V10 in the SuperDuty. My '00 was a 5.4 SuperCab 4x4 3.73 yada yada, and my '02 is a 6.8 Crew Cab 4x4 3.73LS. I was pleased with the 5.4 performance-wise, although I felt that the added weight of the Crew Cab was worth going up to the 6.8.

In the 5.4, I generally got around 13.5 mpg (mixed city/highway) over the life of the truck, but that would vary anywhere from 11.5 mpg (lots of towing/hauling) to 16.5 mpg (no towing/hauling, all highway). I felt comfortable enough with the 5.4 while doing moderate towing (4-5K lbs) through the Ozarks.

The V10 generates noticeably more power, and I will feel better towing more with it. I haven't gotten enough miles on it yet (760 or so) to really have any good numbers on fuel economy, but lets face it - we don't buy 'em for fuel economy! After two full tanks, I am averaging 11.6 mpg. I am sure that this will improve somewhat after a) I get my bedcover installed and b) I stop playing with the extra 50HP.

My decision was based more on room for growth than anything. With the 5.4 in an F150, you will hit a wall in terms of towing capacity,etc. way before you will with the V10 in an F250. While I don't own anything that requires me to tow 10K lbs, its nice to know I can if I need to (without buying a new truck!).

 

my brother has a 5.4 150 and he tryed towing my boat while my truck was in the shop and it sucked, no power at all. I get 10-13 city and had as good as 18-19 hwy (flat road). my boat weights 8k and I have no trouble getting it going.

 

pretty heavy boat there Evan, prob at the 5.4L limit. I fairness to the 5.4L, the extra 90 Lb Ft or torque supplied by the 6.8L V-10 would tend to show itself useful under those conditions.

Like, whiteford said, you do very much of that kind of towing you need to give the 6.8L V-10 and the PSD some serious consideration (along with proper grearing selection). The 5.4L is fine for most moderately loaded work trucks and weekend warrior types though. In fact we have a couple 5.4L powered F250 SDs (4.30 geared I believe) in our fleet of construction vehicals and they prove themselves quite the match for another equip with the 6.8L V-10 equip F-250 SD with 3.73 gears, even when loaded.

 

Pretty much everyone is agreeing here, if you are going to haul over 15k, then the V-10 is your pick. However, I don't recommend getting an auto. I don't know if you are considering it but thought I would tell you. My dad has a 99 5.4 in a superduty F250 with 4.10 gears and a 5 spd. His buddy has a 01 V-10 F350 4.10 gears and an auto. When they are pulling about 20k through the ozark hills they are very close in terms of power. My dad gets anywhere from 12 to 17mpg. His buddy gets anywhere from 8 to 12mpg. I think if his buddies truck was a 5 spd. it would kick butt. But like they are they are pretty much even.