ATV Florida Forum

I have a couple of questions about the Ford SuperDuty that I know someone here would know the answers.

I'm looking for a 2008 or 2009 Ford F-250, but the ones I'm looking for seems to be hard to come by.  However, I've found a couple of F-350s that I like. The questions are;

1. Is there a gearing difference between the F-250 & F350? Basically, will the F-350 get worse gas mileage?

2. Is there a drastically stiffer ride in the F-350 because of it being able to carry more?

I really don't need a 1-ton but if there isn't that much of a difference in MPGs and ride comfort for the same price, do I go with the F350 or keep looking for a F-250 with the color and body style I like?  I'm running out of time..? ???

I have a King Ranch f250 and love it.....even more now with the programmer and gauges!!!

check out these sites to find your answers

powerstroke.org

thedieselgarage.com

thedieselstop.com

No difference in mileage or gearing. Only way to get lower gearing is with a dually. The 6.4 aren't know for very good mileage but they do tow well. If you have a big load to haul get it, if not then dont get it for the fuel economy.

stiffer rear leaf springs are going to be the only difference. my dad has one of those turds as his fire department work truck, it gets about 11 or 12mpg, its a f250, the f350 should get the same. im sure removing all the emissions equipment will yield you a solid 5mpg increase (as crazy as that seems) but they just suck with all the emissions junk. the new cummins are knows to be pretty bad too, i dont know how the duramaxes are, id bet its going to be the best fuel economy being that its still the same motor that has always been the most efficient where ford and dodge just switched motors.

It will be hard to duplicate the mileage the old 7.3 got but even then, only the manual got the crazy mileage.  Quite frankly, if you are concerned about mpg, you don't need a pickup.  I have two F350 SRW; one a 7.3 that rides on 38s and the other a stock 6.0.  The 7.3 gets anywhere from 9 - 14, depending if I keep the boost down (I'm a bit of a leadfoot in that truck; lots of HP).  My 6.0 is bone stock and it gets 12 around town and 15 on the highway.  My brother's 6.4 does about the same as my 6.0.  All three trucks have 3.73 gears.

I knew that the F-250 got about 14 mpg, I just wasn't sure about the F-350.  I just didn't want to get the 350 and find out it's geared different and gets around 10 mpg.

My duramax gets 16mph and has a better warranty ford.  :o

i disagree when you say you shouldnt drive a truck if your concerned with mpg, my bros single cab d-max gets around 18 and my dads crew cab gets around 16-17... that being said i pull 6-7mpg in my gasser, id love to have a d-max for a daily driver lol.

I would love to have a Duramax but everyone I find seems to be about 10k more than the Ford.

They do hold there value. How much are you looking to spend, there are many good deals out there now even for the d-max.  Buyers market.... ;)

it depends what you want to get, my brother got his 01 2wd single cab for around 9k and this was 3 years ago. you can get the older models for pretty cheap, 2wds are cheap too. 05 is hands down the best year to buy tho.

I think the 06' is the best year, maybe both.

01-05 has the stronger pistons, 05+ has the better turbo, that leaves 05 the only year with the older pistons and the better turbo. 06 gets a 6 speed tho. they are all good really, 05 is the best motor to work with tho.

when i say 05, technically that would be 04 and a half through 05.

once you get a deisel, you can put intake chip and exhaust on it and prety much double your fuel milage..my buddy has a 6.0 with those three things and gets around 18mpg around. but if he gets on it forget about it, you can watch the needle go down, but it does look badass when all you see is a black cloud covering the road  ;D

I have a 2006 King Ranch F250 (6.0) with exhaust and SCT (custom tuned programmer) and I have not noticed an increase in mileage since I can not get my foot out of it  :P

It is amazing as to how much the diesels are de-tuned from the factory.  If I were to compare the truck from stock to tuned it would be ford escort (stock  ;D ) to a Roush Mustang....... (many you tube videos of a tuned diesel truck walking on mustangs)

That is true.  Before I lifted my 2001, it was crazy how quick it was once the turbo spooled up.  From 50 mph, there's not a whole lot of vehicles that would accelerate with it until it ran out of steam somewhere around 35-3600 RPM (don't know how fast because the speedo was buried long before it ran out of legs).  With the 38s, it's not as quick but it will smoke them no problem.  Keeping tread on the stock tires was a trick.  I've got a ball-bearing turbo, tuned (I used to have a Superchip with a custom tune but it went bad and now I have an SCT tuner; not as much HP but still impressive), big injectors, intake and 4" exhaust, turbo back.

Chillin and I both have 2005 F350 PSD, 4x4, Crew Cabs. They might have ridden a bit harsh when we first bought them but, we both installed a Donahoe 4.5" system on them and now, they ride excellent.

Both of us tow significant loads from time to time with no problems. Chillin has a 6 speed manual while I have the auto. He definitely gets better mpg than I do. Especially when pulling a load. When I am loaded up with my 25' gooseneck and swamp buggy, I get about 9.5 mpg at around 70 mph on the interstate. Of course, my swamp buggy sitting on my gooseneck is like having a giant wind anchor behind me. I know Chillin's truck does better than mine when pulling loads. Also, around town, he seems to get at least 1-2 mpg better than me as well.

The 6.4 is horrible compared to the 6.0 in the mpg department. I've got a friend who regrets getting rid of his 6.0 and going with the 6.4. Personally, I'm going to drive my truck for several more years and then buy another PSD with that new 6.7 that comes out for 2011.

They're all great trucks though. Ford, GM or Dodge. In the end, it's about personal preference.

I bought my first diesel about 6 months ago. an 09 F250 crew cab. with the 6.4. Mileage?, well if your asking then you dont need to buying this truck. I get 11.5-12.5. BUT, this is with my lead foot and no matter if I tow or not the mileage is about the same.  I LOVE THIS TRUCK.
(http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii209/Keeterbob/IMG00244.jpg)

The Ford warranty on the Diesels is 5 years and 100k powertrain. On a positive note Ford is not owned by The Government.

Chuck, which dealer do you work at? My father is the service manager at Nick Nicholas Ford up here in Crystal River.