Diesel F-150

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Yuriman

Diamond Member
Jun 25, 2004
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Tail wind... And probably not a supercrew. I only put about 6k a year on mine with about 3k of that towing. So I'm not commuting in it and chewing gas daily. Extra MPG would be great, but I can wait another few years to decide if I'm going 3/4 ton or 1 ton truck for the next tow pig. At some point the trailers are getting larger and heavier for us and a 1/2 ton even with a diesel is too light weight for comfort.

Pretty easy to do by slowing down. Most of the roads in Vermont have 50mph speed limits, and correspondingly you see a lot of trucks averaging 20-25mpg (in the summer).

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Herr Kutz

Platinum Member
Jun 14, 2009
2,545
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http://www.mlive.com/auto/index.ssf/2018/01/ford_f-150_embargo_news.html

Kinda big news, one that we all new was coming though.
IF they can have those kinds of capabilities and get 30 mpg, i might grab one in a couple of years. The modern diesel emissions scare the crap out of me though

A buddy from work has a 15' cruze diesel in the shop for some issue with the NOx sensor. $800 repair bill. He has also had a couple other emissions related issues that were repaired under warranty.
 

Pacfanweb

Lifer
Jan 2, 2000
13,149
57
91
Knowing Ford's track history with new tech, better let this one mature a few years before buying if you don't want to be a beta tester.
 

herm0016

Diamond Member
Feb 26, 2005
8,385
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GM will have an inline 6 diesel in their 1/2 tons. This should be interesting! Inline 6's usually have great torque vs hp/weight.
 

Greenman

Lifer
Oct 15, 1999
20,278
5,053
136
GM will have an inline 6 diesel in their 1/2 tons. This should be interesting! Inline 6's usually have great torque vs hp/weight.
The best pickup engine ever made was the Ford inline 6. Those things would run for hundreds of thousands of miles. I pulled one apart that had a quarter million miles on it because it made an odd pinging noise under load. Turns out it had a cracked piston skirt. I decided to rebuild it while I had it out, the machinist that did the work said it was all within factory spec before the rebuild.
 
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Pacfanweb

Lifer
Jan 2, 2000
13,149
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Pretty easy to do by slowing down. Most of the roads in Vermont have 50mph speed limits, and correspondingly you see a lot of trucks averaging 20-25mpg (in the summer).

untitled_5.jpg

My truck averaged over 23 mph on a trip to the beach last year a speeds considerably higher than 50.
 

jtworldwide3

Member
Feb 15, 2006
33
2
71
Circling back to this one as I'm starting to look
Moral of the story, i need to be able to tow a 3500lb wet camper
Based on what Ford has said about pricing and where i bet GM will go with it. Your going to be looking at mid 50's or more to get into a half ton diesel.
Diesel Canyon/Colorado can tow my camper without much fuss (real world people are claiming 17-19mpg towing similar) and be had for under 40K brand new. From a personal standpoint i can handle the size difference from the half ton and should be easier to deal with in town for sure and still get in the 30's HwMPG
Decisions.....
 

herm0016

Diamond Member
Feb 26, 2005
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3500 is not that much. If the interior room of the Colorado is good for you, that is definitely the way to go. The gasser would be cheaper yet and still tow your camper well.

Circling back to this one as I'm starting to look
Moral of the story, i need to be able to tow a 3500lb wet camper
Based on what Ford has said about pricing and where i bet GM will go with it. Your going to be looking at mid 50's or more to get into a half ton diesel.
Diesel Canyon/Colorado can tow my camper without much fuss (real world people are claiming 17-19mpg towing similar) and be had for under 40K brand new. From a personal standpoint i can handle the size difference from the half ton and should be easier to deal with in town for sure and still get in the 30's HwMPG
Decisions.....
 

Bartman39

Elite Member | For Sale/Trade
Jul 4, 2000
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herm0016... Cant wait to see how an inline 6 diesel does but in the next couple of years I might buy one...? But hey I am keeping my old 2004.5 Duramax it is a crew cab and is tough as nails and still gets 20 mpg...

Seen to many issues with Ford and Dodge although they have some pretty good products but they just dont seem to hold up...?
 

jtworldwide3

Member
Feb 15, 2006
33
2
71
herm0016... Cant wait to see how an inline 6 diesel does but in the next couple of years I might buy one...? But hey I am keeping my old 2004.5 Duramax it is a crew cab and is tough as nails and still gets 20 mpg...

Seen to many issues with Ford and Dodge although they have some pretty good products but they just dont seem to hold up...?

It really comes down to cost for me. 3/4 ton diesel trucks are stupid expensive. And it seems like Ford at least (no reason for GM not to do the same) is only going to make it available in the higher trim levels. There are usually not incentives on the diesel anyway. I need to figure out if i can live with the interior space of the canyon with two kids in booster seats. It will be smaller than what i have now, but does it really matter all that much.
 

monkeydelmagico

Diamond Member
Nov 16, 2011
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There are a bunch of vehicles that can tow a 3500 lbs load. Most 3 row SUV's and even some of the more compact ones like Jeep Cherokee and Ford Escape. Some of the minivans might be able to tow that load as well.

I think the 1/2 tons do a better job of towing than any of the above. Drop the quest for diesel and you are looking at a much more reasonable starting price.
 

jtworldwide3

Member
Feb 15, 2006
33
2
71
Point is some level of economy. I have more than a bit of a commute everyday. My sequoia can tow 3500 no problem. But does so at a god awful MPG rate. Cant i just have both?!?!?!
 

Yuriman

Diamond Member
Jun 25, 2004
5,530
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Bigger engine = more fuel wasted. Larger/heavier vehicle = more fuel wasted. A bigger engine is needed to pull the extra mass and push more air out of the way, and a heavier frame to hitch it to makes it more stable.

Reason why economy drops when you're towing is extra weight and aerodynamics. If you got a lightweight, aerodynamic trailer, the loss would be smaller.

You can try towing with the minimum vehicle possible, of course. That helps.
 

Bartman39

Elite Member | For Sale/Trade
Jul 4, 2000
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Yuriman... Uhm I would not say that about the fuel being wasted on larger engines in a diesel PU... My Duramax gets on average 18-20mpg all the time and when we hooked up to a 10,000 lb trailer it still got 15+ mpg and with a heavy ass K5 Blazer and a 300ZX on the trailer and with over a 1500 lbs in the truck it still got 11mpg... This was figured over a 1100 mile trip from TX to Florida and back...

With the extra weight and the aerodynamics a gas engine would not even come close to what we did... BTW my 6.6 Duramax is 403 cui of engine and is tuned to produce 390-400hp with 750-780 ft lbs of torque and is no where near what a newer one is tuned for...
 
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Yuriman

Diamond Member
Jun 25, 2004
5,530
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Be aware that diesel fuel has something like 20-25% more BTU per gallon - that's part of why it's more expensive. Diesels tend to be more efficient as well, but if you're not getting 25% better miles per gallon from a diesel, you're actually getting worse economy.

If you dropped from 20mpg to 11mpg pulling a trailer, it's not that much of a stretch to think you might have had twice the total drag -which probably says as much about the truck as the trailer. Most trailers are bricks.
 

Bartman39

Elite Member | For Sale/Trade
Jul 4, 2000
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Hummm...? But pulling basiclly 18,500 lbs with a 6,200 lb truck + 1,500 lbs (plus 3 people forgot that) which is 3 times the weight of the truck and with a little more than 1/2 the normal mileage...? Not many gas engines can even do that...? Let alone with that kind of fuel economy would you not say...? Also would you say that trailer with that sort of load on it is more like a solid concrete block rather than just a brick... ;) (trailer had tandem dual rear wheels too) Had to load the Blazer all the way to the rear and the 300ZX just in front of the Blazer which left a few feet in front of the 300ZX to the head of the trailer... This was so my truck would sit level and we could put tools and 2 ea. 55gal drums of diesel with a pump up against the cab...

All I can say that is was a load but we made it twice and my truck never blinked and eye once... (yes twice in a week)
 
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skull

Platinum Member
Jun 5, 2000
2,209
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Considering F-250 Diesels are like the gold standard of longevity and reliability, Ford must have made sure this engine is supremely rock solid.

That ended with the 6 oh nos. They caused so many problems ford isn't the standard for ambulances anymore. Before the 6.0 almost all ambulances were ford, there are a lot more chevy ambulances now. The 6.0 and the 6.4 were horribly unreliable and expensive to repair. The jury is still out on the 6.7 but it seems to be doing a lot better. I'll stick with gas in my truck, my truck is heavy but I do a lot of short trips and city driving where gas is better suited.
 

Bartman39

Elite Member | For Sale/Trade
Jul 4, 2000
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paperfist I would not even consider a 2001-2004 Duramax (engines have injector issues on them) only the 2004.5-2005 and later would be an option... The injectors are exposed on the 2004.5-2005 and later engines... But really the best are the late 2005-2007 Duramax`s with the LBZ engine but they will cost you so the 2004.5-2005 should be a cheaper option but you might have to do a little work to keep it cool under heavy loads...?
 
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paperfist

Diamond Member
Nov 30, 2000
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www.the-teh.com
paperfist I would not even consider a 2001-2004 Duramax (engines have injector issues on them) only the 2004.5-2005 and later would be an option... The injectors are exposed on the 2004.5-2005 and later engines... But really the best are the late 2005-2007 Duramax`s with the LBZ engine but they will cost you so the 2004.5-2005 should be a cheaper option but you might have to do a little work to keep it cool under heavy loads...?

Thanks for the info I did not know '01-'04 had injector issues. The LBZ engines are like gold on the used market. I was surprised how well the Duramax in general held their value even when the truck body was pretty much all rotted.

I was really looking for a rolling chassis anyway to mount my '56 Chevy onto.
 

Bartman39

Elite Member | For Sale/Trade
Jul 4, 2000
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Yes a LBZ will cost you no doubt...;) So in your case I would find an LLY (2004.5-2005) and put your 56 Cheby... :D On to it... (good idea)
 
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Raduque

Lifer
Aug 22, 2004
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Thing is, the mid teens is what the 5.0 gets..... so you have the option of the power OR the economy at your fingertips. It'd be neat if Ford gave you a button that locked the acceleration down to a certain level to really help fuel economy.

I have the 5.0 and get 9 to 10 towing. Average 16 around town... Best I got on the highway was 22 - but I only saw that happen once. Only 34k on truck and now I'm happy if I'm 19Mpg on hwy.

I don't think I've ever gotten more than about 18mpg. I'm hovering at 16.7 right now. I've seen guys on other forums post 20+mpgs. I have no idea how that's accomplished other than them turtling around.

I'm currently getting 15.8 avg city (with some 20-30mi daily highway 80mph) on my 5.0 Screw with 84k. I drove from Utah to Texas and back 3 times last year, roughly 2800mi round trip and saw over 20mpg highway each time. No trailers, two people, and maybe an extra 1500lb of dogs and gear.

Edit: Do note that I drive it like I stole it and use my transmission in manual mode to hear that sweet, sweet V8 sound.