What do you suggest F150 or F250??

[Team_Yamaha]

I am thinking about getting a "personal" truck. I just can't justify running my 05 (see sig) for a personal truck anymore with diesel prices what they are, plus a dually is harder to find a parking spot for. Here is what I am looking at getting.

04-06 F150 FX4 SC, short box, 5.4L/auto
or
05-06 F250 4X4 or FX4 SC, long box, 5.4L/auto

What kind of mileage differance would I be looking at between these two??
All the truck will be used for is running around town, and the most that it would tow is about 6,000lbs.(Anything more and I will use one of the other trucks) What would you guys do??

Thanks alot!!

[Texascadillac42]

Id go with an F150, assuming its cheaper. Being a lighter truck it *should* get better fuel mileage. Itll also be a smoother ride, easier to park, blah blah blah all the benefits of a smaller truck. 6k should be no problem for the 5.4.

[Smokewagun]

You can see from my sig that I did the same thing. I think the F-150 is everything we were promised, and then some. I know I have vented about some puny things on a day when I just have diesel running through my veins, but honestly, the F-150 is one heck of a truck. I've got a Supercrew that really is nothing more than a grocery getter, but the more people I talk to the more I find many don't even know what the payload is and dump 2000 pound plus in the back and say the suspension barely moves. My Screw has the 5.4L and does have alot of grunt. The low end is pretty impressive, but don't expect it to get out of the hole like a 6.0L. That was what I hade befor the F-150, so it took some time to get used to, plus just the sheer difference from diesel to gas. I have logged each fuel fill up since birth, and the average is 16.2 over 25,000 miles and all the fill-ups. In warm weather, I have seen as high as 20 mpg, and as low as 13. I love the ride, love the handling, although on snowy roads the Screw doesn't have the weight of a Superduty diesel, so it does get a little "light". Otherwise, I think the F-150 is absolutely the best light duty pick-up on the market. Period. The fit and finish is exceptional, the interior impecable, and the quietness is fantastic. My only grpe is that at 6'-5", the seat does not go down far enough for headroom for me. My head is just off the headliner, and I have to have the seat back for leg room that when I turn my head to look out the driver's side window I look right into the B-pillar. Just because of the B-puillar, I am thinking about going to a F-250 again, except with a gas engine this time. At 1000 miles per week, the headroom and B-pillar sometimes get to me, but only on a bad day. Otherwise, I love the truck. Go for the 150 if you want a nice change. Unless you are hauling 15,000# all the time, the F-150 is a nice unit. Good luck.

[FloridaEd]

I have both gasser and PSD trucks. I've had past PSD's and gassers, too.

If I was buying today, Momma would be driving a F-150 Supercrew XLT with the SMALL V-8. My camping buddy has a 2004 F-150 extended cab 4X2 with the small V-8. He gets abour 17 MPG mixed driving. He tows a 23' travel trailer (no slide-outs) and MPG goes to 10...and he drives 55-60 MPH.

My gasser F-250 gets about 12-13MPG around town and will go to 14-15 on the road at 65 MPH. My gasser is for hauling groceries and not much else. I wanted a big truck 'cause these old farts down here are always running redlights and stop signs....and driving Toyotas. When they hit my wife (or me) I want some junk-iron around me for protection. I think the newer F-150 fits that bill.

I believe either engine will last 150-200K miles with good regular maintenance....probably last long enough for you to want something new.

With 1000 miles or so a week, that 5.4 will eat you out of house and home.....

Good luck.

Florida Ed

[Mwheeler]

If I was to get a 5.4 F-250/350 right now, it would have a stick, even though I think they are a PITA to drive in the city, this would take the most advantage of the 5.4's power and never really leave you without being able to pull something if necessary as well as yield the best mileage.

But with my diesel and the V-10's I've driven, I'm happy with the Torqshift. Never have to worry about not having the grunt to start a heavy load (or stop it for that matter with the Tow/Haul mode on).

[birddog15]

I am in exactly the same situation. I have done extensive research on both and this is what I have come up with. It will all come down to your required payload. For me, I need a crew cab for my family of four. For the f150 crewcab 4x4 the payload is approx. 1600lbs for a barebones truck. Now lets look at weights. For me I figured 200 to 300lbs of options on the truck so that brings the payload down to 1300lbs. Subtract 500lbs for 2 adults and 2 kids and now down to 800lbs. Now you have to subtract the tounge weight from the remaining payload. So if you have a 6000lb trailer your tounge weight will likely be a minimum of 700lbs. Now that leaves you with a remaining payload of 100lbs!!! Now I am sure you would have extra gear in the bed of the truck more than 100lbs. Basically what I am telling you is look at your payload capabilities of both and look at your real world numbers and then decide from there. If your are only looking for a supercab, then perhaps the f150 HD is your best choice but it is only available in an 8 foot box but the payload is much greater. But if your numbers are like mine listed above, then the f250 crewcab is the way to go.

[Smokewagun]

Well, I’m glad to hear your report Mr. FloridaEd. As I stated above, I am seriously considering an F-250 next time around again just because of how the F-150 fits me with headroom and the B-pillar, but the V-10 and 5.4L mileage kinda scare me. With my F-150 Screw getting an average of 16 now (high as 19 something and low as 13) I don’t thnk any gasser Superduty will beat that.

I kind of disagree with the small V-8 theory (for me anyway). Around town a small V-8 may prevail, but my father-in-law has it in his Supercab Flareside and on the highway we have driven thousands of miles next to each other and I always get better highway mileage than him. I remember one trip to Louisiana where we ran and he just couldn’t seem to keep up. We both had cruise control on. After we filled up, hand calculated mileage for my 5.4L Screw was 19.2, where he was at about 16. We thought it was an error, but on the way home it resulted in the same. Yes, in town, a 5.4L will require more fuel than the small V-8, but don’t sell the 5.4L short. It seems to work less and is less affected than the small V-8 by hills and wind. That’s at least what I found when vacationing and running down the interstate fully loaded. I will say this… the scenario I painted above was with a 1998 F-150 Supercab Flareside (Father-In-Laws) and my 2001 F-150 Screw, so the new engines may be different, but I really don’t think by much other than the new 5,4L 3-Valve being really torquey on the low end.

Thanks again, Florida Ed.

[someday]

i think you got the big truck covered with the dually, so get the 150

[Unclebuck257]

OK, I did trade in my 03 F-250, CC, 4X4, Lariat,6.0, auto in August for an F-150 supercrew KR,4X4,with the 5.4 engine. It did take a little getting used to at first, as I've been driving F-250 CC's for several years. Actually, the F-150 is only one inch narrower inside and the bed is only 9/10 of an inch narrower. It still took a bit of getting used to, but now I don't even notice it. Now, I REALLY like my loaded to the max F-150 a whole bunch.

I traded for the same reasons you're talking about, the difference in diesel prices. I can tow my 16 ft stock trailer to the Sale Barn with calves, just fine in the F-150. In October, when up in Colorado guiding and Elk Hunting, I towed a 2400 lb water tank from town up the mountain to the cabin with no problem at all, and that's a severe upward angle for about 5 miles or so.

As far as gas mileage goes, I got about 15.5 in my 6.0 diesel F-250 auto and I'm getting about the same or just a little less in the F-150 with that 5.4 engine and the auto tranny.

I'm very pleased with my decision and would do it again now in a heartbeat!! Heck, when I was up in Colorado, diesel was running about 80 cents to a dollar more per gallon than gasoline was. Here in Texas, it's still running anywhere between 30 and 50 cents a gallon more!! There's no reason for that and I refuse to give the oil companies that extra money every time I fill up!!

Frankly right now, if a person didn't absolutely need a diesel for the power, I don't see why they'd buy one.

[F350Heavy]

Birddog15,
Recheck your payload figures. Unless they have changed the system there is already a 150# person assumed in each seat when the payload is given. For towing capacities only a 130# driver is included. It is in the fine print of the Towing/Hauling Guide at Ford dealers.

[schmedly]

Considering that he is talking about a 4X4 supercrew, I believe the 1600# payload that he is talking about is taking GVWR less curb weight. I find it very hard to believe that he would have any additional payload in that particular configuration.

[Smokewagun]

I'm driving a 2005 Screw now, and 1600# is generous. My sticker on the door jamb says 1440# if I recall correctly. Maybe 1600# with LT boots, but I have the P-metrics. Even 800# in the back makes it "light". Certainly a "grocery getter". Excellent ride, though.

[RightWingNutJob]

Have they changed it? When I bought my truck in '01, the payload only assumed a 150 lb. driver.

[birddog15]

Payload is calculated by subtracting the curb weight from the GVWR. The GVWR for an f150 4X4 crewcab with the 5.4 is 7200lbs. The curb weight of this vehicle is approx 5600lbs with no options. 7200 - 5600= 1600lbs payload. As defined by the Ford towing guide, the curb weight is a base model with a full tank of gas and NO passengers. Payload is defined as the maximum amount of cargo AND PASSENGERS a vehicle can carry.

Long450, all of the information I have found on the internet says nothing about passengers being included in the weights.

Here is a link that may clear some of this up. Check out the Ford towing guide.

http://www.fordvehicles.com/help/gui...lingandtowing/

I stand by my original post until I find information otherwise.

[svt2205]

Another thing to consider in your 150 vs 250 evaluation. If you look beyond the fuel mileage or the payload/tow capacity. One major killer in the F150 deal, at least to me, has been the redesigned seats the 04 - 06 F150s have. Ford really did a crappy job, my 2 cents here, on the new seats. The seat bottom is a few inches shorter than the older seats, which by the way, are the same as what the current Super Duty has. For me, this redesigned seat has been a deal killer, but the incentives on the left over 05's is CRAZY.... 11K off on most Lariats and some of our local NH dealers still have some heavy 05 inventory.