AMAN PREACH IT!

 

Agree that the drag racing is a novelty at best but if a Tundra 5.7 beats a 5.0 through the 1/4 mile, then it likely does have a better combination of hp/torque/gearing.

I just committed to a 2012 FX-4 and expect it will NOT tow as well as a Tundra or Ram. That is okay as I won't pull more than 5,000 pounds in the foreseeable future and I am certain my highway mpg will be 2-3 mpg better than with the Tundra. Besides, the old Ford 5.0 engine in the 90's only put out 180 hp and 280 lb/ft or torque and people managed to tow whatever they needed.

NC

 

2005, young 'un driving a new F150 pulled up next to me at a light, looked over, revved his motor. Light changed, he took off like a bat oughtta hell, I didn't take the bait.

Next light, he rolled the passenger window down, called me an old phart and a chicken. Said be prepared, I'm gonna challenge you again.

Light changed, I punched my Titan's gas pedal, leaving the kid far behind, eating my dust ... and prolly wondering what the hell I had under the hood (5.6L DOHC 32 valve V8).

He never did catch up, drove several blocks further, raised his hand, showing me how many parents he had, then turned left, went elsewhere.

Yes, I'm an old phart and while not into street racing, didn't like being called a chicken. There was no traffic, so I gave the kid a history lesson that not all old pharts drive like Uncle Fudd.

And that no F150, regardless of what engine it had, could outrun a Titan. Edmunds dyno'd all the new 2004 pickups, the Ford 300 HP 5.4L dyno'd at 240, while the Titan's 305 HP 5.6L dyno'd at 291.

The "cam in block" Chevy's results were even worse than the Fords.

 

If you got the 5.0L then you are correct sir, it will not tow as well as the other two you mentioned. However, if you got the EB then you'll be just fine.

 

I remember test driving a Titan a couple or three years after they came out.
A REAL nice truck...nice size, nice power and ride.
Unfortunately at the time they were WAY more than the big three up here in Canuckistan, otherwise I probably would have bought one.
I believe by that time they had fixed the brake and dif issues.
A sweet ride indeed.

 

Titans were affected with brake judder, Nissan replaced the whole shebang, calipers, discs, pads with newly engineered parts, then gave a free 60,000 mile warranty on the brakes.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the F150's were also affected. Dealer turned the warped rotors, ridiculous, cuz once a rotor is warped, it's warped forever.

I had the brakes on my 2004 Lariat fixed 5 times, after the first time, I raised holy hell, so the dealer replaced the rotors, didn't help much, within a short time, the judder returned.

5th time I took the terd in, their courtesy van was in the shop, so I walked next door to the Nissan dealer, test drove a Titan.

2 hours later, drove my new Titan into the Ford dealers service drive, told the flabbergasted service writer I wasn't in any hurry to get the terd back.

When my nephew's '97 F150 was stolen, I gave him the terd (it had 17K on the clock), said watch out for the brakes. If the steering wheel begins to do the shimmy, take it to the dealer and b!tch.

btw: The day in March 2004 when the Titan was introduced was the same day Ford began offering rebates on the F150. Prior, dealers were getting full pop PLUS!

One dealer I visited before I bought the terd had an add on sticker glued to the window sticker. It looked official (I knew better) and when I asked the sales cluck what the extra 500 bucks was for, he said that's the FoMoCo acquisition fee!

Obviously I didn't buy it there and within a short time the CA DMV showed up, shut them down. They weren't strangers to this, because it had occurred twice before. Today, the property is vacant.

 

Well after owning 4 fords,in not buying another one,the 5.4 is crap! mine went after 109,000 miles and truck was never off the highway,treated it better than i treated my WIFE! Ran Amsoil front to back its entire life Dealerships are crap! Would not tear into the moter to see the real problem,just ran a comp test and said i needed a new moter.So I think it was the cam phasers that went belly up..7 grand later I get a new moter,we will see what happensa the next 100,000 miles.Next Truck TUNDRA!!

 

In my area it wouldn't do any good to buy a Tundra as the same crappy Ford and Chevy dealers also own the Toyota franchises. Net result, same crappy service. I've been buying from a small town Ford dealer for awhile now in the next county south and the service is great. Never had an issue with service and if Ford didn't own up to the warranty claim they find a way to keep me happy. My lesson learned is that the more overhead a dealer has the worse the service usually is as these dealers are usually mortgaged to the gills and must keep numbers high to exist. Low overhead dealers are usually less leveraged and have a little more flexibility.

 

Sorry to hear about your bad luck with Ford. I personally have had nothing but the best of luck with Fords.

I actually was just re-hired to work at a Monument company I worked for back in 2007 and back then we had a 2005 F-150 5.4L that had almost 100,000K of HARD worked miles on it when I left. I was pleased to learn that the truck is still in use with almost 300,000 miles on it now...Still going strong.

That's my only real experience with the 5.4L. Most people I know who have owned one in the past or currently own one, generally seem to love them and don't report many issues with them. If a Tundra's what you want for your next truck then more power to ya. I don't think Toyota makes a bad truck at all personally...Ugly IMHO...But I think they are decent trucks for the most part.

I would be proud to own a 5.4L F-150...But I'm prouder to own my 2011 FX4 5.0!

 

Well I love the truck! For those 109,000 miles no problems,Ride,service and ROOM! im 6ft 2 and the 4 doors come in handy with the fam. Never had a minutes problem untill i took it to the dealer for the 100,000 tune up.That was 2 grand for plugs,belt,flush and fill,plus they broke one plug off,had a exhaust smell in the cab when i got it back,took it back and they said it was the air condition,took it to another shop and they found a loose plug,you would figure a ford master mech could find something as simple as that.With all the problems the 5.4 has,just don't see another one in my future.We will see how long this Jasper 5.4 lasts.Main thing truck is paid for so I guess 7 grand is cheaper than 35 grand. Have a camper and wanted to get a f-250 BUT 60 thousand for a truck!! NOT!!

 

Well, if it's any consolation, unless you buy used, there won't be any 5.4 in your future period.

 

Well thats fine by me! I think im more cranked about the dealer than the truck! They don't do work on vehicles,all about the money Not service!! Old days a mech would find the problem and fix it,not any more Shotgun approach just replace the hole thing if you don't know whats wrong with it! Dosen't cost them anything!!

 

I think you can still get the 5.4L in Expeditions.

 

Yes that is correct, however, since this thread (and this sub-forum) has been about F-150s, I figured everything would have been confined to that type of truck.

 

I should have clarified. I selected the 5.0.

NC