I am a die hard ford truck guy. I've owned 3 already. 3 f350s, 2 with 351w's and one with a 460. I want to change it up from my current mustang, to a 7.3 diesel. I love diesel rigs, and as of right now I won't be towing, but sooner or later I will.

Point is, I am buying a truck one way or another. With this setup, which would be the better choice.

7.3l -
F350, with 6" lift, 36" tires, dual stacks, 4" turbo back exhaust, chip, cold air intake

351w-
F350, with 6" lift, 36" tires, dual exhaust, 3" headers back, cold air intake and possibly a chip..

Which one is going to be cheaper to drive in the long run? Fuel mileage wise, etc. I know they both aren't great, but since I'm going to buy one anyways, might aswell buy the better choice. Just need some help makin a decision.

 

I'd go with the 7.3. Nothing wrong with a 351, but it's going to be a turd with those big tires on it unless you do some major engine mods and regear it. The 7.3 won't even care that you put the big tires on it.

That and you said you want a diesel, so you'll still want the diesel even if you get the 351.

 

Really? i mean on one of my 351s i had a set of 35s on it, with a 3 in lift. idk what was done to the motor but it hauled ***. plowed snow better then some of the big highway trucks. But anyways, with the 7.3 will the mileage suffer alot with the big tires?

 

Well, if you were happy with the 351 with 35s, there won't be a whole lot of difference with 36s. Gearing makes a big difference here too.

When I plowed snow, we also had 351 plow trucks and they definitely did an awesome job.

Of course, I had 35s on my F-150 with the 300 and 3.55 gears. Now that truck was really a turd.

I still say get the 7.3. If you really want a diesel, you aren't going to be happy until you get one.

 

That is true... Alright fine, so the 7.3 it is. lol. What gears are the best for optimum mileage?

 

That I can't say. Maybe some guys that have experience with the 7.3 will chime in and help out there.

 

Oh okay, well thanks for the help so far bud.

 

I recently got me a 2001 F250 7.3. I'll never own another gas motor truck again, pharkin' pansie *** vehicles.

 

It would probably also help to know what year and specific engine you are looking at. There were 3 different versions of the 7.3 offered in different years of these trucks.

7.3 IDI Non-Turbo (1988-1994)
7.3 IDI Turbo (1993-1994)
7.3 Powerstroke (mid 1994 +)

 

More than likely the Powerstroke, but depending on if the IDI turbo was any good then one of those, but def not just an IDI non turbo.

 

Go for the Powerstroke 7.3. It beats the hell out of the IDI motor in terms of power, and you can put a programmer to it and beef it up simply that way. 4.11 gears are going to be really common gears to find in a 1 ton with a PSD. With big tires, 4.11 will be just fine.

 

Oh okay, so powerstroke it is. Now, with the 4.11's how will the fuel mileage look? give or take? along with the tires, chip, 4" exhaust to stacks, etc.

 

Go truck, install a 6V53 TI engine with an Roadrunner 13 speed and create a real truck.

 

well it's obvious you don't need one,but if you have the $ and time for proper maintenance,then have fun.a lot of people are running diesel trucks who don't need 'em.
just be prepared. the HD truck w/ diesel engine cost way more to run than a f150 with gas engine.purchase price of the HD diesel truck is just a small part of the big picture.
the bad thing is,your never going to want a gas engine in a truck after you go diesel.
it's like going from 2wd to 4wd,there's no going back and being happy after that.

 

I'll second that Ford250hdxlt! My dad runs F350 diesels for hauling- he needs 'em, I don't 99.5% of the time... But after I barrow one for a few days heavy lifting my 351w feels like a GD Honda Civic. Takes me a few days to get used to my 351w's fully effective and 'adequate' torque. :/

Some day I'll get a diesel too... just don't need it.