I have a 2" lift and 35s on my snow plow prep 08 F350 regular cab so lift and tire wise we are almost identical but your truck will weight more.. There was very little difference going to 35s but I did have the larger stock 33s to begin with. I now have a superchips tuner and custom dual exhaust with a H pipe and I get an average of 11 mpg. Before the new exhaust it was 9 combined. Highway the best I saw stock was 14.5 and 12 with lift and tires. The truck regularly sees 7-8000# towing and have towed as much as 12k. More power will almost always make towing easier but never once did I need more power even with 12k behind me. On a 5-6% grade it can hold 60 mph at 3500 rpm and 40% throttle. The truck also does 0-60 in 8 seconds which is faster than many cars on the road. Anyone that says a 5.4 is a dog has never used one properly but it is easy to understand why people want more power. If you can, why not.

All the motors will do just about anything you need and cost will even out with initial purchase price, maintenance cost and mpg. Most important, find a truck YOU like not one that someone you don't know likes for you

I like the gas trucks just for ease of maintenance. I'm not rich by no means so every dollar I can save means a lot for me.

 

Wow. Just realized that lol.

 

I'm not going to be like others and say that you definitely need to do this or do that. I'll only tell you of my personal experience.
I've owned over a dozen F150's over the years. A couple of 4.6's and mostly 5.4's. The last one was a 2013 Super Cab STX 4x4 with 5.0. Pulling an enclosed trailer and a couple of Harleys it got mostly 8.5 mpg. I was thoroughly disgusted.
Fast forward one year from that. I figured if I was going to get 3/4 ton mileage I was going to have a 3/4 ton truck. So I bought a new 2014 F250 XLT Super Cab 6.2 4x4. I got 1 mpg better while pulling a larger trailer, with the added weight of a Harley trike in addition to the bikes hauled the first time. Local driving the mileage was almost identical.
Now I have a truck that will do much more than an F150 when I ask it to. With no appreciable mileage hit compared to a 150 and no added expense of a diesel.

 

if you live in an area that does emissions....the "bullet proofing" is not an option.

if you live in NY, f-150's can be registered as passenger vehicles and f-250's are commercial class registrations unless you obtain an exemption.


I've owned 3 5.4's, 1 v-10, and a 6.4. The V-10 was the best all around and the 6.4 (which is an upgraded 6.0) is the night mare you have been hearing about. what will cost you a few hundred to repair on a 5.4 and 6.8 will costs you thousands on a 6.0 and 6.4

If the tundra will meet your needs....that would be my first choice.

 

Sorry about that - it was constantly showing at the bottom when viewing my other thread so I eventually clicked on it, read it, and responded.

I'll be more careful in the future.

I'm honestly not worried about a lift/bigger tires/etc. The truck will likely be kept pretty much stock for the majority of it's life in my case.

I've no issues doing my own work on whatever I get - and prefer to. Even with the 'included' maintenance - I'll still do it myself.

This is true of most things - hopefully not of trucks but time will tell.

Me too.

Personal experience is always appreciated.

8.5 isn't decent with an enclosed trailer? I get 12~14 in my Tundra just driving around empty.

This is sort of the situation I was thinking about - I'm still on the fence when it comes to F150 vs 250/350 from the standpoint that they're almost the same price. Where the 250/350 really takes a hit is options as far as my wife is concerned.

This is a part of why I'm thinking 250 or 350 over 150 is simply because beyond the firmer suspension and slightly less room in the cab overall it's a more capable truck in the long run.

Then again the wife told me I had free reign to get a 250 or 350 down the road if we get a 150 now - so I'm not 'losing' much by going with a 150.

Absolutely no emissions here. I rip it all off of my motorcycles but have never touched emissions on a car/truck. I generally leave well enough alone until there is a problem.

Here they are registered the same - just a different GVWR on the plates [and slightly higher costs] AFAIK.

I know you're responding to the OP but I'm looking to move *away* from a Tundra myself.

 

Actually, the OP revived his thread.

So anybody responding to his more recent post is quite right to do so.