Personally I'm finding the mileage of my 2012 F250 4x4 CC/SB to be a bit painful. Hand calc and on board pretty much the same. When pulling an 8000lb Bobcat I'm in the 7-8 range at 70 mph BRUTAL! Normal driving I'm averaging about 10 mpg. 50 mile trip to Ft Wayne IN in the flats no trailer and empty bed I'm lucky if the on board shows 14 (thanks to the low fuel mileage I have had plenty of opportunity to check hand calc vs on board and they're always very close) . I bought the truck in December and I'm honestly wishing I hadn't. I came from a 7.3 PSD and I'm happy with the power and overall driveability of the truck but from doing reading before I made the switch I was expecting a little better empty MPG. What good is a truck that I have to crawl in to get decent mileage? I could run 70 empty in my 7.3 and get 17 hwy all day. I'm holding out hope that the poor mileage I'm getting is due to cold temps and that it will improve when summer gets here. I don't pull as often as I used to and only put about 10K on the truck per year which is why I got away from diesel.

 

7.3 and 6.2 are completely different animals, the only similarity being that they each have eight cylinders and are wrapped in a Ford truck.

Now while MPG threads are mildly amusing, there are usually so many different variables involved that they rarely produce anything of value. HD gas trucks have NEVER been known for good fuel mileage, but you can buy a lot of gas for the outlay of the diesel engine.

Maybe I'm just getting older, but outside of a cursory check to ensure nothing is wrong with the truck, I have just about given up on worrying about mileage. Maybe it's because I watch guys shell out $70k for a truck hand over fist, and then complain about an extra $5 or $10 to fill up each tankful. Or maybe I've just realized that I enjoy life and my truck a lot better if I just drive. YMMV.

 

It's the wind resistance that's killing you pulling that bobcat, not the weight. You're towing a vertical wall down the highway at 70 mph. Pulling my enclosed trailer empty down the road kills my mpg faster than pulling my flatbed trailer with a load on it.

You're pushing a cow barn sideways down the highway. If you want mpg, then slow down. If you don't want to slow down, feel that getting there faster is more important, then suck it up and take the hit in the gas tank.

That is the way of gas engines. Always has been.

 

Ditto. I have gotten tired of hitting all 4 corners at a highway exit, searching for that elusive $0.01/gal saving.

I might spend $1000 on a trip overall. What difference does it make really if I spend $300 on fuel or $325 or even $350 for the whole trip? I am still going to make the trip.

Now I fill up at whichever station is closest and easiest.

Double ditto. People seems to think that the different in MPGs between 60 MPH and 70 MPH is minimal. But the drop is significant.

If you have ever seen a graph of MPGs versus speed, the graph goes up until about 45 MPH, then it drops like a rock. MPGs at 70 MPH can be one half of the MPGs at 50 MPH. And that's for an aerodynamic car.

 

Guys, I'm pulling a Bobcat skid steer loader on a flatbed across NW OH not through the hills. The mileage on this truck flat sucks. The power is decent but you're paying a heavy price for that power. To me there's no excuse that a modern F250 with a gas engine teamed to a VERY modern 6 speed transmission (I'm highly impressed with the trans) can't get within 2 mpg of my diesel 1 ton SRW. I get that they're entirely different beasts but I'm running about 500 rpm lower with the 6.2L than the 7.3 at the same speed (70 mph) and the 7.3 (a 1999 model) is handing my new truck its *** on mileage empty. It's not that I'm trying to bash the engine or the truck but if I had it to do over there's no way I'd buy the truck again. My friend's 6.4 Dodge has more power and more torque and does better on mileage than my 6.2 and we both drive about the same. Had I known I was going to have to drive like I'm retired and in no hurry I wouldn't have bought the truck. I'm just giving an honest assessment of the vehicle and its capability. I'm not going to make an excuse for Ford as they can do better.

 

I'm going to bet a 6-pack that you got 3.73 gears. They are the wrong gears for any 6.2 used to tow. 4.30's are the only way to go on the 6.2 unless you commute on the freeway. I didn't do my gear homework before I bought off the lot for my first 6.2. I was damn sure to order 4.30's on my current truck.

 

Stop by and get your 6 pack of homebrew! If you don't like Kolsch or Scottish Ale you'll have to wait until I have my Amber ale or Coconut Caramel Brown Ale done. I have read a lot about the 3.73 vs 4.30 and would have bought with the 4.30's had I been able to find one. My problem is more with empty (not towing) mileage than loaded. I'm not pulling heavy nor am I pulling hills which is probably what disappoints me the most in this setup. I can accept poor mileage when pulling. My 7.3 would be about 10 mpg pulling the same load so I'm not upset when I'm getting places. My problem comes when I'm just commuting and I'm not getting above 14. Does 4x4 hurt these trucks that much? I have gone over a load of threads and been on fuelly and there are people reporting better mileage than what I'm getting. I'm still hopeful that summer temps will improve my mileage just a bit.

 

LOL. Well, 14 is what I get going 70+ unloaded, but I am running 35x12.50 on stock height. I can get 15+ if I can run at 55-60, but I never drive long enough in those situations to make a big difference. My normal tank avg is just locked in at 12.5-13. My last 3.73 truck struggled to stay at 11 in the same driving conditions. Which for me is primarily town, some local towing and a little back road.
What size tires are you running? What are the specs on your truck? I have researched the 6.4 hemi to some extent, I wonder if you buddy's truck has the 4.10? They seem to perform best with that option.

 

The 7.3 had no smog at all. My '06 Cummins got 22 MPGs on the highway unloaded.

Those days are gone my friend.

I do not know what it is like around you, but gas is $1.94/gal and diesel is $2.17/gal. around me. So the delta in fuel cost reduces the diesel advantage by 10% minimum.

And let's not forget those 16 qt. oil changes (with more expensive oil), 2 batteries, etc.

 

That's your opinion. Most guys buy these trucks and even order them with 3.73's and they tow just fine.

 

Yep they sure do, just not as good as a 4.30 truck. My opinion is based on 2 years of tracking reviews on the 6.2. I'm now 2 years new to the motor, so I have learned quite a bit in that time. Almost every single towing complaint I've read or heard about had the same common denominator, 3.73's.

 

I would also not forget about the future price of fuel. I remember $5/gal diesel and every fill-up was a significant emotional event back in 2008. I think it would would be unwise to believe those days cannot come back with a vengeance.

 

I see a few guys on here opt for the 4.30's. Mine came with 3.73's and for the occasional towing I do they seem fine.

 

Have you towed with both?

 

I'll tell you the same thing I did in the other thread, it's because they don't now any better. This coming from someone who has access to a sane year truck that had the same wheel and tire package. 4.30's are a better option. If you bought the truck to run empty or light down the interstate, you bought the wrong truck, regardless of the gear, so except the facts.

I just got back from a 700 mile road trip in my wife's '16 escape. It averaged 28mpg with the cruise sat at 80mph 90% of the time. How can I complain about 14mpg in a truck that sits 6" higher, the engine is 2.5 times bigger, and it weighs twice as much?