My brother has an F250 Super Crew (4 full doors) with a 6 foot bed and automatic tranny with 6,000 miles on it and he is very unhappy with it's performance and gas mileage. He traded an 05 150 with a 5.4 becasue he got a bigger camper and needed the 250 to handle the weight as the 150 had it's hands full.

We took the truck to camp this weekend and it just doesn't go. He couldn't even break the tires loose pulling out on wet roads. He had it back to the dealer last week and they replaced the gas pedal and when that didn't fix it they told him that several guys have been complaining about them and that one fellow recently traded his because he wasn't happy. My brother is getting between 10 and 12 mpg and he feels the 150 just had a lot more snap to it. Granted, he now has a much heavier truck but it just does't go. I drove it home from camp and went to pass a slower vehicle and it is very sluggish. The dealer told him there is nothing they can do because that is how they are programmed and if he puts a chip in it the warranty will be void. Anyone else experiencing anything like this?

 

i have a f250 super cab 8 ft bed...i do no towing so im very pleased with it...i recentley put on aflowmaster cat back exhaust...im please with the sound but it is a little to quite for me...im yound so i like loud...as far a power...its n v10 but it does fine for me...as far as the warrnaty and the chip...go here http://www.superchips.com/faq.phtml the dealer cannot void the warranty because of it...i thinnk they can only void it if they can prove without a shadow of a doudt that it was the cause of it and they can only void that particualr part not the entire warranty on the truck...as far a gas mileage...stay outta the gas and you should be around 13 mpg's unloaded...none super duty will get any better unless you have diesel...these truck weigh way to much...the weight difference between the 150 and 250 is a large jump for the same engine...its going to feel sluggish compared to the 150 but it looks better ...o well just wanted to make your bro feel better...try a cat back. intake and superchip and you may get an additional 35-45 hp and also more torque...since torque is what really matters...

 

Sounds par for the course to me. You do know the 250 weighs about 3000 lbs more than the 150? That's like towing a moderately loaded trailer behind that 150 all the time! Personnally, I don't think the 5.4 should even be offered in the SD because of the truck's weight.

 

Everyone thinks a 300 hp motor will make anything really move. Thats not always the case. It depends a lot of stuff - the gear ratios, transmission type, vehicle weight (power to weight ratio), hp/torque curve, etc. I really think the big problem with these SD is that the 5-speed auto keeps gearing too high too quick (set more for fuel economy rather than performance) - they dont want to down-shift unless you stomp on the gas. For this reason, try the tow/haul mode to see if it is better.

These 5.4L SD has a towing capacity around 10,000 lbs + around 6,000 lbs vehicle weight = 16,000 lbs for a 300 hp motor...not a good power to weight ratio at all. The motor can handle it but it will be slooooooooow.

 

i think this is a great truck...just not for towing...i do no towing so its great for me...if i was to tow i would probably get a v10...if i owned a contruction company towing excavators and heavy heavy equipment i would go diesel...if i had a boat i think i would do just fine...i dont get it...this engine is just what it is...a SMALL BLOCK V8...i think some people are just wanted it to be something itll never be...once i get a chip and intake it should be better...good luck and keep us posted!!! o yeah get ahold of troyer performance and have them custom tune you a superchip

one more thing if this 5.4 was such a bad engine they would have stopped putting it in the SD's along time ago...its been in it since i think 99..so that going on 8 years...not to bad

 

He might be able to get a lower gear for the axles, maybe 4.56 or something. That should make a significant improvement in power. If he can afford to trade, or buy another, the V10 is only a $600 option and has significantly more power and get roughly the same mileage.

 

Sounds like he has the 3.73s...
I agree w/Ace. Gear swap or move up to the V10.

I still like my 5.4l though...

 

My 5.4l has been great .

 

I felt the same way. Put a magnaflow exhaust and intake on which created minimal gains. Then got custom tunes from Troyer Performance. Have not towed with them yet but they created the biggest improvement. Truck almost feels like a F150 power wise now. Next step is either 4.30 or 4.56 gears. This will cost the most money but will create the best feel!

 

You guys are definately making a lot of sense and thanks for the responses. I will share them with him and let him make a decision as he is truly unhappy. Don't get me wrong, he loves the truck but feels it just doesn't have the snap it should. I didn't realize it was so much heavier than the 150. WOW! We did check his window sticker and he has the 4:10 gears so other gears may help as mentioned. I'll keep you guys posted.

He did tell me that he stopped by the dealer again yesterday to share his disatisfaction and they are looking at possibly putting a chip in for him. I didn't ask him if he will have to pay for it or if Ford will cover it for him. Maybe he'll get lucky.

 

Mileage wise, my 2004 F-250 RWD, 5.4L Crew Cab short bed automatic gets 12.6 MPG. That's all the miles divided by all the gas for 44,000 miles, mostly city driving. Best was 19MPG pure highway, worst was 9MPG during a sub-zero Michigan January winter storm. My previous 4.6L F-150 Supercab long bed was about 13.8 MPG average under the same conditions. I would catagorize myself as a moderately aggressive driver.

I agree with the above comments, this is a big, heavy truck and will not perform like a sports car with a stock 5.4L. I find the performance adequate for 99% of my driving, there are few opportunities to use more power if I had it.

 

I think you hit the nail on the head .

 

Just got off the phone with my brother and his wife took his truck to the dealer either Friday or Saturday and they put a super chip in it. He tells me he can set it on 87 octane, towing, performance and some other settings. He is extremely happy with it and says it is like driving a totally different truck. He feels he doesn't have to feed it near as much gas and that it actually "moves out" of it's own way now. He towed his camper as well this weekend and he states it put a smile on his face. Didn't talk gas mileage at all but he's wondering if he'll get better mileage as he doesn't have to put his foot into it near as much. I told him I didn't think better gas mileage and more power could be used in the same sentence but maybe he'll get lucky. He's still not sure if the dealer is paying for the chip or if he will be getting a bill but all I know is that he sounded pretty happy on the phone.

 

The dealer put a aftermarket chip in it? Does the dealer honor the warranty if it goes south?

Hootbro

 

He didn't mention anything about the warranty being void but then again he has "connections" with several employees at this dealer so my guess is that the dealer will stand for it should things go downhill. So you think this is an aftermarket chip and not a Ford product?