hey there everyone new guy to the site here so im just gonna jump right in. i recently bought a 2010 f-150 lariat from a dealer here in new orleans. right out the gate i put a k and n cold air intake on it thinking maybe it will give some help in the throttle lag im experiencing. well i read a few threads on here about the issue and think i may have wasted my money with the k and n but oh well i got it now so im keeping it. my problem is it seems that the truck is flexing in its calculations of my miles till empty and mpg display on the dash and i think i may be using more fuel even though my mpg has gone up since instillation. im not really super educated on truck modifications or anything just figured this would be a quick slap on no problems piece. from what im hearing i may need a tuner so the truck can refigure the afr its getting now but i have no clue any help would be appreciated before i start messing with anything else. thanks a bunch

 

Hi,
I'm a "new guy" too! To this Forum, and to an F-150. I owned a Ranger back in 85, but I burned out the clutch in it and got rid of it.
I've owned (all "new") a GMC Sierra, A Toyota Tacoma, A Chevy Silverado, in my past. I have opinions, but I'll not express them unless asked.
As for the fuel gauge......I have noted a couple of online comments, during a search for "issues" related to the F-150, in which the posters were saying that when they park on a hill, the gas gauge seems to not read correctly. (Apparently, a float gauge issue?).
I was set to buy a 2007 Lariat (which is weird for me, since I always buy new; now I was trading DOWN). but when I went back to the Dealer, they didn't have the one I was looking at. They had a couple of others, but I thought they were too worn out.
Ended up choosing a 2009, SuperCab with 40K on the odometer, in basically great condition. It has a few minor issues that I am getting addressed, but overall, well worth it!
Today I'm trying to figure out how to hold UP the rear bench seat (the bigger bench). Seems it won't STAY up on it's own.
-Soupy1957 (CT)

 

Well gentlemen, please allow me to welcome you to our site. I don't have answers for you but we have a myriad of talented and well informed members that I'm certain will assist you in your queries.

Congrats on your purchases and may they serve you well.

 

Welcome and congrats... As for the throttle lag, it could very well simply be the drive by wire system on these newer trucks. It takes some time to get used to, and if the previous owner drove like Grandma, the adaptive strategy shifting may not be used to your driving style. Keep driving like you normally would and it should "learn" your style.
I am not an advocate of the cold air intakes on these newer trucks, as you simply won't gain anything without a tuner/supercharger, etc in addition to the CAI. The stock system really flows very well, as does the stock exhaust. The cast iron manifolds are reminiscent of the old Hi-po manifolds, which act like shorty headers, without the leak issues.

 

yeah you lost me adaptive strategy shifting drive by wire? why do these trucks have to be so smart? anyway to add to my confusion i was on empty this morning put 20 bucks of supreme in it pretty much for s***s and giggles opposed to the 87 ive been putting in since i bought it my miles till empty read 167 i zeroed out my tach drove 22 miles and miles till empty said exact same and its been spot on all day. im so confused

 

LOL... The adaptive shifting strategy adjusts the transmission shift points (and supposedly some other parameters) to your driving style to optimize efficiency and or performance. Drive by wire uses an electric motor on the throttle, connected to the gas pedal. It is supposed to do away with minor throttle variations caused by road bumps, etc, making your foot hit the pedal, and giving a quick shot of fuel/acceleration. It is supposed to improve mileage by keeping throttle input more steady. It is known to cause a bit of a delay between when you press the gas and when the truck decides to actually accelerate. Programmers are supposed to mitigate this delay a bit, and the adaptive strategy system, I believe, can learn to accelerate quicker if you consistently are lead footed.
Hope this helps, and I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong on any points.

 

Read and re-read the owners manual on the Lie-O-Meter. That may help u understand it. Everyone I've talked to that has that feature says it's a little difficult to use until u get used to it. Possibly u missed a step and it's frozen in place until that step is carried out. I can't say for sure as I have an XLT and hand calculate mileage. That being said, it's possible that the K&N is affecting things. I bought and installed an SCTx3 with custom tunes and the throttle lag has been eliminated and the trans shifts much better as well.

 

By lie-o-meter, he means the mileage calculator. It is notoriously incorrect.

 

Alright now im catching on so much for a simple installation. I guess ill just keep an eye on everything and see how it adapts. I actually contacted k and n and they told me to reset all my dash displays and it may work itself out without the need for a tuner. Do i believe that.........probably not but its worth a try and im gonna check out my manual on that lie o meter haha i may just wind up taking it off till my warranty with ford is up. Apparently they prefer to leave the truck stock until the warranty is up which is oh only another
80000miles what a bummer so much for exhaust and tuners guess im stuck with a slow 5.4 thanks anyway for the help and advice guys.

 

I never really trust my miles til empty. That is the one thing I do not like about mine. On mine I look at the trip meter that tells me how many gallons of gas I have used and go off that knowing how many I have left and what kind of driving I will do.

I made a 4000 mile trip to alaska and reset everything before I left and it seemed the miles til empty did work pretty good. I never trusted it if towns were far apart but it was close.

 

I use the miles to E count down, too. I have noticed that when it gets down under 100 miles left, it starts to become a bit erratic, going several miles for one mile to count down. I usually do not let it get down that low, but when I do, I am weary of how far I actually have left to go.

 

Congrats to the both of you.

As far as the K&N filter goes...I would use the stock filter instead. Those K&N filters let way too much dirt in your motor just to have it breath a fraction better...not to mention if you do not spray the oil on it lighty and correctly it can restrict airflow.

 

Agreed... They worked ok on older motors with restrictive intake systems, but they don't add much, other than hassle and dirt, to newer motors.

 

Fortunately, I have an analog gas gauge on my dash as well, so that I don't have to depend only on the "Miles To Empty" (MTE) feature.

I CAN say that I have used the "MTE" gauge on other vehicles (Subaru, Hyundai) and they seem to be somewhat accurate. I've never attempted to run the vehicle to "0" to find out what would happen, but as in years past, I assume it true on new vehicles as well, that there is a 1 or 2 gallon "reserve" built into the gas tank design.

Recently I was watching a video about the Dearborne plant, and within that video about the F-150 assembly line, they show the gas tank being put into the frame structure (near the beginning of the video). The tank's shape seems to imply that reserve, at one end of the tank.

Take a look and tell me if you agree:


The gas tank install itself, shows up at approx. "8:20" in the video.

Of course, with a 1 or two gallon "reserve" in an F-150, you're probably not gonna have more than about 10 miles worth of travel before you are "dead in the water."

-Soupy1957

 

Welcome to FTE and congratulations on the new ride.