Well it's safe to say that my diesel experiment is over. I purchased a "6 point uh oh" about 5 months ago (04 F250 King Ranch) and about a month into owning it, the downward spiral of issues was continuous. I honestly had more hours wrenching than I did driving after that. My frustration grew and my wife had it with the truck. The straw that broke the camels back was a leaking head gasket. It was time to trade it off.

Now, I loved my 6.0 when it was running right. And I absolutely love the Super Duty trucks. So I didn't want to go with any other brand. I also needed a truck that I could throw my 1986 10' Shelton Vacationeer overhead camper in and tow my 14' flatbed trailer with Arctic Cat Prowler and quad without being too underpowered (check the 5.4 off that list). So I started shopping for a 05 or newer V10. Lemme say that, in this area, finding a long box V10 is darn't near impossible. But after a month of searching dealership listings daily, I found one at our local Lithia Ford dealership that had just been traded in. No pics were available so I contacted a salesman and had him text me as many as he could. The truck had just got out of the service department and was waiting to be detailed.

Long story short, I traded in my diesel and picked it up. It's an 06 F250 crew cab (Oxford White) with 121k. Truck is immaculate! No 5th wheel hitch, which is a good sign it wasn't too overworked and the factory tow package doesn't show any signs of ever having been used.

As for the V10, I love the power. It has way faster response off the bottom and seems to get up and go just fine. Not a fan of the V6-like exhaust tone, but I'm sure a new exhaust will cure that. Also love being back to paying for regular gas to fill up, so in my mind, the less-than-stellar economy of the truck is a wash. Dealership provided a copy of their service invoice which showed a new alternator, serpentine belt, axle seals, front and rear diffs serviced and oil change. From what I've read, the spark plugs are really the only issue with this motor. Without knowing when they were last changed (if ever) I'm wondering if I should jump in there and change them out.

Anyway, I'm excited to be part of the V10 community and look forward to learning more about this 6.8L.

 

It will always sound like a V6 on steroids no matter what exhaust you use. The tow/haul is great. Loved it on my 05. For the money, the tuner is the way to go on the 05's and up. Congrats on the new ride.

 

"It will always sound like a v6 on steroids no matter what exhaust you use."

Well now, that's kinda disappointing. lol. Was hoping to find an exhaust that provided a bit more rumble at idle, roar at high rpm yet still quiet enough at cruising speed. Oh well.

Which tuner do you recommend for an 06? I've read that Mikes 5 Star SCT tunes are pretty good. Dunno that I wan't to venture into a tuner yet. Just enjoying the truck as is at the moment. Also curious if the overload leaf spring will be enough to support my camper or if I'll need to ditch it for some air bags. My 04 Powerstroke F250 didn't have the overload spring and I had to install some AirLift 5k lb air bags so that the *** didn't sag so much.

 

New V10 owner here also. I bought a 2005 in January. I too wasn't to worried about a tuner, but the best thing I can tell you is what I was told that made me go ahead and get mine tuned, "my only regret is I didn't get it done sooner".

As for the V6 sound, it will never sound like a V8. I have stacks with no muffler and it really sounds most like a 12-valve Cummins, but over 2500rpm's it is like nothing but a 10cyl!

 

Welcome aboard!

Finding 05 and newer V10 are extremely rare in my neck of the woods. You did well!