Long story short, I'm an SUV guy, or was. Two Tahoes and Escalade, great rides. We are buying Airstream camper (7,000 lbs with 950 lb hitch weight) and feel the new SUV's on market are, well, marketed, to soccer moms and Costco shopping. Can't believe how low payload is. 2500 Suburban will be fleet sales only for 2016. So I was forced to look at trucks. Only one caught my eye.

Reading here and online this past two weeks. Rode by a few dealers window shopping. Went hour up the road to Charlotte,NC today to large volume dealer and spent three hours, test drove 350 XL, spoke with and got quotes from parts and service about installing some chrome on the XL. Might just spring for Lariat. But the simpler is better mindset makes me want to avoid the fancy computers and LCD screens. I've got some random questions if anyone has the time to guide me in the right direction.


Main question...

Is buying a XL with vinyl seats and adding chrome grill insert, chrome side steps, fog lights, and custom wheels and tires a dumb move? Compared to buying Lariat. Looks like $4-4.5k will get above Ford add ons and nice wheels and tires from tire rack. XL msrp was $50k and loaded (to me) LARIAT was $65k. So saving me $10k to buy XL and upgrade the things I mention with other $5k. Plan to keep Truck a long time. Don't want fancy gadgets failing over time. I can't afford to fix.


Would appreciate (greatly) any opinions....

What size garage height will 250 or 350 fit in? If you park in garage, just wondering if you know height of either truck, or your garage. Mine is 7' tall, but need to measure more carefully. Just not sure how tall trucks are. Could tell 350 was 1–2" taller. Both had same 20" wheels. Which matters.

If ordering custom wheels, would 20x9" or 20x10" fit stock height? Buying off road/highway tire and if buying new wheels anyway might get a hair wider. Will be mostly on highway, but off-road, beach, etc at times too.

Is Goodyear Duratrac or Toyo Open Country good tires? A suitable 80% highway and 20% off-road tire? Suitable towing 7000 lb camper?

Anyone familiar with Titan 50 gallon replacement tank. Or the Titan 30 gallon spare tire area auxillary tank? With both, assuming they can work in unison, would have 80 gallons. Just not sure about quality of this tank. All this is new to me.

Anyone familiar with ARE Z caps? Want to add one for our german shepherd as cab will be pretty full with wife and two kids. Any idea what they cost, roughly? Good quality caps?

What options should I get on truck? Meaning any 'must have' options? Not sure about what rear diff ratio. Not sure about reason for heavy duty front suspension option. Salesman couldn't answer today.

Why is a 10,000 lb load rating available for free, as opposed to 11,400? Is it solely for added registration cost in certain states? Commercial tags required at a certain tow rating? He couldn't answer that either.

Lastly, the salesman said oil changes were every 7500 miles, and every 10000 if using synthetic. Is that true? Sounds pretty long between oil change, but I know nothing about diesels. Just curious what you guys thought. Sounds like oil changes are more costly. Read $200?? What does it cost and how often should I change oil?



Thanks for any insights.


Dan
NC

 

Oil changes are set by the computer depending upon duty cycle.


Some, like me run a 5K oil change cycle. I change fuel filters at 15K unless a lot of cross country running. Then a little sooner.


With any modern diesel, water in the fuel is a enemy so proper maint. is key.


As for trim level I would opt for the lariat. My thoughts are right now you are just planning some short runs. Eventually you may want to travel longer distances. More seat time. So having some comforts like the seats and some of the other gadgets are worth it.

 

i love my 2012 350 xl.

however, when looking for another new truck this past spring however looking at a ford xlt and the new chevys i bought the chevy. all vinyl interior, but still has a gorgeous chrome grill. i know this is a ford truck site, and i still love my ford, but the GMs have more to offer in the looks department and the chevy wt (comparable to the ford xl) has even more interior options than the ford xlt.

 

I own a 2015 F350 LB SRW 4x4 Lariat. If you plan on keeping the truck, I would spring for the Lariat since it already has what you want to add to the XL. In addition, you can add other option packages like the Chrome Package, Ultimate Package, FX4, etc. in the long run you will thank your self. Yes, it's more upfront but wishing you would have later on will keep you loving your truck. I park my truck in my garage. My garage door opening is 84" tall. I have about 1/2" clearance on top. I also have the 20" wheels on my truck. You can probably get a 2015 the way you want for a good deal right now, since the 2016's are out. After owning both Chevy and Ram The Lariat seats are a lot more comfortable on long trips. You will also like the folding / telescoping tow mirrors on the Lariat. In the end, you will have to make the descision.

 

Get a Lariat. I'm finding them for $10K+ off sticker on cars.com. Get a 2015 and save $$. It's going to depreciate more once 2017 redesign hit the lots.

I was looking at around $52K for a loaded F-350 6.7 CCSB FX4.

 

i'll try to help a little if i can. just bought an xl 350 dually last week in cary(raleigh). they have some that a leasing company ordered but didnt take delivery of all of them. have them reduced about $8800. but these are duallys.
you didnt say which cab (reg/super/crew) you wanted or which bed 6.5 or 8' bed. youre asking about payload and vehicle height. go here 2015 Ford Super Duty Truck | Power Stroke & King Ranch | Ford.com and near top click on tabs for features/specs/models etc. will give you payload specs and width/height etc for each cab and bed configurations. you say you want to keep it a while. is there a chance you will upgrade trailers in size or weight while you plan to keep this truck. if so consider a dually. dont fear driving a dually because of the rear fenders. if you dont break the mirrors off, you wont break the fenders off. and in my opinion the 8' bed(longer wheel base) is more stable towing than the shorter wheelbase (6.5' bed).

as for the addons you mention, it sounds like youre more wanting an xlt than and xl but research the difference on webpage referenced above. the xl grill seems to be a one piece black plastice grill. dont know if you can get a 'grill insert' without buying an entire grill that i've been told are very expensive. adding foglights, the xl wont have the headlight switch compatible with adding on foglights but im sure it can be done. as for tires and wheels, id rather have the 18"(l7" on dually) for towing and hauling rather than 20s but thats just my opinion. others can be better judges on tires.

dumb move for addons, no. if you get what you NEED and what you WANT, and the numbers look right to you, do it.

for towing, do decide which rear axle ratio you want. for towing, get 3.73 or 4.10. diesel or gas you'll want these ratios for towing. at $50,000 for an xl, im sure you were looking at diesel. 3.73 should be fine for towing with the diesel even in mountainous terrain.

as for must have options: the xl has 'power equipment group' option that gives you power windows, locks etc. see above webpage. decor group gives chrome bumpers etc. xl value package gives cruise control, am/fm/cd/ steering wheel controls and sync' for hands free phone.

and dont put to much faith in answers to questions of a sales person. most of them dont know very much about the 'specifics' of vehicles, especially heavy duty pickups.

one last note: i added remote start in my deal which xl doesnt have. hasnt been installed yet but looking forward to it. if you add remote start, DEMAND ford oem parts. i had addon aftermarket remote start on a 2010 dually and it would kill the battery after sitting for a few days. removed remote start and problem cured!

 

Is buying a XL with vinyl seats and adding chrome grill insert, chrome side steps, fog lights, and custom wheels and tires a dumb move? Compared to buying Lariat. Looks like $4-4.5k will get above Ford add ons and nice wheels and tires from tire rack. XL msrp was $50k and loaded (to me) LARIAT was $65k. So saving me $10k to buy XL and upgrade the things I mention with other $5k. Plan to keep Truck a long time. Don't want fancy gadgets failing over time. I can't afford to fix.

I was in the same dilemma when I bought. I went with XLT to get the good looking bits but spared myself the lariat expense, as that was going to put me over what I deemed comfortable for my budget

Would appreciate (greatly) any opinions....

What size garage height will 250 or 350 fit in? If you park in garage, just wondering if you know height of either truck, or your garage. Mine is 7' tall, but need to measure more carefully. Just not sure how tall trucks are. Could tell 350 was 1–2" taller. Both had same 20" wheels. Which matters.

My 350 srw w/18" wheels will squeeze into my garage with a 7'door. Have not tried since putting bigger tires on, since it's too long to close the door anyway.
If ordering custom wheels, would 20x9" or 20x10" fit stock height? Buying off road/highway tire and if buying new wheels anyway might get a hair wider. Will be mostly on highway, but off-road, beach, etc at times too.

Going to depend mostly on tire size. Back spacing on the wheels may come into play if you push the limits of tire size.

Is Goodyear Duratrac or Toyo Open Country good tires? A suitable 80% highway and 20% off-road tire? Suitable towing 7000 lb camper?

Both get good reviews on here.
Anyone familiar with Titan 50 gallon replacement tank. Or the Titan 30 gallon spare tire area auxillary tank? With both, assuming they can work in unison, would have 80 gallons. Just not sure about quality of this tank. All this is new to me.

Some body will chime in that has used them. I can't remember if it was titan our transfer flow you have to follow the instructions carefully for to prevent leaks and water intrusion. I would like to see a review of the 30 gallon tank if you go that route.
Anyone familiar with ARE Z caps? Want to add one for our german shepherd as cab will be pretty full with wife and two kids. Any idea what they cost, roughly? Good quality caps?

I've never used a topper.
What options should I get on truck? Meaning any 'must have' options? Not sure about what rear diff ratio. Not sure about reason for heavy duty front suspension option. Salesman couldn't answer today.

Either diff ratio will be fine. If you regularly do highway empty go for the 3.31. The heavy duty suspension is if you plan on adding a lot of weight upfitting your truck.
Why is a 10,000 lb load rating available for free, as opposed to 11,400? Is it solely for added registration cost in certain states? Commercial tags required at a certain tow rating? He couldn't answer that either.

Correct sir.

Lastly, the salesman said oil changes were every 7500 miles, and every 10000 if using synthetic. Is that true? Sounds pretty long between oil change, but I know nothing about diesels. Just curious what you guys thought. Sounds like oil changes are more costly. Read $200?? What does it cost and how often should I change oil?

The truck will pop up a reminder message when the oil change is due (approximately 7500 miles). It also does not care/change the interval if you use synthetic

 

Look around and check the dealer for rebates. I bought a 15 platinum back in December. Sticker was basically 68k. With incentives and dealer discounts it was at 58k. Fully loaded truck for only 8 k more than the xl you have been looking at. Might get a lariat for better money than you think.

 

apologies dan, i gave you webpage for 2015. specs etc should be same but heres page for 2016. 2016 Ford Super Duty Truck | Powerful, Efficient & Productive | Ford.com

as we have said already, the 2015's should be priced better now than the 2016's.

 

Dayum


You guys are awesome. Can't thank you enough for the quick replies. My knowledge, limited as it is, of trucks just doubled. Sure do appreciate it.


Wasn't clear earlier. Sorry. Looking to buy 250 or 350, unsure which. 6.7 diesel. Four door super crew cab with short bed.


Heavy duty alternator or dual alternators? I got nothing. Just noticed today the trucks have two batteries, which I like. Plan on some remote camping.

As for XL, XLT, Lariat, I wanted the XLT middle of road but it only comes in cloth. I thought the vinyl would hold up better over time. Same mindset wants me to avoid touchscreen screens, computers, and the space shuttle dash of Lariat and up trim. No way this ipad will work in 10-15 years. Doubt Ford made a higher quality touchscreen. I see failure all over the space shuttle.

But I admit, it was impressive. But when I say I plan on keeping truck a long time, I mean till my kids are off to college, working, jail, whatever. Lots of weekend Airstream, tent camping, rafting and flyfishing with our flatbed raft trailer, surf fishing and driving on beach of NC Outer Banks, etc. Truck needs to last till kids are gone. They are 8 months and 2 years old now.

Long time. That has me thinking about simple interior with vinyl. Could change my mind tomorow. I'm more excited about a 80 gallon tank. Oh, where that could take me. Far from here. Far.


Good time to ask...

Vinyl hold up well? I just assumed it would.


Dan

 

Think long and hard about the small oem fuel tank that is the only option in the short beds. It is close to $1k to add aftermarket solution that may eat a lot of your bed space.

 

I'd go with the cloth. My '11 XLT has 191,000 miles and the seats still look new. Steering wheel on the other hand looks like crap but that's easy to cover up with a nice leather cover.

Sounds like you want the XLT. Get a F-350 XLT w/ clearance lights, steering wheel controls, power seat/pedals, FX4 Off Road, and a backup camera. Also make sure you get the keypad on driver's door. It's a lifesaver when camping, love just keeping the keys locked in the truck or keep an extra set of camper keys in there. Never have to keep the truck key on you to get in the cab.

 

I definitely agree about the fuel tank. Seriously consider a long bed for the larger tank. I have dual alternators on my '11. If you plan on keeping the truck a long time, get more truck than you need at the moment. You may want to upgrade trailers.

Last but not least, purchase a Ford ESP. You don't have to do that right away; but do it before your factory warranty expires. You do NOT have to purchase it from the dealer where you buy the truck. I purchased mine from an out of state dealer.

 

Thanks guys. Appreciate the input.

The 50 gallon Titan tank replaces stock tank, not a bed tank. The Titan 30 gallon goes in spare tire compartment. So 80 gallons and all bed space intact. Minus my spare tire of course which would be relocated. German shepherd can share space under the ARE Z cap with the tire. The hard part will be the $3k worth of aftermarket gas tanks. But something about it appeals to me. My wanderlust.


Dan

 

The Titan tank must be installed precisely according to the instructions with extra care at the seam where the fuel pickup/sender unit mounts. This is where water can leak into the tank. Folks say that if it's done well it is fine but if it's done poorly the design will allow water contamination which can lead to a very expensive repair/replacement of the entire fuel system.

Get the xlt, cloth seats are fine but really it doesn't matter, seat covers will allow you to keep the interior fresh for as long as you own the truck. I've used custom fit sheepskin covers in all my vehicles except this truck I have now and I miss them terribly. I can't use them with my heated/cooled seats but you could. They're surprisingly cool and comfy in summer and very nice in the winter. I know it sounds crazy but honestly, they're great year round.

You do want the keypad on the driver door, it's a must have.

F350 single rear wheel is the best value in the truck line if you don't want a dually.

Aftermarket wheels are not necessary? I dunno why you need these but don't want a lariat? $4,000 for wheels and tires on a new truck doesn't make sense to me....

You do want driving/fog lights.

You do want 4x4

For a long term ownership experience I don't know why anyone wouldn't get the nav/touchscreen. I know it's expensive but I spend nearly 40hrs/week in my truck and it's definitely a must have. It's all well made and I'm confident it will last 10 years. Every one I've had has been "like new" at the 5 year 250,000 mile mark.

The "bedrug " is a great product.

Good luck, if you're ever down in greenwood let me know, Ballentine ford will treat you right. I know them all well and I would be happy to check their inventory for you.