F450 Road Trip
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More Turbo
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 643
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From: Poway, CA
F450 Road Trip
My wife and I are taking our 3 year old grandson on a road trip, probably 1800 miles round trip from San Diego to Bandon, Oregon where we have rented a beach house for a week in mid July. We will be picking up my parents about three hours shy of our final destination to join us. That means we will need four seats for adults, plus a car seat, and room for all of our stuff. I guess the C8 is out. I have a couple Audis, a Q5 and A4, but neither of those will work. So that leaves me with my F450. We will have at least one eight hour driving day in each direction. Is this going to be brutal? I'm not one of those guys that finds the F450 ride unbearable, but it certainly wouldn't be my first choice for long driving days without a trailer behind me. I'm sure plenty of you have done it. How was the experience?
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 1,493
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From: SE Iowa
I've daily driven my stock F450 for 76,000 miles now. Two big trips over 3500 miles each empty. My wife and kids prefer the F450 over the wife's CRV for long trips. It can be bumpy at times, but smooth overall. The extra room more than makes up for the occasional rough road.
Lead Driver
Joined: Feb 2022
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Reduce the air pressure to the minimum the tires can handle since you aren't towing anything, the ride will be a little softer, OR, find about a ton of junk to put in the bed. The room will be quite noticeable in the 450 and being quiet too. Overall I doubt anyone will complain about the ride once on the highways.
Mountain Pass
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 235
Likes: 84
From: West TN
A few weeks ago we took our '17 F450 8 hours to the coast to buy a boat, didn't like some things that were undisclosed on it, and left for home within a half hour. We had been on a few 2-3 hour trips since we bought it as a truck&camper combo but that was the first time I've driven it that long in one sitting. It's a KR so the massage seats are great for my lower back pain, and there's so much room to readjust and sprawl out. Ours has aftermarket shocks, airbags, 35" tires and other options the PO added for use with the slide in camper so I can't compare the ride to a stock. I've made 12hr+ trips multiple times in our 16 VW Jetta, 17 Denali Canyon, 01 F250 ecsb and 96 F350 cclb and the F450 was by far my favorite overall.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 1,493
Likes: 346
From: SE Iowa
Anyone that survived the days of the 80s and 90s F250 and F350, knows that the F450 is an amazingly comfortable ride! That's why my family prefers taking the F450! They suffered the long trips in my old '96 F250.
Mountain Pass
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 235
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From: West TN
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Reduce the air pressure to the minimum the tires can handle since you aren't towing anything, the ride will be a little softer, OR, find about a ton of junk to put in the bed. The room will be quite noticeable in the 450 and being quiet too. Overall I doubt anyone will complain about the ride once on the highways.
I'm not saying don't do it, just be aware of the possibilities.
FWIW, my FIL had a '19 F450, and frankly it rode as smooth as any F350 I've ever been in with the tires at recommended pressures and nothing in the box. It was an XL, too, so pretty stripped down, just the STX package, so not much in the way of extras to weigh it down.
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Thread Starter
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More Turbo
Joined: May 2014
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From: Poway, CA
Thanks for the input, I'm feeling confident that everyone will be comfortable. There his no doubt that the extra room in the interior is a huge bonus. My two previous F250s, a 2005 and 2019 were definitely my families favorite road trip vehicles. We traveled tens of thousands of miles in those trucks, but we were usually towing a trailer. I've only had the F450 for a few months and all the driving has been local, usually with a 17K trailer hooked up. When unloaded, I find the ride noticeably stiffer, but not punishing. Much of the freeway system in San Diego is concrete, which tends to produce a pretty harsh ride. Once we get north of LA, it should be fairly smooth sailing on asphalt.
Hotshot
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 14,266
Likes: 2,187
Just came back from a 2200 mile round trip from nyc to Florida
f-450 crew cab with 37’s on 22.5’s, fox 2.5’s in all corners, sulastic hd versions installed, 1000lb summo springs in the front and 2800lb summo springs at the rear.
drove like a Cadillac.
only problem was a handful of turbo below efficiency, egr below threshold, and a few other air flow problems . Ford wanted two months for the first avail appt no matter which dealership I called.
started throwing parts at it and it turned out to be a 100 dollar sensor.
so bring a good tool box. My ford extended warranty and my vehicle insurance provided mechanical break down coverage wasn’t worth the paper they were written on.
enjoy your trip.
f-450 crew cab with 37’s on 22.5’s, fox 2.5’s in all corners, sulastic hd versions installed, 1000lb summo springs in the front and 2800lb summo springs at the rear.
drove like a Cadillac.
only problem was a handful of turbo below efficiency, egr below threshold, and a few other air flow problems . Ford wanted two months for the first avail appt no matter which dealership I called.
started throwing parts at it and it turned out to be a 100 dollar sensor.
so bring a good tool box. My ford extended warranty and my vehicle insurance provided mechanical break down coverage wasn’t worth the paper they were written on.
enjoy your trip.
Lead Driver
Joined: Feb 2022
Posts: 7,968
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I have heard (though I cannot confirm) that lowering the air pressure on retreadable tires (which the F450 has) to the minimum is actually not a good idea. It may not be an issue on one that hasn't been retreaded, but running lower pressures creates more sidewall flex while rolling, which increases heat in the tire. These higher temperatures can break down the glue that holds the tread on, leading to tread separation. If not caught in time, this can lead to vehicle damage AND a projectile coming off your truck while going down the highway.
I'm not saying don't do it, just be aware of the possibilities.
FWIW, my FIL had a '19 F450, and frankly it rode as smooth as any F350 I've ever been in with the tires at recommended pressures and nothing in the box. It was an XL, too, so pretty stripped down, just the STX package, so not much in the way of extras to weigh it down.
I'm not saying don't do it, just be aware of the possibilities.
FWIW, my FIL had a '19 F450, and frankly it rode as smooth as any F350 I've ever been in with the tires at recommended pressures and nothing in the box. It was an XL, too, so pretty stripped down, just the STX package, so not much in the way of extras to weigh it down.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 1,203
Likes: 512
I didn't see enough ride improvement lowering my tires to 70psi to make it worth the trouble. Sulastic spring shackles for the rear and Fox shocks on mine and the ride is pretty good for what the truck is. Taken it on several extended road trips empty. GF thought it was a comfortable vehicle to ride in.
Lead Driver
Joined: Feb 2022
Posts: 7,968
Likes: 4,043
You might think differently if you traveled the same roads I do @ 60 MPH. It helped soften the harshness of one section that is so rough the rear dances. Nothing can soften the ride on the road I live off of, it is BAD! There is one section that people drive to the left of the road to avoid it. It will cause death wobble.