Every so often folks comment on the first impression of their new SD. So, this is another one. So far so good. The new truck's main purpose in life is to tow our fifth wheel but on occasion it will do a solo road trip. I don't drive it much at home so getting that first 1K miles on it so we can tow might take a while. I looked at a map to places we hadn't been and saw Springfield, Il was 494 miles from our house. We had been thru it many times going to Chicago to see the SIL when she lived there but had never stopped to see the Lincoln things. Very impressive I might add. Up and back, 1k miles done.

On the trip up it showed 23.0 mpg on the trip meter. On the trip back it was 22.4 with a little headwind. No, I didn't check it by hand calculation and won't. The DEF gauge hardly moved. I was impressed by how quiet it was. I thought our 2020 Platinum F350 was quiet but this one is even quieter. No squeaks or rattles, just nice and quiet. It's even quieter than the wife's Subaru Ascent. I thought those Bridgestone tires would be noisy and not handle well but I was wrong. I had thought about changing them out but now I think I'll keep them. They also tracked well. The ride was decent for a big truck. I had lowered the psi on the rear to 70 but still on a few occasions you knew it was a truck. One stretch of road in St. Louis made it a little uncomfortable but that was the exception. I had a little trouble getting used to the new dash and controls vs our 2020 but had it mastered by the time we got home. I did find using the lane centering can be a pain as it kept telling me to keep my hands on the wheel even when they were. I thought maybe the seats might not be comfortable but they were good for 8 hours each way. I think they are exactly the same as the ones in our 2020 only without the massage feature. I know now the trims above Lariat get a different seat from the ones our 2020 had but I'm fine with the ones in our Lariat.

The only issue was while we were in Springfield I got a check engine light. The FordPass app notified me but didn't tell me what it was for. I was hopeful it was nothing and after a few restarts it cleared and never came back. I'm hoping it was just something minor and random with the emissions. Something to watch.

So far it's a keeper.

 

Congrats, Now it is time to tow. Of course you know when towing it will eat the DEF at a higher rate.

 

I had to double check that I didn't write this post at some point in the past. We also have ours to tow our 5th wheel, and our other car is a Subaru Ascent. I like taking the truck on long trips.

I agree that it's quieter than the Ascent and gets around the same fuel mileage depending on conditions. I do find the simulated gear shifting on the Ascent really annoying. I find it hilarious and annoying that my truck, with gears, shifts smoother than my Ascent, which has no gears.

I do lower my PSI down to ~55 if I know I'm not going to be towing for a while. Makes a huge difference.

 

Yeah, you might be disappointed if you did. On both my 2017 6.7L and my 2022 7.3L, I've found the calculated MPG is consistently 90% of what the LOM (Lie-O-Meter) displays.

 

If a person isn't hand calculating atleast 3-5 tanks continuously and these tanks need to be more than half empty than the mpg is nothing more than a one time hit. Atleast with multiple tanks you get a better truck average.

This isn't taking into account if it towing flat land or mountain terrain, city traffic or highway cruising.

Just my take on it to get a "more" true average. If that's what you're after anyways. 😉

 

I'm sure you're probably right but empty mileage isn't that important to me which is why I won't bother checking it the old fashioned way. I also won't verify the towing mileage because ignorance is bliss. I got it to do a job and it is what it is. I do know that having the 48 gallon tank is really nice. At one point on the trip when I filled up it showed 999 miles to empty and stayed that way for probably a hundred miles.

 

FWIW, my comment was based on over 30 consecutive tank fills on each truck. I'm kinda' **** retentive tracking some things.

 

Quite a contrast between the Subbie and the Ford but I like driving my truck better. Does lowering the PSI to 55 cause the tire pressure monitor to squeal?

 

I'm the same except I do it yearly for ever drop that goes in the truck. Averaging 45-50k miles yearly.

 

Yep. At work I drive a 21 PSD sometimes, it usually ends up being 2-3mpg lower than the LieOMeter when you hand calculate.

My 7.3's meter is usually optimistic by about 1-2mpg

But these things are quiet though, that's for sure. With the tire air pressure properly set for the weight, the ride is phenomenal even on stock shocks. The a few hundred pounds of tools in the bed at all times and the CCLB wheelbase probably help too. I would not hesitate to take my SD for a cross country drive tomorrow.

 

It will throw a light on the dash once below the PSI listed on your sticker.... I had my truck in for some work and asked them tp recalibrate the min paramiter to 50 ( I run about 56 when empty).... They simply inflated the tires to 70 psi all around.

I just live with the light.

 

I used Forscan to change the alarm to trigger at 50.

 

Why you waiting to clock 1000 miles before you tow? The 6.7L PSD is ready to go to work right from the dealership. Was pulling my camper with less than 100 miles on my new 2023 F-350 and not a single issue with my truck 10 months and 5000 miles later. Did my first oil change at 1200 miles just to be on the safe side though.

 

Because that is what the manufacturer states should be done. From the 2024 Owner's Manual: (And I'm sure from every other Owner's Manual...)



From Page 414:

 

The Abraham Lincoln museum, house, gravesite is worth the time if camping around Springfield, IL.