What are the pros and cons of the 5.4L V-8 and 6.8 V-10?

I intend to buy a 2001 or 2002 F250, Supercab, limited slip, 3.73, camper package to carry a truck camper that will weigh approx 2300 Lbs. The weight of the passengers and personal belongings would be an additional 1200 lbs. When the camper is removed, I shall use the truck for city transportation and will be carrying loads less than 500 lbs.

It seem to me that the 5.4 V-8 would have fully adequate power, enjoy better gas mileage, less expensive to buy and resale value would be about the same. I would appreciate comments.

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 21-Dec-01 AT 06:58 PM (EST)]Oh god- here we go again! NoMo and Petre- you wanna fill him in on the gas mileage issue?

Actually, the question you should be asking is F250 vs. F350. Take a look at this website for payload information:

http://fordtruck.fordtraining.com/f250/html/spcfrm.htm

3,500 lbs. is a lot of weight for the F250 suspension- (overloaded actually). I would look at the F350 with a V-10 with this kinda of weight.

The difference in MSRP between an F250 SC XLT and an F350 SC XLT is only about $1,100- probably a lot less than it would cost you in mods to make the F250 work.

Now, since I only tow with my F250 and all my info is "paper facts", do we have any camper folks out there that can add some real world advice to this thread??

-V10gunner

'00 SD F250 Super Cab XLT, 4X2, 142"WB, 6.8L V10, 4R100, 4.30LS, Camper Package, Dark Toreador Red over Silver, Snugtop Xtra Vision Cab-high shell

 

>Oh god- here we go again! NoMo and Petre- you wanna fill
>him in on the gas mileage issue?

LOL

wcohalloran, you should look at the topic entitled "3.73 or 4.30". Once you stop laughin', you'll see that it is chock full of good stuff to help you make an informed decision V10gunner is way right, too. Make sure you check out the payload ratings at the web site V10gunner gave you!! Here's a direct link if you need it.
[link:truck.fordtraining.com/f250/html/spcfrm.htm|it's all right here]

 

First, you will be EXTREMELY overloaded with any F250 (regardless of engine). Might look at an F350- at least it won't be quite so overloaded. Then, I'm not sure you'd be pleased with the performance of the 5.4 w/3.73 gear combo with that much camper & gear strapped on. At a very minimum, get the 4.10 gears.

We need outpost22 to give some input on camper hauling. He does it throughout the mountainous West.

 

Man, I gotta quit hittin' the restroom during the middle of a reply! You guys kill me. No mileage questions here!

 

ok... time for me to take petre's with nomo....

imho, the 250 and 350 are basically the same truck...... if i added a leaf to my rear spring pack and went to the dealership parts counter and ordered f-350 badging.... i'd basically have that 350.

and for less money i might add!

let the flame war begin!!!

 

Nope- No with me. :P I'll confess that I can not find any substantial physical differences between an F250 & SRW F350. As for the legal arguments that always pop up, I'd bet there are too many scenarios for anyone but a group of highly-paid attorneys to figure out. Each of us should make up our own mind as to what "risks" we are willing to take.

I prefer to err on the conservative side- not for legality's sake, but for the service side of the issue. Should a problem arise while traveling with the camper, warranty service could be denied by an un-friendly dealer. It's tough to argue your way out of an "abuse" claim by Ford when your 8800# GVWR truck is sitting there tipping the scales at over 10,000#. That's the last thing I want when traveling the highways on a recreational trip. My bet is that Ford/dealer will be a little more understanding when you're only 100 lbs over GVWR.

In all honesty, with a camper that heavy, I'd look into an F350 dually. Then you'd have some cushion in the GVWR.

Happy Holidays! :-X12

 

>What are the pros and cons of the 5.4L V-8 and 6.8 V-10?
>
>I intend to buy a 2001 or 2002 F250, Supercab, limited slip,
>3.73, camper package to carry a truck camper that will weigh
>approx 2300 Lbs. The weight of the passengers and personal
>belongings would be an additional 1200 lbs. When the camper
>is removed, I shall use the truck for city transportation
>and will be carrying loads less than 500 lbs.
>
>It seem to me that the 5.4 V-8 would have fully adequate
>power, enjoy better gas mileage, less expensive to buy and
>resale value would be about the same. I would appreciate
>comments.
>

My camper weighs 2900 lbs per the brochure. I've actually weighed my truck empty and with the camper/gear. I can tell you the camper/gear goes 4500 lbs when we are on the road. I actually overload my dually if I have the water tank full. So don't even think about a F250. A F350 SRW should be your minimum truck and I recommend a DRW.

I have the V10 with 4.30 gears. I could get by with 3.73 gears, but the 4.30's are so nice. This truck really hauls A$$, even with the camper loaded. I didn't even consider the V8. From what I've read, the V8 mileage is no better than the V10 when towing/hauling because the V8 has to work harder and therefore uses more fuel. My experience is that the larger engine will have much higher resale also.

If you want more camper info, check out the slide-in forum over at www.irv2.com .

 

Although the new 250a nd 350 SRW are nearly identical, don't forget that the 250 does not come with tires rated high enough for that load. I my opinion that would be the weakest part of the rig.

 

O.K., NoMo cried for the ol' Outpost 22 to respond:P

First off, get the F350 at a minimum for that camper weight. (Harald? is right,a dually is actually best).
If you're getting a F350 single rear wheel, supercab and V10, it will leave you with about 3300 lbs of legal payload (camper, people and junk). The F250 only gives you a legal 2200 lbs.(+/-).
Getting the V8 instead would help out about another 200 lbs. The problem is that the V8 will get worse mileage with the camper loaded as you'll always have your foot in the throttle and suck more gas. The V10 would have BETTER resale in an F350 as anyone buying a "one ton" is usually hauling or pulling weight. The V8 would probably give you 1.5 mpg better unloaded. I find the V10 and 3.73 for camper and everyday driving just fine.

The F350 also comes with E rated tires vs. D rated on the F250. My E rated Michelins are rated for 3415lbs./tire at 80 psi. I think the D's only go about 3050lbs.
Next, add airbags to the rear suspension. You will HATE driving a heavy camper with single rear wheels without them. For $250.00 ($300-$350 installed) its a VERY worthwhile investment. Mount the air filler valves someplace other than in the middle of your rear bumper. You will need to access them with your camper ON! I put mine on the right rear end of the bumper. Some put them in the gas filler door, but thats the "roadkill" side of the truck (if you get my drift).

If you can afford it, change the OEM junk shocks to Rancho 9000's with the "in cab" control. This will virtually eliminate "swaying", especially in high winds.
Happy New Year:7

 

>The F350 also comes with E rated tires vs. D rated on the
>F250. My E rated Michelins are rated for 3415lbs./tire at
>80 psi. I think the D's only go about 3050lbs.

My 2001 F250 CC 4x4 came with E rated tires... Don't know if they goofed or if I actually paid for 'em, but they are there.

Edmo

 

The Firestone Steeltex LT26575R15 (optional upgrade tires) that came on my 2000 F250 are also "E" rated.:-)

-V10gunner

'00 SD F250 Super Cab XLT, 4X2, 142"WB, 6.8L V10, 4R100, 4.30LS, Camper Package, Dark Toreador Red over Silver, Snugtop Xtra Vision Cab-high shell

 

My 2000 f250 also came with e rated tires.

 

Based on all the input, I'm convinced that the V-10 is the correct choice for the 2002 F350, SRW, SC, on which I would carry a 2300 lb camper and an additional 1000-2000 lbs.

Harald, with a 2000F350, 4X4, CC, DRW, LWB, V-10, is very happy with the 4.3 gears- which may not be surprising considering that, as he stated, his camper and gear weigh 4500 lbs, without filling his water tanks.

Outpost 22, with a 2000 F350, 4x4, SC, LWB, V-10, stated that the 3.73 gears are just fine for carrying his camper (Lance) and everday driving.

I have read carefully other's that clearly say that no one ever regretted buying the 4.3 gears with the V-10.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems to me that NoMo and V10gunner, for example, would choose the 4.3 gears because they tow somewhat heavy loads, ie, trailers that are 30 feet or so long and in the case of Harald, he carries a rather heavy camper and gear weighing 4500 lbs.

Here's my question -- Assuming that I don't intend to trailer, unlike NoMO and V10gunner, nor carry a 4500lb camper/gear, unlike Harald, but rather my max payload weight (camper/gear/passengers/water tank filled/ propane tanks) would be 3500 lbs, would the 3.73 gears be "just fine", as Outpost22 states, or would the 4.3 be necessary.

My feeling is that the 3.73 may be fully adequate for carrying my camper etc.and unloaded city driving.

The information that we don't have is the weight of Outpost22's camper/gear, which may have a bearing on why the 3.73 gears are appropriate.

At the risk of complicating the choice of gears which is the issue at hand, may I add that I have listened to comments on the usefulness of a crew cab with a camper, and I am leaning towards a CC, for the purpose of additional storage capacity

Harald, Outpost22, and others - I do look forward to you comments.