I'm looking to buy a new F250, but I'm having serious problems with the engine choices. All of you with v10s and 5.4s- how do your trucks perform? Have you had any races or anything that might be a good comparison for me to look at. My buddy has a new chevy HD 6.0 auto with exhaust, a hypertech powerprogrammer, and K&N airbox. It will do 120ft. posi burnouts all day, and it tows like crazy. I want to be able to take him in a straight up friendly race, and run with him when towing my truck and trailer (9000lbs or so). Anybody's truck do a good burnout (that is actually important to me!) Have you all had any towing/racing experiences? What kind of addons do you have? I'm worried the 5.4 won't have the power I need. I want an automatic in whatever I get. My dad has a '95 with a 460 5spd and 4:10s. It is a good running and pulling truck. How do the newer trucks compare to his 460? I work at a body shop and I've driven plenty of new chevy HDs (6.0s and 8100s and duramaxes), but no Fords yet (except for many 7.3PSDs). If anyone has performance comparisons, please respond!

 

I don't think you will find to many people on here that spend 30-40k on a truck to race it.

 

A V10 auto 4.30LS will walk all over the 6.0 chevy, towing or side by side. As far as burnouts, A friend in the tire store will be needed, if that is what you want to do.
Mine is V10 auto 3.73LS
I would not know about that burnout thing

Steve

 

My 5.4 with 33's will spin the tires...However I didn't buy the truck to be a "race" truck. My Tundra was much faster, and there wasn't a lot around that could beat it however had we chained my Tundra to my new F250, the F250 would have drug the Tundra around with out much problem...

If you want a race truck get a Ford Lightning or that new Dodge with the V-10 in it, not an F250.

 

Buy a diesel doesnt matter which brand. add the power inhancers that are out there. then you will own the street truck crown

 

Burnouts? Did someone say burnouts?



It was a moment of foolishness, but it sure was fun!!

BTW, I bought new tires right after I did the burnouts.

 

My diesel can do one hell of a brunout. The one in the sig, all stock. stop floor it, give it about 2 seconds for the turbo to spin up, and watch the smoke just roll, i left a 1/2 block black mark with both tires, i could imagine what i could do with a reg cab short box, instead of a cc long box.

 

I agree with mikelehmann. With the exceptionI personally was not impressed with the Dodge's interior. I have the 5.4L SD CC, and I can't "light-em-up" with the 3.73's. My friend has a '00 7.3L PSD. His dad has an '03 6.0L PSD, and the 6.0 spanks him every time.

IMHO, the best thing you could do is drive all 3 and see for yourself. You'll obviously get a huge biased-consensus of "FORD" here on FTE !...

 

I ride\drive a '02 Chevy HD 4x4 6.0 Auto 4.10s + a '04 Ford SD 4x4 5.4 Auto 3.73s, the chevy will\does pull more and easier, the 5.4 seems to have good real low end power but falls on it's face right after that, the shifts are lousy, it also want's to shudder when moving a big load, it will upshift and down shift all day long pulling the lightest trailer we have, it's either 3000rpm or 1900rpm, the chevy has power all the way thru the power band, it doesn't have the torque right at take off, but instead pulls very hard all the way thru, and the shifts are firm and positive, it has the power and almost never has to down shift to keep speed up, and this is pulling bigger trailers! The fuel milage is un-real once again the ford sucks it down while the chevy just sips it, as far as burning the tires, both trucks won't burn the tires taking off, but both will if you gas\brake it, witch ever engine you get make sure to get the lowest gear possible! This is very imporant with the 5.4 you can get the 4.10s and the 6.8 the 4.30s the differnce between the 3.73s and these other gears is huge! I'm sure the V-10 with 4.30s will do a killer burner! I have never heard a bad thing about the V-10 other then it sucks gas (10mpg) Ford is having a lot of problems with the 6.0 Powerstroke and the 5.4 is underpowered for the SD, so it looks like the V-10 with the 4.30s is the right engine\truck. I am not bashing the ford in my comparision, I am going to order a SD this spring\summer, it's just that I have driven 20,000+ miles in each truck and feel I can give a good answer, the chevy gas engines are strong\good engines, but the ford trucks are stronger\better, oh and the 8.1 chevy engine is a lot stronger the the 6.8 ford, if I was going to compare I would compare the 5.4 to the 6.0 and the 6.8 to the 8.1, lets be far.... BTW the V-10 is only $600 more and if you pull a lot I would think that it would get better milage because it's not going to be WOT trying to move the loads, while day to day it's going to get 1-2mpg less then the 5.4. I have been in a HD 6.0 when we raced a friend in a F-150 5.4 and we were dead even, he even had 3.55s! But when were talking SD to HD the HD will win, I hope this helps and that I answered all your questions, let me know if there is more I can tell you.

 

I gota 1999 V10 auto 4.30, super cab long bed with 65k mi on it.
She will pull my 6,000lb RV in the Smokies like a champ. I pull it 70 to 80 mph all day long, don't hardly know the RV is on there. BTW I get about 10 mpg pulling and about 12mpg not pulling, not much diff. Going back to the Smokies the second week in April, if the gas prices dont come down I will have to keep my foot out of it. Seems to get the best mpg at 2,500 rpm or less, any higher than that and she drinks gas like a thirsty camel.
Anyone get any better mpg than that let me know how, and I will sure will give it a try. BTW, no problems with the truck at all, I love it and will buy a V10 again.

 

I have never even tried smoking my tires, rubber cost too much. And as a drag truck my PSD 250 would suck, unless of course I was dragging the other truck. It will do 95 mph, but I ussually cruise at 67 to get good mpg.

 

If you want a kick a** truck and $ is no problem order the 6.0 PSD and then order the Banks Six Gun kit you will be a deffinite show stopper.Had the install last sunday on "Trucks" on the Spike network and I was impressed.I have the V-10 with 4.30's and a 6spd pushin 35's and when you want to you can lite them up,I can't shift fast enough to keep them going though,to expensive any way, I can get only about 20-25K miles out of a set of 35" mud tires.Also on the real world perspective around here you can find many bad blocked 6.0's and lots of V-10's parked at the gas stations.I got an average of 10.51 mpg for the year last year mostly towing a trailer ranging from 5-12k lbs loaded running 35's from late March to late Oct.

 

Thanks everybody, especially SMiller. Best comparison I could get! As far as a "race truck", as some of you put it, I am not looking for a "race truck". However, how many of you can say that if you pulled up to a stoplight next to a new chevy you wouldn't mind losing? I want something that will out perform other HDs. Everyone where I live has an HD/SD truck, and most of them are modded in some way. Lots of farmers around here, so pulling a huge load is a bragging right. One buddy of mine has an '02 Chevy Duramax automatic shortbed extended cab. He has about $3500 in extras (exhaust, chip, etc). He has overload airbags on the back. He put a 35ft dual tandem gooseneck behind it and a new john deere tractor and bailor. Total was in the neighborhood of 28,000 pounds behind his truck. Yes, he is an idiot- but he pulled that sucker for about 120 miles down the interstate at 65. I'd never do that, but If I had 12000 pounds behind a truck, I want to be able to outrun other trucks with similar loads. And as far as burnouts go, it isn't an everyday thing. However, I have to say that seeing a 4door longbed coming at you sideways with smoke bellowing from the rear is darn cool! If a group of guys are hanging around and one says "fire it up", I want to be able to. Don't want the truck to peter out at an important moment like this! I want the truck to be capable. I might not race anyone, or do a burnout, but if I want to do one, I want the power to be there. I guess it is just knowing that something can be done satisfies me. Thought I would clarify so you all don't think I'm an idiot wanting an SD to go around trashing tires and burning Hondas. Thanks again for all the helpful comments!

 

Sounds like a V-10 with the 4.30 gears is the awnser for you, although it still wount be stiller performance, and I would guess a 8.1 allison would still smoke it, took one on a test drive long ago and from a rolling start I floored it and it burned the tires all the way through first, now that's what i'm talking about! And from what you are talking about is a bounch of hot diesels in your area, no big block can touch these trucks anymore, TST performance just came out with a 150hp 500tq box, and that's on top of the engine hp!!!!!!!!! If you are talking of pulling the big weight and looking cool doing it then you are talking BIG money on a diesel and upgrades, if you want big increadable power out of a gasser then look into a whipplecharger or other supercharger, they will make enough power to do anything you would ever want to do. Let me know if there is any other info I can give you, kinda funny I drive a HD and a SD every day lol

 

Yeah, my boss has an 8100 allison. It is a hoss. Seems like the power is effortless, and it has 3:73s! I've put many miles on that truck, and love them all. I just like the Ford trucks so much. My uncle has a V10 with 4:30s and it just doesn't impress me. I hate the way it sounds. My dad has a '95 F250 regcab 4x4 with a 5spd and 4:10s. It smokes my uncles v10 running and pulling. I've been using it to pull my '70 around lately. All it has is Flowmaster exhaust. I'm going to buy him a K&N air intake for it since I'm going to be using it to tow with my buddy and his 6.0HD this summer. And yeah, there are several bad diesels around here. I work at a body shop and a boy dinged his '98 Cummins and brought it in. It is an extended cab dually 4x4 with a 6spd. Had some work done to it. I drove it down the road. I stayed off of it in 1st and 2nd. When I went to third I decided to stand in it. The boost came up and that sucker slide sideways! Not smoking sideways, but still broke 4tires loose! That isn't right! It's a freakin dually! 4th, 5th, and even 6th pulled hard too. I just don't think I'd be happy with a diesel. Don't like the noise, the smell, or having to wait on them to warm up for the power to be there. Sometimes I like to jump in a truck and just go. I'd hate to spend 8 grand on something I really don't want. I think I'd be happiest with the 5.4, but I'd have to have 4:10s and an airbox, exhaust, programmer, throttle body spacer, pulley, big MAF, supercharger, NOS.......................