I would like your take on 6spd. manual vs. auto for fuel mileage in a 2000-2001 250 or 350 PSD 4x4. Am I being realistic to think I should get 18 hwy empty and 12-14 with a 12k to 15K load on the truck? Or will the loaded mileage drop off more? Anyone running a 6spd with any gear configuration please chime in with you 2 cents worth but please specify your configuration.


Thanks

 

any manual will be more efficient than an automatic. automatics have a torque converter, somewhat like a fluid clutch, that transmits power based on pressure. a neat contraption. however, none of them are 100% efficient, and power is lost in the fluid coupling. so this power is wasted, and that hurts fuel mileage. a manual has a direct lockup clutch that is almost 100% efficient if not 100%.

 

My 99 has the six speed with 3.73 gears and I love it. Average 16-17 mpg and that is driving it pretty hard around my college campus. This is 60% city and 40% highway. I also live on a mountain with a steep grade and pull it mostly at 55+. i have drove nothing but sticks, 4 and 5 speeds, but the six is by far the best. My dad has a 02 with a slush-o-matic and 3.73's and if I drive his pickup the way I do I will be lucky to see 13 or 14 mpg. When he bought his truck, we were told that the 6 speed had 20 more HP due to the lack of a TC!

 

2002 F 250, 4x4 SC 6sp 3.73 and I get 16.5 -18 empty highway. Loaded with 1000# mileage dips slightly. But towing it drops pretty signifigantly even with a light 4500# trailer. I got 12-13.

 

I would say 6 spd since you do tow. you can manage your rpms with a manual and it seems with these trucks if you keep it below 2k rpm, you get pretty good milage. I get around 16-18 city and 19 or 20 highway. If you ever upgrade to higher hp (tuner, chip, etc) you dont have to do anything to the manual unless you are real high hp and need to change the clutch. With auto, its best to go with sonnax kit before adding hp.

 

Had both and have the auto now,matter of fact this is my first auto and my last. Next truck i buy i will order it so i will be sure and get what i want.!! Manual is the only way to go,especially if your looking for the best mileage.

 

Thanks for all the quick posts. I am going to look at an 01 250 xl with a 6 speed today. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

I have a 2000 F-250 manual and i get 18-20mpg depending on how heavy my foot gets.

 

Yeah, I'd go for the 6-speed also. I have a 2000 4x4 automatic. Got it because I needed a truck and there just weren't any 6-speeds around when I was buying.

Mileage? You bet. For anything except steady state, highway cruising, the manual will get better mileage. Mine only gets about 15mpg in town and mixed driving. I've seen as low as 12.7mpg.

Highway driving is something else, though. Since the TC is locked up on the highway, there really isn't much difference between manual and auto for highway mileage. I average about 20mpg highway, despite being a 4x4 and automatic. I've seen as low as 16.9 (no bed cover, cruising at 80+) and as high as 23.2 (bed cover, cruising at 60mph).

 

I prefer auto only because my knee hurts when shifting. But I had the chance to buy a 99 w/6 speed and it's grown on me. My knee doesn't hurt that much. If my knee didn't bother me I'd not hesitate to get a stick.

 

I wish/hope/dream for a manual in the future.

 

I am pretty happy with my auto. I have 02 250 SCLB 2wd with 3.73's. 100% stock. Got about 18.5 over my trip to texas. It was about 350 miles each way. Overall, I get about 16.5-17.5 around town with about 15 minutes of int. Highway driving. I get spirited occastionally and cruise about 75 typically on Interstate.

I am considering a 6 speed replacement truck (also for the crew cab) only because I dont want a used (ragged) auto. There are no questions about the mecanical advantages of a stick. The auto IMO is a faster all around truck. The most I have towed is just shy of about 10000 lbs for about 70 miles. No issues performance or function.

Torque converters have advantages because they multiply torque the entire time they are slipping.

Overall I think that mileage is going to be similar. I would gestimate that the 6 speed is going to get about 1 maybe 2 more mpg in the city depending on your habits. It is cool having both of your calf muscles the same size 6 speed guys may have a bigger left one!

 

Hmmm. Reminds me of the old days when I used to have a Norton. It was said that it was easy to tell a Norton rider - his left forearm was twice as big as his right (from the gawdawful stiff clutch pull) and his right leg was twice as big as his left (from kickstarting the beast).

I think I'd rather take my chances. I MUCH prefer a stick. I've said it before - if my auto gives up the ghost, I'll be looking into replacing it with a 6-speed manual.

 

I thought I was going to get a chance to look at the truck yesterday. Got busy with other things and am going to try to look at it today or thursday. The 6spd. is a fairly rare beast from what I see. I have a dealer license ( I sell manufactured homes and must have a license because they are titled.) and I checked an auction site for any 250 or 350 6 speeds none showed up. I have this one located near me and they are asking 16,900 for an 01 XL with 85K miles from my auction info. that is slightly high but not bad. I'm going to see if I can beat him down some. Again thanks to everyone that has posted, that's what makes this site so great!!

 

Last year I paid $15,500 for a '00 XL automatic 4x4. Supposedly large truck prices have tumbled since the huge fuel price increase. If that is true, then 16,900 seems pretty high.