Does anyone have experience driving a 300 I6 for long periods on the highway? I am trying to decide if I should get a 300 I6 or 302 for driving the 3hour trip between Columbus and Pittsburgh.

Thanx

 

By all means I would get the 300 I6. It is the only engine I ever want to own--regardless of all the fun a V8 can be. If I absolutely needed more power, I would be forced into the 351 V8 (not the 302 which is comparable to the 300 I6 more or less).My '84 F150 300 I6 4 speed manual faithfully carried me on my 65-mile freeway round trip to the University of Michigan for several years and then the 29-mile freeway round trip to work for the last 10 years. My '95 F150 300 I6 carries me to work now and I just took it on a 6,000-mile freeway trip last fall with a 2,000 lb trailer and it performed superbly. With the trailer I usually could go 70 mph (probably faster than one should go with a trailer anyway) with little trouble unless on a uphill grade. I have a 3.08 rear ratio and 5 speed Mazda tranny.

 

My 96 is geared to turn 1650 rpm at 65 mph. I am a farmer and had a new holland combine with the same I6 300 that would run for 10 hours every day at 1800 rpm and the engine never gave us a problem. This is a GOOD engine.

 

I think the 4.9 is one of the best freeway runners around, just try to stay around a 3.08 rear end, I've had good luck with these engines, I prefer a 3.55 with M5OD for myself, but MPG will be a little less. I love these big sixes with a manual tranny, shift 'em short,let 'em pull, and they'll run forever.

 

With my 3.08 rear and the Mazda 5 speed I am turning about 2100 RPM at 70 in OD and at freeway speeds can do most needed acceleration without downshifting. Running unloaded I can pull OD from 1000 RPM at about 35 MPH right on up to 70+. Also, for the record, I worked with a 300 I6 powered wood chipper back in the 80s. That chipper ran great!

 

Wow, I am really suprised by how many fans the 300 I6 has. I was assuming most people would've told me to go with the 302 or 351. I used to have an 81 Toyota 4x4 pickup with a 4cylinder that made around 120 hp and I promised myself that if I ever bought another truck, it would have to have a V8.

So this 6 really can hold it's own? Even over a 302?

Thanx

 

The 302 V8 is a GREAT engine too. I had one in a 71 Ford Custom, four door car. Was running perfectly at 115,000 miles when I sold it. But as Moses Ludel (author of The Ford F-Series Pickup Owner's Bible) says, the 302 is fine for commuting, but if you ever want to haul loads go with the 300 I6. I believe Moses' evaluation is based primarily on the six being more heavy duty to take the extra abuse. I guess if you are only going to commute, you could go with the 302, but I'd still rather have the six and I believe the six will last longer. My '84 which I sold to my boss last year now has 176,000 miles on it and runs GREAT, and it has never had any engine work.

 

I won't be towing anything. Just hauling some band equipment in the bed between some cities in Ohio and Pennsylvania. My main concern is gas mileage and highway performance. I don't want to be the guy in the slow lane going 55 because that is the fastest I can go. I also don't want to be getting 50 miles for every 10 dollars of gas I put in.

Thanx
MT

 

Generally the fuel injected 300 I6s are more powerful and from my experince get better mileage. My '95 with extended cab and short bed gets about 17 on the freeway and around 15 in town. That is with a tonneau cover on the bed. My 84 seemed to get around 13 mpg though and it was carburated. I suspect the 302 V8 is similar in mileage, though with its shorter stroke may suck a bit less fuel. The 351 is a stroker and definitely eats more fuel. I wouldn't worry about top speed as my truck should be able to do 90 plus and the 302 should be similar. For toting band equipment you may want the extended cab; though it adds a lot of weight; it sure holds a lot. You know those boxes that 10 reams of copier paper come in? I was getting about 18 of those in the back of my cab when I moved recently. By the way, what kind of band is it?

 

I only have $1000 or less to spend, so I won't be able to go with a fuel injected. I actually want a late 70's or early 80s model so I can work on it easier without having to worry about all the electronics.

But this 300 I6 is starting to sound better than a 302.

The band is Fenix Phoundation, rock, alternative, independent. Our website is: www.hypertheory.com/fenix/

Thanks for the info!
MT

 

I'll probably end up with 300 I6 because it sounds like the best engine out there if you don't want to spend a fortune on gas. plus I can always tweak it to get some more power if I need to.

 

magyar, i swapped the 300-6 out of my 85 when i had a problem with a frozen radiator that led to a damaged engine. i put in a 302 that i had, and hated the 302!! drove it for a while, found an 88 with 300i6 with 161,000 miles on it, bought it, converted it to 4wd and i will never go back to a 302 again....
they run and run and run!!!!

 

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Magyar:

Yes, I do. Re: your "freeway" question, I drive my '88 4.9 F150 12 hr. per weekend, for fun, as my boat is almost in Canada, 6 hours (one way) away from where I live, just north of NYC. TallPaul, Woodbutcher, & Co. said it all. The six has long legs.

With the 3.55 rear and M50D, it does wind more up a little more than I'm used to w/ the 2.42:1 gears in the '81, but mileage is like 15 - 16 mpg and I have a Valentine One radar detector b/c I need one. You will NOT be in the slow lane w/ the 4.9. With the 3.55, it feels very peppy, and it's a rare hill that causes a downshift. I still smile when I accelerate up big grades in O/D, passing the econoboxes, at 65-70mph, as the higher-geared '81 needed to downshift often. If I remember correctly, the '88 is turning 2,500 RPM @ either 70 or 75 mph, on 235/75 x 15's, which isn't bad.

Oh, you mentioned the cost of parts. If the engine is quiet, has good compression and doesn't smoke, you shouldn't need any parts, other than maintenance parts. Period. Do the oil/filter every 3,000 miles--oops, let's not even get on that topic again!

Good luck in your search.

BigSix

 

I have a '93 F150 XLT 2X4, w/ 4.9 & 5 speed. Truck has 307,000 miles. Drive PA and OH all the time. Truck and equipment I carry weighs in at 5800#. Gas mileage is 11mph combined. I drive usaully at 70+. I use synthetic oil and change it every 40-50,000 miles. Change the filter every 5000.

In Oct. 2000, I got a '96 F250 XLT 4x4 ext cab w/5.0 auto. This gets 9mph combined. Power is noticable worse. I almost feel bad when I have to get on it. It just growls then, just maybe, the speed picks up.

The 5 speed tranny is the weakest part of the '93. I've gone through 2 so far. Good thing is, even when they break in OH. The truck is able to get me home in 4th.

Go with the 4.9!

 

Hi. I'm a college kid who runs home about once a month. Home for me is about 4.5 hours away. (Well, more like 6 fore most people, but like i said, i'm a college kid) I drive a 1990 f150 with a mazda 5-speed and 3.55 gears, and i am more than happy with it on the freeway. as long as i keep it tuned, i have all the oomph i need to pass and to stay somewhere around uhmmm.... let's just say 75 mph. granted the gas mileage isn't that great but that's for two reasons. 1, it's a truck with about as much aerodynamics as a block on wheels. 2. i obviously have a lead foot. other than that, i couldn't have picked a better truck for my needs. keep in mind, also, that the 300 has a better rep for being a high mileage engine, which should be a big factor in a freeway vehicle.