I've heard nothing but praise for the new tranny until I saw this youtube video. Any current owners want to comment on what he says about it???

YouTube - Motor Trend 2009 Ford, Truck of the year, Not That good.

 

Over 5800 miles on mine and tranny is fine and I get much better mileage than he does.

 

I don't think he understands that the lie-o-meter doesn't give you an accurate fuel mileage reading. Also, he hasn't really stated what type of driving he's doing to get the mileage he's stating. I would dare say that on an open road trip of some distance, he would get better mileage than he is seeing now. Obviously, Ford tests these trucks on open road under optimal conditions to get the best possible mileage. They also probably submit a 4.6 2wd with the 3.15 gears to the Government for EPA ratings. Also, what an idiot. He complains about not having a 5.4 but it was his choice to get the 4.6 instead. I would guess if he had the 5.4, he probably wouldn't be shifting as much in city driving versus the 4.6 because of the torque difference.

He also has another option - he can trade it for a 5.4 or a 2008 with his favorite 4 speed auto.

 

lol i dont know a lot about trucks but this guys sound like he know's as much as my ford salesman know's. Why on earth did he buy it if he didnt like it lol.

 

First of all, concerning the transmission...I love my mine. Shifts are firm, but by no means rough. The close ratios keep the engine in its power band on hard accelerations. Mine definitely does not do any gear hunting. What he may be referring to is the new torque converter lockup and fuel shutoff strategy. Basically, when you slow down and hit the brakes, the torque converter stays locked up, and the tranny will actually downshift, keeping the engine rpms around 900-1100 rpm until you come to a stop. What this does is keep the crankshaft rotating by power transfer from the wheels, allowing the fuel system to shutoff while you slow down, thus improving city fuel economy. The downshifts are only somewhat noticeable in my truck.

As far as hand fuel calculations are concerned..... new trucks have plastic fuel tanks. Plastic expands and contracts with temperature change much more than metal. Also, it is nearly impossible to fill your tank to the exact same level every time for a number of factors. I read an interview with an engineer (I think he worked for Ford) about this, and he basically cited all the reasons above, concluding that typically in recent models, the number on the dash is probably more accurate. He did say that if you wanted to hand calculate it, you should average together what you calculate for several tankfulls.

That being said, if he really is getting 12-13mpg and isn't driving it like a bat out of hell, maybe there is something wrong with the programming for his shift strategy. My 4x4 SCrew 5.4 was rated for 14/18, and it gets 14.1 city, 18.2 intersate (~77-80mph), and about 19.5 highway (~60-65mph). I have hand checked it a couple of times and always came pretty close to the readout.

 

I'm at 1700 miles and found the dash says I am getting 13.5 MPG but my hand calculations come up with 15.3 MPGs but I was told it will get better. I have a bit of a lead foot. So far 6 speed is smooth.

 

There's nothing wrong with the 6 speed, it's rock solid. It's been in service for three years and there's only one post that I've read on the Expedition Forum that has a complaint that I know of.

He didn't bother to tell us what his gear ratio was. Personally, I not only think he's an idiot, I think he's not the actual owner of the truck.

Losers don't always lose with grace.

Tim

 

How about the written comment on there by briant179, he says he gets 18mpg CITY in his 4x4 Screw....yeah right, B.S.!!!!

 

The problem is 99% of people why reply on them things. They never own the item they are complaining about.

 

Maybe something has changed with the mileage calculator in the information display. I've never found it accurate. In both my Expedition and my SD, I can watch it decrease when either one idles. Get on the interstate and hit reset and it jumps all over the place before it settles down. Same thing with my Denali. Granted, they are not '09 F-150s.

Also, I disagree with being not being able to hand calculate fuel mileage. I can run fuel to the top of the fuel neck in my SD, Expy, or Denali and run tank to tank filling the same way and find it far more accurate than relying on the lie-o-meter.

 

My 09 meter has been very accurate so far. within 1-2% of AVG.

 

Actually the '09 Screw 4x4 with 5.4L and the 3.73.1 axle ratio is rated at 14 / 18.

Tim

 

While you may be able to run the fuel up to the neck each time, you have no way of telling how many air pockets are still left in the tank. I know when I do this to any of my vehicles, you can shake the truck and air will rise to the top. Also, you have to factor in how much the tank has expanded or contracted with temperature change relative to the last fill up. Lastly, how the vehicle is parked can have a huge effect on how much fuel you can get in the tank. It seemed like I could easily fit another 3 gallons in my SD if it was parked facing down a slight incline.

I filled up my SD at station before a trip parked like that once and I had just installed a tuner, so I wanted to check for mileage improvements. Normally, the gauge would read right at half a tank left when I finished this trip, but this time it said I had closer to 3/4. I filled it up (this time parked level) and hand calculated it to a little over 20mpg (much higher than what the meter read). I was very happy with that!! However, I never could get the same results again, and I finally figured out it was becuase I had parked a little differently at fillups. The meter was actually about right.

 

Yes I know that Tim, 14 city and 18 highway. But didn't you see how I capitalized "CITY" after 18mpg in my post above? That guy claimed he gets 18mpg city driving! That is total bs, no way a F150 gets 18mpg in all city driving.

I have the same engine and axle ratio and I get 11 to 13mpg all city driving in my 04 4x4, and I have gotten 18mpg and even 19.1 all highway driving once.

 

So then using your logic, there is absolutely no way to ever get the same amount of fuel into a vehicle ever again when you fill up, correct? Funny, I fuel at the same Flying J, at the same pump, facing the same direction, every time I get fuel. If I run until the low fuel light comes on, I consistently get 27 gallons in my tank. I've never had to shake the truck, do cartwheels, jump up and down, stand on my head, or anything like that.