Okay it looks like my 302ci may not be enough motor for the load and road conditions, So if I step up to an F250 what are the pros and cons for the V10 -VS- Powerstroke. On paper they appear real close. I am real concerened about the fuel milage of the V10.
Thanks,

 

I've had both, in fact I've had the 6.9 diesel that I put an ATS turbo on, a 7.3 IDI, a 7.3 DI Power Stroke, a 460, a 351, a 302 and now a V-10. I have never had a Ford anything that didn't get 10-12 MPG. My V-10 gets 8 when towing, and 12 on the road. Which is about what the Powerstroke did. I figured out once that the extra expense of the PSD wouldn't be offset my the increased MPG til about 160,000 miles. And that is considering that the PSD is rated for higher MPG than the V-10 even though mine have never done better than 12. Diesel fuel costs more and is less available in some areas of the country. I loved the torque, but the V-10 has 425 ft pounds AND 310 horsepower. Obviously I prefer the gas V-10, besides the badges on the side of my rig are COOL. Ken

 

I've owned a 99 v10 auto 3.73 axle and sold it to get an 02 F350 6 speed diesel crew cab long bed with the 3.73 axle.
I've run two tanks of fuel through the diesel so far and got 18.6 and 17.7 mpg. The 18.6 tank included a 100 mile highway run towing a 1500lb. trailer.
The v10 saw 11-13 mpg on a good day and towing our 9000lb camper it got around 8.
I haven't towed the camper yet with the diesel but I am already happy with 18+/- mpg of the diesel when driving a normal routine week.
I can't wait to see what it does after its broken in.
The v10 didn't produce decent torque until wound up to about 2800 and maxed torque was hit at 3200 rpms.You needed to trailer at around 70 mph to keep the v10 in its optimal powerband.
That's white knuckli'n for a tow vehicle and I got aggravated everytime it would bog down on small hills when towing the camper at 60mph+/-
The diesel produces all of its 520 lb ft of torque at 1600 rpm and pulls with all that torque up to its peak horsepower at 2800 rp,s.
Diesel is cheap and easy to find in South Jersey and I only need to fuel up every 10 days or so because i got 650 to 700 mile range on a tank.
I would not go back to gas for a tow vehicle ever.
If you decide to go gas I would opt for the 4.30 axle with the v10 to keep it wound up tight at 60 mph +/-.
Good luck
Scott

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 25-Jun-02 AT 00:05 AM (EST)]We got our PSD back in October and love it. It's a 2001 F-350 w/6 speed,4x4 and 3.73's. We get around 17.5 on daily driving no problem. Tons of torque and when pulling 8000-8500pd travel trailer it threw no fits going up and down the hills of branson missouri at 70mph passing cars still getting 11mpg. Pulling 12000-13000pd hay trailer it did fine. Also if your cosidering towing more often go with the 350, heavier towing capacity and not too much more plus you get extra options. but we did do some mods. Examples are just with a mild chip that gets 300+Hp and 600+ft. pds of torque. Also put a turbo brake(Helps alot and worth more than weight in gold) and a Dynomax 4 inch exhaust out. Runs sweet with that nice big rig sound. For towing often would definently say PSD but if your light or don't tow often you may do better with the V-10.

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 28-Jun-02 AT 01:38 PM (EST)]Would this be a new truck you would purchase from a dealer? If so, I am confused by your willingness to pay an extra $4500 upfront cost for the PSD over the V-10 and then worry about fuel consumption.

Unless you intend for this truck to be a loaded down worker , a heavy trailer towing draft horse, or a high mileage long idling road warrior that you intend to keep for more then 150,000 or 200,000 miles, that $4500 could be better spent else where

 

I too have owned both a '96 PSD and currently a '99 V-10. I loved the power of the PSD and my mileage is comparable here in NY with all the hills and such. All things considered, I would say that if you will be towing frequently, meaning like once a week or so, I would definitely go with the PSD. I had mine when I was towing an 8,000 lb trailer almost daily for my business and the diesel was the only way to go. Now, however, I tow a 7,000 lb horse trailer and 9,000 lb equipment trailer occasionally and my V-10 does fine. I will admit to missing the whine of the turbo but other than that, for me the decision was to save the $4500 and put it to use elsewhere because my current needs didn't require the HP every day. Remember, there are also other maintenance cost you need to think about when you compare trucks. There are also other factors such as noise, smoke, etc. It's a tough call. If money is no object, hey, grab the PSD and enjoy it. But if you are watching your cash, think about your needs and what will suit you best. The V-10 vs PSD argument is a hot one! All I can say for sure, is that I have been very happy with both my trucks and there are days that I wish I had both!

In the end....buy what you want! Justifying it to yourself is easy.... your wife, now that's a different story!




Pete

 

Well, just towed anything serious for the first time, I have a 99 F-250 SD crew cab long bed V-10 4x4 with 3.73's and 33x12.50x16.5's all the way around. I pulled a 3300 pound car trailer with a 3600 pound car inside to Virginia and back. We hit a lot of traffic on the way down and got roughly 8 mpg. On the way home, much less traffic, and got my normal 10 mpg. Truck averages 10mpg with local and rural driving.

Personally, I don't like the noise and smell of the diesels, plus having to find gas stations that carry diesel, so I went with the V-10. No complaints here...

 

I tow a 30' fifth wheel camper and I get about 8.2mpg while towing. I get about 11.5 around town. If your going to get a Superduty I would suggest going ahead and getting a F350 instead of the F250. I did this and It was only about $600 more. Its worth the extra 1000# towing capacity. The only thing I dislike is that @#$#$%#$ flutter noise!

 

Here's another 2¢, (pretty soon we'll have enough for a Coke).

First, I don't tow a house trailer/fiver/ocean liner/whatever, that weighs more than Rosie O'Donnell's grocery cart. I pull a boat/trailer combo that runs about 5100 lbs. Add 70 or 80 gal of gas, beer, grub, ice chests, beer, camping gear, beer, swim toys, kids, beer, etc. the load might run in the neighborhood of 7000 lbs., maybe 7500 if I take extra beer, (it's hot in the desert, OK?).

Second, folks who tow a 15,000-pound load with a vehicle rated to tow 7,500 amaze and frighten me :-X23 , I prefer to reverse the equation and put the odds on my side. My last tow vehicle was a E350 Van with a 460/C6/4.10 combo, which I gutted and converted to tow my boat and hold my brood. .30 over, Comp cam, TRW pistons, forged crank, Holley blah, blah... you get the idea...sumingun ran HARD. Before that, (and three sons), I towed with a 3/4 T GMC PU with a RAT having a similar tweak, (sorry, I was young and liked the way the Hedman headers sounded).

Both of those excellent tow vehicles pale in comparison to my new, (to me), 1999 F 250 SD with a V10, auto and 4.30 twister.

Bad news? The mileage sucks, 10 mpg around town, 10 mpg on the freeway, and 10 mpg towing, OK? Folks just need to accept that there is no "magic bullet" or special combination of options, which provide the facility of a gas engine, the economy of a PSD, and the fun of a large displacement gas engine.

You pays your money and you takes your chances.

Put another way, decide what your priorities are before you begin considering your new truck. :-X11

Give a little on power, go with the V8 and the 3.55's, it ain't gonna tug so good, but it will get you 17 mpg picking up the kids and going to work. Go the other way, get the lowest gears offered, the PSD, throw in $3500 worth of Bank's best, a kill dog chip, and you can tow the Queen Mary over the Grapevine. Yeah it costs more, but you will either get it back in resale, (about 65% as far as I can determine), or in fuel savings, (somewhere between 15,000 miles and 15,000,000 depending upon who you talk to).

There is no wrong answer, only wrong choices. I chose to go gas because of the availability of fuel, (sometimes I haul as much as three tankfuls behind me), ease of modification, (I more or less understand how a gas engine works, them injectorpumpglowingdealiethingies mix me up), acquisition cost, and intrinsics like fuel odor and noise, (not that I do not like the sound of a fine hauling PSD pulling the grade).

Choices, man, this site is as good as you will get for research, (I'm another newbie, so don't think I'm Pim$$$ the site), I used it myself for a number of weeks before settling on my Super Duty. Good luck and be safe towing.


Yeah, OK, maybe four or five cents.

 

I run a diesel but I agree with some of the other guys that have posted the cost of a powerstroke over a V10 takes a long time to pay back if you don't plan to keep the truck till the wheels fall off then the best bet is a V10 set up right the v10 is a hoss

Bryan

 

V10 versus Diesel! Tough choice, especially if u do moderately towing all winter to the desert and all summer to the launch ramp. Ive been the proud owner of 2 F250 4x4s. My first was an 01 with the 2valve, amazing truck, incredible power, tows anything you can throw at it and gets an unbelievable 8mpg in all driving conditions. My current is an 06 lariat with the 3valve, tow command, and engine brake. It tows my 7500lb toybox like its not even there. I almost opted for the diesel but when it comes down to $ on a used truck, I couldnt be the gas truck, and with such good luck with the previous gen, I had to do it. They are amazingly stout trucks and very dependable. They r like hondas, u just change the oil and fill them with gas! Thats it! Diesels tow better and get better MPG but cost Much $ to own and operate them! OPT FOR THE V10, unless u are towing DAILY!

 

My, how times have changed in the last eight years.

In 2002 the price of Diesel was about $1.35 per gallon.

The price of Gasoline was around $1.50.

Diesel was cheaper than Gasoline AND you got better mileage with it.

Now, with about a 30 cent nod on the side of Gasoline, the fuel cost per mile is just about flat when you compare comparable real world mpg's.

Given the higher maintenance cost of a Diesel (oil changes and "normal/probable" replacement items)...always exceptions, but I would venture to say that "most" people do not put more than 150,000 miles on a new vehicle before they trade...in my opinion, given the price differential of a Diesel vs a Gasser, the economics fall on the side of the Gasoline powered vehicle.

No flames please, there will be always people outside of the range, but with the reliability of the engines today most everyone, Jet Fuel or Gasser, can expect 100,000 to 150,000 trouble free miles on a new vehicle.

 

Old thread but since it's alive again here's a little light reading on the subject.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/8...10-vs-psd.html

 

Thats great. A topic than had a span of 8 years between posts. and still makes for good conversation. I have a PSD, so my preference is obvious, but I can't say I disagree with any of the posts about the v-10 either. Both are great, but each has their own little advantages and disadvantages.