I like mine alot and dont think its that bad. Is something wrong with mine? Because it appears to have pretty good power and tows really well. I've heard countless times how the 5.4 is too weak to be in these big 250s & 350s, but I think its a great base line motor. Now I've drove them all and I know what the V10 and PSD motors feel like and there are true power houses and my truck can't touch those. However I am happy with my 5.4L and think its a great motor plus its never given me any trouble and I've even won a few races here and there. So how to do guys feel about your 5.4Ls love it, like it, or hate it lets hear about them? BTW mine is all stock but I would love to put some mods on there later.

 

I'm known on this forum as a 5.4L fan. Mine is able to tow 8000+ pounds easily.

No, it isn't going to be able to drag 20,000 pounds across the country, but my truck easily does what I ask it to do and more. I moved my entire household from So. Indiana to NE Wisconsin with my truck. I tow my classic cars in a 28 foot enclosed trailer. I have moved other people's households. My truck is far from being "underpowered". My 80's Dodge 1/2 ton 4x4 with a 318 was underpowered.

I understand that people want more. I am that way with my classic cars. Big engines, tire roasting torque, pin you back in your seat acceleration, but that doesn't make a good towing vehicle.

 

2008 CC 4WD with 3.73 & TS auto. I agree that it's a good "base" engine. Not everybody is towing 16,000 lb. cattle trailers up mountains. It's a great chassis with excellent brakes - not everything is power. I probably could have gotten by with an F150, but I paid the extra coin to get a SD just for the tough chassis and solid axles. Most of the guys I know who have Ford/Chevy/Dodge diesels don't tow anything!! I honestly like it more than I expected I would. The fact that I received a good deal on a leftover '08 was a bonus.

I tow a 20' enclosed car trailer, and loaded it probably weighs around 6500 to 7000 lbs, which my 5.4 handles well. The TS auto does a good job of keeping it in the power band as well. Once you get used to the overhead cam engine power band (it just needs more rpm's to perform), it's more than adequate. I just finished a mini-vacation on secondary roads and got 17 mpg while running moderate (60-65 mph) speeds. I was not towing anything, but I had the family of 5 in it and a bunch of gear in the bed. It's not a miracle engine of course (500 lb ft power and 25 mpg highway would be close to a miracle engine for me), but a solid, reliable base engine.....

 

I be luvin mine it dose everything I want it to do haule heavy ,plow lotsa snow, drive everyday,gas mileage who cares,race truck ??? but I can hang with it

 

Luv minze

 

I have an '08 4X4 CC 3.73 5.4L. I have three tool boxes on it and a lift gate. I often haul 2500 lbs. of wash soaps as well. As others have already stated, it's up to the task. Most of those that say it's no good, underpowered, or whatever, don't have one and/or are dieselheads that won't be satisfied with anything with less power. My $.02

 

Mine has never let me down, always did what I asked of it, a great engine.
When I want a lot of speed I take a spin on the motorcycle :-)

 

2009 CC 4WD with 4.10 & ZF6. I too agree that the 5.4L is a good base engine. I was bragging on the overall package of the F250- it's impressive. Bigger brakes, stronger axles, and more gearing options make the F250 a great vehicle. Even the base engine trucks tow well, if that's what you want to do. My truck on 35" tires is still able to get 13-14mpg out on the highway. The only thing I don't like about my truck (or any late model Super Duty for that matter) is the drive by wire throttle. At the present time, that's the single most compelling reason for a tuner.

 

I love my 08 f-250 4X4 5.4L. It does what I need it to do. And I was impressed when I towed 9500lbs and had another 2000lbs in the bed and it towed it pretty well. Of course I had to give it gas on hills but I was expecting it to struggle but it really didn't. Now once I swap out the gears I bet it would tow and haul that weight again with no sturggle up hills.

 

Another happy 5.4L owner here. I've said it a number of times on here but I'll say it again ---- apparently I'm easy to please because mine seems to have no trouble keeping speed up mountains, towing reasonably sized loads, hauling, and such for my driving style, location, etc.

I think some people's egos can't handle it if their truck has to downshift when pulling a hill or towing.

I bought mine mostly for the crew cab with a "real" bed and the solid axles. I was considering an F150 supercrew when truck shopping (2007) but those with a 6.5' bed were too far and few between. I didn't even get to lay my eyes on one, much less test drive one. They're a little bit more common around here now.

 

I like the 5.4 in my F-150. I truly believe that that is the better mating with truck and engine. I hated the two weeks that I had to deal with a 5.4 in a 3/4 ton. It wasn't up to snuff for me, for someone it probably works, but not for me.

I'm actually quite pleased with the 150, much more then I thought I would be, but I just don't think it's that great in a 250 on up platform except for those that are on the margin between getting away with the f150 for the job or bumping up a little bit to the 250. It does have it's place, but its a very specific place.

 

I have a 04 F250 with the 5.4L, and I love it. The engine might be on the smalll side, but if you know how to use the power, and aren't expecting huge leaps of speed while towing or hauling, then you'll be fine. I had an 06 F150 with the same engine, but I actually like it in the 250 better.

The next truck will probably be a 450, at which point i'm going to a diesel.

 

Again in agreeing with everyone that is a good base engine. The only trouble I have with it is that using it for business purposes you cannot just connect 9,000lbs worth of trailer and 1,800lbs in the bed without being overweight (GCWR). Yes the DOT has to catch you but I have heard it is a PITA and expensive when they do. So for me it does what it needs to but I cold use more GCWR. My 06 Supercab long bed 4x4 is rated to tow around 9,300lbs and a similar V-10/Diesel can do 12,500. 3k can be a big difference. The trucks are no different structurally just a more powerful engine. I guess it depends on what you use it for. Towing the family travel trailer..sure, towing a skid steer or mini ex...not really. Again only coming from a weight/DOT issue.
I also do not like the electronically controlled throttle!! It never functions the same and sometimes the delay on acceleration is annoying. Also I did have an 05 F-150 with the 5.4 and that F-150 moved with it. Add near 2,000lbs (F-250) and that is why the motor is a little down on power. It's just like towing a 2k trailer with the 150.

 

I'm not sure where you are getting this info from, but from a legal standpoint the 5.4 has the same gcwr as the PSD or the v10. If you are going by Ford's gcwr then you can throw that out the window because the DOT doesn't care what the manufacture says about it. Ford has a lower recommended gcwr, but that's all it is, a recommendation. Before Ford started adjusting the gvwr based on engine, you could actually tow MORE legally with a 5.4 because it weighed less and had more payload.

Take my 2000 F250 5.4 for example. It has a gvwr of 8,800 lbs and weighs 5,500 lbs. That means I have 3,300 lbs of payload. Ford gave it a recommended gcwr of 15,000 lbs, but I used to tow a trailer that weighed 15,000 lbs by itself. 15,000 lb trailer x 20% pin weight=3,000 on the bed. Still 300 lbs of payload left over, still under my legal gvwr and still under the 26,000 lb legal gcw. My actual combined weight was 25,500 lbs.

Now compare that to a 2000 F250 with a diesel. Ford gave it a recommended gcwr of 20,000 lbs. It still has the same 8,800 lb gvwr, but it weighs about 6,200 lbs. That means it has a payload of 2,600 lbs. Divide 2,600 by 20% and the most you can tow with it is 13,000 lbs. That gives it a combined weight of 19,600 lbs and that is the most you can tow without going over your gvwr(which is a legal number).

 

Totally happy with mine at 5k miles. 1250 of that towing an 8500 lb 30' 5th wheel. Even after four Cummins Rams and a Hemi powered 2500HD. The biggest problem isn't lack of power but people's perception of the engine screaming, struggling and fixing to blow because it simply wants to run in it's power band when pulling a hill. 4k rpm is a cake walk for the 5.4L. The power is there but you have to be comfortable using it. Won't hurt it a bit.
Just today while coming home from a great time at the gun range and crossing the Sunshine Skyway bridge's half mile of 5% grade, we had to pass a second gen Dodge Cummins towing a fairly small 5th wheel but enough to cause the Cummins to shift to direct. He had traffic backed up and when we finally got beside him I could hear the Cummins groaning low rpm at 45~mph. Obviously, considering my own experiences crossing the bridge towing with my Cummins Rams, his needed direct but he was more than likely afraid of the sound of the Cummins running 27-2900rpm. So there he was with all that torque and gear reduction at his avail and afraid to use it. No smoke or signs of trouble so I can only assume that was the case. As is also the case with people towing with small block gas engines. The power is there if you're not afraid to use it.
At the gun range was a friend with his 2004 F250 SD 5.4L 3.73 that he uses to tow his race car in an inclosed trailer with. He's also very happy with his 5.4L.