My dad is shopping for a new F-250. The dealer told him the 5.8L is the way to go. Anyone have any comments/experience with this motor?

 

its a V10!

 

If you're going to do it, do it right and go with the 7.3liter powerstroke. You get more power and better mpg.

 

The V-10 is a 6.8l engine, Ford 's V-8 in this truck is a 5.4l engine.

 

Id suggest the PSD if your going to get a Super Duty truck. But if you just arent a diesel person the 10 performs very well. For a gasser

 

Tank,
I just bought a f250 w/ a 5.4
I runs great just make sure he get's the 4:10 gear
I've driving the V10 & the diesels
and I don't know what there bragging about
If I where towing 10,000+ as a daily thing I'd get the diesel
I've got a 2002 S/C 4X4 long bed and it does the job
Have your dad test drive them at the dealership
he won't be disapointed

 

I would do as manx said test drive all 3 engines it trucks very simaler to each other to make up his mind on what to get.

 

Question for Manx, I have a 2000 F-150 Super Cab and am considering upgrading to th F-250 S/C or Supercrew. You said you have the 5.4 in yours with the 4:10 gears. I tow a 7,000 lb. travel trailer presently with my F-150 (3:55 gears) and it does ok. Do you tow with yours and if so, is that why you recommend the 4:10
gears? The main reason for my interest in going to a 250 is I want the heavier duty suspension for towing. Thanks, Point Man.

 

Point Man,
I had a 99 s/c f150 with the 5.4 and 3.73
and up graded this year to the f250 s/c
planned to plow snow
the reason for the 4.10 gear is that it's a heavy truck
just to get it moving with the smaller motor
I've towed a car trailer w/car (about 6,000)
It does ok, you won't win any races
at 75 the tac. shows about 2,200
you should try to test drive them yourself

 

Manx, I just drove a F-250 Lariat Pkg. today, 5.4 with the 4:10's,
The truck drives great but the things revving high just doing 40 MPH ! The dealer got the same truck but in the color I want (Shadow Grey w/ black trim) coming in with a week or so, with 3:73's. I put a small deposit on it and will test drive it when it comes in. Already crunched numbers with those bloodthirsty salesman and scored a good deal! I think with the commuting I do
to and from work and my towing needs (1 or 2 weekends a month), the 3:73's will do without croaking me on fuel consumption. Thanks for the input.......

 

Point man
make sure you drive it before you buy it
and you can't go wrong with dark shadow gray
I bought the same color
Your really going to like the super dutys
the real beauty is under the truck
every thing is big and simple
and the greatest thing that I noticed was that the brakes feel so much better then the F150's

 

I've had my 250 for 5 months now and haven't had a problem with the 5.4l. It has enough power for me since most all I do with it is commute to work. So far the best mileage I've gotten with it is 16.1 when it was warmer out. Now I'm getting about 13.5-14.5 since it is less than 20 degrees out. I could see with the 4.10 gears this engine would wind up a bit, with the 3.73's mine runs about 1700 rpm at 60 mph, not much different than my old 99 150 did with the same gearing. One thing I did notice though was the much improved shifting of the transmission over my old r70w. I also suggest you drive it before you buy, try to get the dealer to let you take the truck for the weekend also, so you can try it out on differing roads and interstates.

 

On the V10s you either get a good one or a bad one... My friends Step dad had a bad one it was SCREWED up!

 

If the sales reptile is telling you to get the 5.8L, get a new sales dude 'cause this one doesnt know about the trucks. He just wants to sell a fat margin, high commission vehicle.

My suggestion is to find the dealer sales rep that specializes in heavy trucks (like F350's and heavier). This guy would point you in the right direction as far as V10 or PSD, axle ratio for the engine and so forth.

 

Many posters note a fuel hit of only 1 or 2 mile per gallon when moving from the 5.4 V8 to the larger V10. That doesn't sound like much, and it's not if you're talking a 30 or 40 mpg econobox, but that's not the case here. When you figure that the 5.4 V8 is only getting 10 to 15 miles per gallon to start with, a 1 or 2 mpg added fuel hit can work out to be an extra 20% or more increase in fuel costs. The V10 may not take as big a fuel use hit as the 5.4 when actually towing a heavy load, but how often do you plan to do that?

Your towing and mileage habits will ultimately determine your best minimal course. If you're a high mileage driver, get the diesel whether you're towing or not. If you're not a high mileage driver, and occasionally tow a trailer of up to, say, 7000 lbs, the 5.4 should be plenty adequate. If you need to tow heavier trailers, consider the V10, and for the heaviest trailers, your only choice is the diesel. In any case, unless I was towing full-time, I would be looking at the most economical axle rating available.

Check out the tow ratings for each engine and axle ratio in the body style you want. That will tell you the minimum you should be considering. Then if you want more, well, "more" can sometimes be better, and can give you greater bragging rights if that matters, but you will end up paying for that "more", in vehicle price, fuel costs, or both. You just have to determine if the "more" gained is worth the "more" price you will pay.

I have a 5.4 V8 with 3.73 axle in my 2002 F250SD 4x4 crew cab. The thing accelerates to and cruises effortlessly at 85 to 90 mph on our less-stringently speed enforced highways, and still has reserve power available.

With a 6500 lb travel trailer attached, it does take a little longer to accelerate to highway speed, but it still easily reaches the speed limit by the end of most thruway on-ramps. It won't accelerate like a race car, but then again, is that what you really want to do with a trailer attached or a load on-board?

For moderate mileage daily driver use and occasional towing of moderate-weight trailers, the 5.4 should do you just fine. If you're towing all of the time, or towing heavier trailer, then it's probably worth a go up to the V10 or the diesel. Look at what you need first, then at what constitutes candy if you really feel a need for candy.

And remember, most sales staff will almost always try to sell you more even if you don't need it, because doing so usually bumps up their sales commision.