I have heard people brag on the 3.5 for it gas mileage. I was just wondering what people was getting on there stock, modified, and tuned engines?

 

18 mpg around town. Stock

 

The way one drives and the gear ratio have a HUGE effect on the mileage. I put quite a few miles on 3 different eco's with different gear ratio's. Close to 1mpg between each gear ratio.

Speed and heavy foot a big factor, are you talking 4x2 or 4x4?

 

16.5 to 17.7 mixed town and country.

20 to 23 on longer trips

Edit: Don't forget the "OHMYGAWD!!!" power...

 

Sorry but those numbers to me are not that impressive to me. I was wanting people to say more like 18-21 city and 25-27 highway.

 

I'm getting 20 mixed and 23-24 hwy, 4x4 with 3.31 axles.

Compared to my '88 4x4 reg cab 5.8L and 3.55 axles, I was getting 13 mixed and 17 hwy.

Also compared to '04 Expy 4x2 4.6L with the 3.73 axle, I get about 14 mixed and 18-19 hwy.

The 3.5L has significantly more HP and more Tq and the Tq band is spread out much better over a longer RPM range.

If you want a truck merely for MPG's then the very capable 3.7L with a 3.73 axle is the way to go.

Or, you could just get a 6.2L truck and have wicked HP - TQ numbers and get crappy MPG's in an engine that's no more capable than the 3.5L.

 

I was just thinking it is more hype than anything. Not saying those are not good numbers thou ,but like I said i was just curious.
Since we are throwing out numbers My f-250 crewcab 4x4 6.0l diesel usually average between 15 to 17 mixed , not really sure on the highway part cause i have not driven on the highway much lately , but i have heard people claim they get 21 to 24.(tuned+modified).
I know what you are going to say well diesel cost more per gallon or those numbers are not as good as the ecoboost, but the truck also weighs over 10000lbs.

I got to have a truck for work like most others but its getting were i don't need the f250 just curious about my alternatives.

I think we all need to strive to get better gas mileage just to keep more money in our pockets. I think ford should be able to do better than 23 highway.

 

mine is worse than the '08 5.4L I had, BUT!!!! I know its 90% how I drive, and what I use it for. Its my work truck, and 4/5 trips its towing a trailer...when its not towing a trailer, I'm enjoying the turbocharged power...

 

Is there chevyramoyota that does better? If there is it aint by much, and with a fraction of the hp/tq.

Bottom line is when it comes to half-tons, Ford is on top of the stack.

 

I am a ford fan always have always will.
But still they can do better.

 

Im not saying they couldnt, but this is the best time to be looking for a new truck. Maybe the ecoboost would be capable of a whole lot more. But, if you were debuting an engine that was unprecedented in an American pickup; wouldn't your chances of initial success be all the higher if you got better fuel economy than the competition AND spanked them in the power department too?

 

Sure, they can do better. The question is, would you buy it?

In 4x4 trim, the Ecoboost is rated at 15 city/21 highway. That's equal to or better than all their mainstream competitors.

The only one that does better is Chevy/GMC with the hybrid Silverado/Sierra. It's rated at 20 city/23 highway (4x4), which is the best of any truck currently on sale in the USA.

However, the hybrid system adds about $7,000 to the price of the truck, it adds additional batteries that need to be replaced every ~10 years or so, and there is a significant reduction in payload and towing capacity. Towing goes from 9500lbs to 5900lbs. Payload goes from 1712lbs to 1509lbs.

For most people, the slight increase in fuel economy isn't worth the increase in cost and decrease in capability. This is why sales of the Silverado Hybrid are simply miserable.

Along the same lines, Dodge has been talking about adding a small diesel engine to their half-ton Ram trucks. That would easily net the 18+ city/25+ highway you're looking for. However, the engine would be at least a $3,000 option over the 5.7L Hemi, it would be significantly less powerful, it will require Diesel Exhaust Fluid, and diesel fuel itself is presently more expensive than gasoline in most areas.

Again, it's all a big gamble as to whether or not people will actually buy it. Ford took a big gamble with the ecoboost, as they weren't sure if people would pay more for a smaller and more complicated engine, just to get a few better mpg than competitor's top V8's. So far they've been lucky, as the Ecoboost has been selling extremely well.

 

The whole problem here is that one of two negative testimonials will offset all the great things that have been said and positive experiences that folks are having with their EB trucks.

Here's another positive note for you all.

Yesterday, 8-20-12 we took our daughter to college in Staunton, Va which is 200 miles Northwest of us. It's very mountainous in that area.

We started off in the rain so I ran about 60 mph and was maintaining a constant 26.5 on the flats and achieving over 27 at times and not throttling back either.

As we reached the outskirts of Richmond, Va the weather had cleared, the roads were dry and I was able to make some time, or get run over. Running 75-80 in changing terrain I was easily getting 23.

Once we got about 60 miles outside of Staunton it became increasingly hillier and more winding. By the time we reached Staunton at about 8 am, I was still getting over 21.5 in the mountains running the same higher speeds.

We left Staunton at about 3:30 pm in great weather and I layed the hammer down all the way home running 75-80. The speed limit is 70 anyway. I never bought fuel again till we got home at about 6pm. My average MPG's for the day were right at 22.

The power seemed endless, the ride and handling we superb and the truck never felt like it was even worked hard.

For people who live in the mountains or in very hilly areas, your mileage may not be very good, then again a V-8 is thirsty too.

 

well said

 

I'm sure that Ford could do much better in the gas mileage department BUT, gas mileage doesn't sell trucks, performace does. Gas mileage is only one of the many performance parameters that most truck buyers consider and my guess is that it's one of the less important ones. Certainly, the engineers knew that they had to have good or very good mileage when they designed the latest version of the F150. But they also knew that it could not be at the expense of other performance aspects. When I compare my old 1997 4.6 4x4 3.55 SC to my 2011 EB 4x4 3.55 Screw, here are the numbers I get:

HP increased from 220 to 365 (+40%), torque increased from 265 to 420 (+37%), GCWR increased from 11,500 to 15,000 (+24%), trailer towing increased from 6800 lbs to 9800 lbs (+30%), city mileage increased from 14mpg to 16 mpg (+15%), and highway mileage increased from 16mpg to 20 mpg (+20%). All this happened while increasing vehicle weight from about 5000 lbs to about 5500 lbs (+10%).

I think Ford knows that cutting tow rating, load capacity, or power would cost them far more market share than they would gain by upping the mpg.