Ford F-250 V-10 is this the truck for me?
Hello everybody. I have been reading all the information I can about Ford F-250's. Also to just about everybody I see driving one with the V-10 in them. This is what I would like to get your opinions on. I will be towing a fifth wheel which weighs around 9,500 to 10,500 depending on where and how long we will be going. Every day driving will be about 50 to 75 miles week. I have friends that tell me you can get 18 to 20 miles per gallon out of the V-10 by adding a power chip , flow master exhaust , and K&N filters. Is this possible? I can believe maybe 16 miles but not 20. So any information you can give me on the V-10, and how well they do for you will be appreciated. Oh ya , a psd is out of the question . My wife wont let me get one. I plan on getting a 2000 F-250 crew cab with the V-10. Thanks
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You probably won't like this next statement, but here goes anyway. A 10k lb fiver will overload a 250 CC. Most everyone I know with a F-250 PSD CC that has weighed their truck tells me it will come in around 7,500 lbs. That's its loaded weight, without the fiver. That includes you and your spouse, if any, and children, if any, and all your gear that you normally put in the truck for a weekend, and full of gas. The GVWR on a F-250 is 8,800 lbs, that leaves you 1,300 lbs of hitch capacity. A 10k fiver will put about 2,000 lbs on its hitch. You'll be fine with your GCWR as it should be at or near 20k lbs. I see people doing this all the time and they never seem to have any trouble. However, get into a wreck with someone that is suit happy, if they find out your overloaded, look out!!! Step up to a SRW F-350. There's not that much difference in price and you'll get a 9,900 lb GVWR, giving you 1,100 lbs more carrying capacity.
There's nothing wrong with a stock V10
kip
As far as chips go, it'll help your power, it'll rev better, and shift faster - but as far as improving mileage don't count on it. One other thing - most of the chips require you to use Premium gas - it's $1.99 here in CT- that's a $77 fill up. K & N filter, I've been told is good for 0.5 to 1 mpg better.
My truck is basically stock, except for extra gauges, and stereo gear. I tow around 8500 lbs - my V10, auto with 3.73 has no problems (of course it hasn't gone over the Rockies...yet), except I average about 8 mpg.
One gotcha with 4x4 F350 vs. F250. The F350 4x4 has 4" tall lift blocks in the rear suspension, F250 4x4 only has 2" blocks; all 2wd have 2" blocks. The 4 inchers can cause either your Hitch or the bed rails to be too high when you go to hook up your Fiver. Ford does sell a retrofit to lower F350s.
F350 only really gets you higher legal capacity - almost all drivetrain and suspension components are identical from 2001's on up. There are a small handfull of beefier pins, bushings, etc. that make up the 350, but I think you'd have to get under the truck with a set of calipers to measure things in order to see any differences - they're not obvious to naked eye.
As I've said before, nobody ever complains about getting too much truck, but you sure hear it when they don't have enough truck to do what they want to.
You mentioned the hitch weight of the fiver being 1,120 lbs. HE,HE,HE, don't count on it. That is the dry weight of the hitch before any options have been added to the fiver with no water, gas, or nothing else onboard. I think rv manufacturers understate the dry and gross weights of their rigs. I have a 31' Prowler TT that has a stated gross weight of 7,960 lbs. According to the info that came with it, it should weigh 5,470 lbs. dry. Now, my camper has several options including the fiberglass siding, which is heavy. I have never weighed it, but I can tell you it pulls much heavier than my flatbed bumper hitch trailer when it weighs a known 8k lbs.
Like Walt said, nobody complains about getting too much truck. Now if you want the ultimate in stability and not have to worry about how much you put in the truck, get a DRW.
Don't buy one of the 99's. Too many first year problems too mention. FORD wound up giving me $5000 credit to buy a new one and gave me almost retail for taking my 99 back.
I OWN the 2002 F250 SC 4x4 V10 3.73
35 more HP right from the beginning, same as the 2000 and 2001.
I put K&N, Flowmaster, and JBA headers on the 99. Gave me at least 20-25 more HP, didn't see the mileage gain because I kept my foot in the gas too much.
I put the K&N and the JBA headers on the 2002, no Flowmaster for now. Will probably just put in a straight pipe instead of a muffler at all.
I pull a 7500lb Terry Resort TT. Loaded for camping, full LP tanks, 15 gal water, food, clothes, everything.
Both trucks LOADED for camping including Wife and two kids and one dog.....6400lbs.
Mileage:
99 empty 11-12 city 15-16 hwy
99 hauling 9-10 hwy 8-9 mountains
02 empty 10-11 city 14-15 hwy
02 hauling 9-10 hwy 8-9 mountains
Definitly get the K&N helps at any speed.
Muffler mods highly recommended, helps any speed.
Headers, maybe, depends on what you are after.
The way I know it and feel it...it moves your torque and power farther up your RPM scale. I could not tell by feel or by clocking it any improvement from 0-60. The 50-85 mph pulls much harder and quicker.
For towing, all or most of the time, I would not recommend headers. For hot rodding around town and the occasional truck pulling events I would recommend them. I won first place in July at the street truck, gasoline class in my home town. Beat the Chevy HD by 7 inches, its not much but I won. I can just think of how much better it would have been if I were not running 285/75/16's.
Now that I'm done it seems more like a buck and a quarter, than 2 cents.
As for the V-10, it starts and runs very well and tows our trailer easily. My milage is very similar to what Fordtuf reported above - 14 to 15 unloaded highway, 8 to 9 fully loaded and towing.