ford v-10 engine

jjones673 · October 1999

any experience on reliability of Ford' big gas
v-10 engine; is v-10 the way to go on F250 crew
cab models, or would V-8 suffice?

Rocles · October 1999

The 5.4 is fine for the F-250. V-10? Love it! I'll tell you though, Mr. Brutus is a good example on the V-10 user.

jraske · October 1999

I have talked to sevral people with the V-8 and they were all disapointed with power.
Everybody likes the V10 power wise, but i have got
conflicting stories on mpg. Some say as much as 16 mpg,others as low as 10 mpg.
After talking to verious people and a ford distributer I decided to go with the power stroke diesel.This is a expensive option but one that I think will be worth the extra bucks.
If you dont want the diesel or dont want to spend the money for it you should go with the V-10 John

swobig · October 1999

V-10 only a $400 option?? Why wouldn't you - besides gas mileage...

Brutus · October 1999

The mpg gain with the V-8 over the V-10 is probably only 1mpg and, in my opinion, not worth the loss of 45hp and lots of torque. Average V-10 mpg with the 3.73 axle ratio is about 14 hwy and 10-12 city, depending on your driving. I can believe some post of 15mpg, but the 16mpg reports are likely with a tailwind. The average I have heard with the V-8 is 14-16hwy. I'm not sure about the city mpg.

I have the 4.30 axle ratio with my V-10 in a dually 4x4. The 4.30 and the dually cost me a couple of mpg. I average 11.5-12 hwy, 9.5-10 in a city/hwy combo, and 8.5-9 with my heavy slide-in camper on. I can get 9.5-10 with the camper on if I keep the speed around 55. It doesn't happen very often. I've got almost 24,000 miles on my truck with about 10,000 of it with the camper on.

jjones673 · October 1999

I test drove a v-8 in a 250 supercab and the v-10 in 250 crew cab (only vehicle types available with those engines). Up the same hill, there was an obvious difference between the engines, even thought the v-8 was in a slightly smaller truck. My main concern was gas mileage with the v-10.

Another concern I have is that I understand the v-10 engine is only about 2 years old (whereas the v-8 is time-tested), and was wondering if there are any articles about its reliability or what you've heard or experienced with the v-10.

tmats1 · October 1999

Jones-I never even considered the V-8. We're driving a '93 extended cab with the 351 in it now and 14 is all I can coax out of it. When I heard that 14 was possible with the V-10 with 3.73 gearing that sounded good enough for me. My work truck is a diesel, and I get tired of listening to it, besides, you can buy a lot of gas for $4600.
Finally, my martial arts instructor is a Ford mechanic. He likes the V-10 and said it's what he'd get. His dad is a member of an RV club, says that talk among the RV crowd is very positive on the V-10. T

jjones673 · October 1999

told me that you'd have to put 210,000 miles on diesel engine before breaking even on fuel economy. I too don't want to pay $4k or so for privilege of listening to that rattle over 210k miles (about 10 years for me) waiting to start saving cash on fuel.

Brutus · October 1999

jjones,

The Ford Triton line of engines was introduced in the 1997 remodel of the F-150, so essentially the entire line of Ford gas engines is only a couple years old. The Triton line was created with the V-10 in mind. It was first introduced in the Econoline Van a year or two before the Superduty. If you go to an RV show, you'll notice that almost all of the Class C campers are on Ford Chassis with the V-10 engines. I would use the 5.4L as the measuring stick for reliabilty although you people should start getting up there in miles on the Superduties pretty quick.

The V-10 uses a high percentage of the same parts as the 5.4L, whereas the 460 shared very few parts with the 351. This saves Ford money, which is why we can get the V-10 option for so much less than it cost to get the 460 option. I only paid $275 for the V-10 option in my 99, although I believe the option is around $400 for 2000.

I've been hearing some interesting mpg figures for the 2000 V-10. Crazyelvis is reporting 16.5 hwy and 12.5 city for his 2000 V-10 so far in the Superduty topic.

jp49 · October 1999

I have a V-10 in my 99 250sd 2wd w/4:30 rear. If your considering hauling/towing any kind of weight go with the 10 over the 8.. I was discovered (like Brutus)that the V10 was used extensively in Motorhomes and Vans before they were placed in the Superduties (kind of a test market) they did some small upgrades (replaced some bushings w/bearings ect.), also they matched up the tranny with the one in the diesel so it should be more durable. As for mileage I live 3 mi. from work and it's stop & go light to light. I fill up at the same station,level ground, complete fill, and get 10 - 10.3 the best was on flat highway w/ tailwind @15.2mpg for 211 mi.trip. the place I filled up was not level so figure maybe @ -.5 that still puts you in the 14 range which is what I have been seeing for flat highway running empty so w/ 3.73 you should reach your mark if you take it easy. (I just hit the cruise and enjoy the ride) Also forgot to mention I have a topper that helps with wind drag. All that said, I think anyone would be happier with the "10" just knowing it's there when you need it.

crazyelvis · October 1999

Now that 16.5 mpg reading was on my third tank of gas.....going from Tampa to Orlando....pretty straight drive...only one hill on the way....Trip computer (Lariat) and manual calculation came up 16.3-16.5. Around town I am getting 12.2 12.5 calculated out manual and with trip computer. I believe in a break in period....which in the Ford owners manual they say don't worry about a break in.......but for the first 1000 miles I did not drive the car hard.....the trip to Orlando I varied speeds on I4 between 60-75 mph. With my latest tank of gas I have been giving it a little more of a lead foot and the trip computer is giving me a reading of 11.7 MPG. I will be filling up tomorrow (thurs) and will report the manual reading I take. I don't anticipate any highway driving for a while so I won't be reporting that.

swobig · October 1999

is that much better is it?? Is the 2000 V-10 still rated 275 horse??

lvstang · October 1999

No, the 2000's have 310 horses and 425 lbs. of torque.

swobig · October 1999

must have done something significant to get 35 more horse. Mileage is better too??

Brutus · October 1999

I heard a rumor that it was exhaust related. I guess that makes sense. If you look at an aftermarket product like the Power Pak from Gale Banks, the biggest components are Ram Air and Headers. Basically, they're getting more air in and being more efficient getting the exhaust out. Gale Banks claims increases of close to 70hp and 85ft-lb of torque for the 460. That's quite a gain for air intake and exhaust modifications. Someone in the Superduty topic was suppose to hav a Power Pak installed on his 2000 V-10 a couple of weeks ago. I'm interested to hear if he thinks the power increase was worth a couple grand.

Rocles · October 1999

crazyelvis,
No offense but that's easy riding. That "hill" in between Orlando and Tampa is more like a slight incline. Try that puppy up here in Pennslyvania and we're getting @12mpg on a good day.

Brutus,
No way. 70hp increase because of exhaust modifications? In the biker-world, that's called the Harley-myth. Anything higher than 20hp would be incredible and need a full examination to prove claim.

cdean · October 1999

mostly intake and combustion technology advances. In '96 Chevy upped their horsepower from 200 to 255 by changing the intake runners and head design. they called them Vortec, because the air was entering the cylinder in a swirling vortex, which was the best combustion condition. Thats what Ford has done to bump up their HP so much in the last couple of years. changed the air intake and the head design. Tuned exhaust does help, but like Roc said, its only a minor HP improvement. The improved intake makes the fuel burn so much better: thats where the power comes from.

Brutus · October 1999

The Banks system is more than just ram air and headers. I oversimplified. The hp and torque gains have supposedly been verified by independent sources. I would never use an aftermarket product until I heard from people who actually had the modifications done and noticed a significant gain. I also wouldn't do anything that had the potential to reduce the life of my engine, such as a supercharger. Banks claims that their modification increases engine life. I interpret that as "it doesn't reduce engine life".

crazyelvis · October 1999

I was just joking about the hill....and Penn.???? I used to live in the Himalaya's. Now there is some hilly driving. Penn. couldn't compare to that!!!!!! I used to get 3-4 MPG driving in the Himalayan chain.
It's called a joke....pokin' fun at that "HILL" between Tampa and Orlando!!!!!!! My driveway is also inclined....can I use that in my MPG reports????? And Butus.....I believe ya man!!! I know about the power pak. you are talking about...and I have seen dyno reports from a local speed shop.....impressive!!!

Rocles · October 1999

crazyelvis,
Hmmmmm, didn't seem to be stated as a "joke". Himalayas? Yeah, they are a little higher than the ones in North America. LOL!! Cool off big guy--I misread you--my mistake.

swobig · November 1999

Chevy 6.0L V-8 is a better choice than the Ford V-10. With the recent 2000 power increases do you think this closes the gap?? I may need to get a new truck very quickly because of a new job. Would like a 3/4 ton either Chevy or Ford and trying to make the best choice. Mostly a daily driver, but would do some heavy duty towing for work once in a while...

modvptnl · November 1999

I don't think there is a question of the G.M. truck being a more nimble, quicker, more responsive vehicle. In equally equipped trucks the G.M. is 800 lbs. lighter. If you need a crew cab or need the extra towing/hauling ability, if things like full floating axles are important and just having a basically heavier duty truck the Ford is the answer. If an extended cab is all you need and you're going to tow over 10,000 lbs than I'd say G.M. And of course the most important factor is personal preference. Drive 'em both and see which one you like best.
Good luck.

modvptnl · November 1999

I meant tow under 10,000 lbs

m1685 · November 1999

I am a diehard chevy person, but I would sure drive a ford superduty. If you need one quick, it may be tougher to find a chevy 3/4 ton. They are out there, they just never have the options you want. Since you want a daily driver, the chevy may be the choice, if you can find one. My 2000 3/4 ton chevy rides really good, but it does have the light duty shock option (Z83 I think is the number). Both the engines have the power, go with what you are more comfortable with.

meredith · December 1999

As a result of 30 or more days of inactivity....

this topic is being "frozen". It will be archived or deleted in the next 10 days or so.

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ford v-10 engine

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