Ford F-Series Real World MPG Numbers

wahooo · December 2004

Please give mileage figures for the 2005 F350, 6.0 Diesel, Crew Cab, DRW, 2WD, 4.10 LS rear end. Thanks

vrice · December 2004

2005 F350 Lariet Crew Cab, 6.0, 4x4 SRW, 3.73 gears. Second tank, 18 MPG.. less than 1000 miles..What a truck!!! Pulles like a bandit.. I am going to order exhaust and chip soon I think..

PF_Flyer · January 2005

How is your F-Series truck treating you at the pump?? Are you beating those EPA estimates in the real world?

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mullins87 · January 2005

I get around 18 mpg highway, empty under 70 mph. Over 70 mph drops me to 16.5 mpg. Loaded with my Jeep on a 16' flatbed, probably grossing about 11,000lbs, I'll get around 14 mpg. Pulling a larger trailer, grossing over 15,000lbs, the mileage drops to around 11 mpg. This truck currently has 165,000 miles on her.

xwesx · January 2005

Those #'s are very consistent with what my grandfather gets with his '97 350 7.3L 4x4 (non-dually). The most significant drop in mileage comes @ speeds over 70mph (which he does frequently). He has noted that his 35' dual-axle 5th wheel trailer nets him worse mileage (11-13 mpg depending on winds) than his 40' quad-axle boat trailer for his 32' cabin cruiser (~14 mpg), even though the boat weighs better than 3x as much. In his words, "the boat pulls much easier."

In my opinion, these are all very good #s considering I get about 11 mpg with my '69 Chevy 307 running empty and drops fast when I pull a load, and I would be crawling if I pulled that boat trailer while he pulls it at 65 mph even up some sizable grades.

aspesisteve · January 2005

I drive this thing like a baby, rarely gunning it and easy on the breaks and still can't crack 15 mpg even on the HWY with nothing in the bed.

knmhoffman · January 2005

I have a 2004 Ford F-250 Crew Cab 6.0 diesel. It has 3.73 gears, 35" tires and a 5 1/2" lift on it. My average gas mileage is 13.7 highway, 11 city and 5.6 towing. When I took into Ford they told me that the towing numbers were really low, and chances were something was wrong. When I picked it up they told me that NOTHING was wrong and that the mileage is what it is. Has anyone heard of this before?

Even before my modifications, the best I got was around 14 highway. There is only 6700 miles, and the service guy said to wait until it breaks in, and then the mileage should start to go up??

driftracer · January 2005

calculating correctly - did you install a new speedo gear to correct for the 35" tires? Those are 3-4" taller than stock, throwing off your speedometer by around 10-12%, depending on what tires came stock (235/85-16, 265/75-16, or 265/70-17) - you're traveling a lot more miles than your odometer is recording...

Secondly, if you're like me, you're not driving like a grandma - like me, you've probably done Banks or Bully Dog exhaust, and love to romp is to make it make noise...that flat KILLS your mileage.

Combine incorrect calculations with less than conservative driving, and I'd say you're doing pretty good.

The towing mileage? Those 3.73 gears are too tall to try to tow with 35" tires - you need 4.11s or a little higher to adjust to normal operating ranges (engine and transmission) - you're working them pretty hard with the 3-4" taller tires and no change in gear ratios.

wpalkowski · January 2005

I thought that you no longer had to change speedo gear to adjust for larger tires. All the dealer needed to do was program in a new value for the larger tire circumference, and then the computer adjusts the speedo and odometer accordingly for the new number of revolutions per mile.

driftracer · January 2005

can't do that for non-OEM tires, you need a piggyback ECM to do that, and a laptop - I would seriously question the ability of any technician (in a dealership) to be able to do this - having that adjustable software actually voids your warranty...

Even if the recalibration was done, that's still a lot more work for the engine and trans, especially when towing - just because the speedometer may be accurate, it doesn't account for the extra weight and rolling diameter your engine has to push around, especially when towing.

mullins87 · January 2005

I'd say you're probably doing about as well as can be expected considering your current setup. I agree with the others that you need to regear to 4.11's. If my "off the cuff" calculations are correct, 4.11's should put you pretty close to factory gearing.

I have a Jeep Wrangler with the little 2.5L 4 cylinder, 4.10 gears and 31" tires. To the best of my knowledge, it has never broken 15mpg.

superduty1 · January 2005

Just bought my first 2005 F-250 Crew Cab Diesel with the 6 1/2 foot bed. I really enjoy my truck. I just wished it came if a larger fuel tank. Has anyone out there replaced their stock fuel tank with an after market one? I've seen one on the internet that holds 46 gals. Any advise?

aspesisteve · January 2005

just how many gallons does your current tank hold?

when I bought my '04 F150 it had a 35 gallon tank (factory upgrade) as did many trucks on the lot.

that's plenty big for me

connon1 · January 2005

04 crew cab with short bed holds 28 gallons. When I got mine I dont believe there was another tank option. I would rather have the larger tank.BTW, paid $2.16 per gal. for last tankful here in NJ.Paying that much almost seems like I have a bigger tank.

overkill0084 · January 2005

I did a couple of things on mine (2001 5.4L 4X4) that helped a bit. First go get a K&N filter, not a huge help, but it is noticeable. Second get something over the bed,(dropping the tailgate doesn't help) I put a soft tonneau(?) on mine. Don't forget to check tire pressure as well. Driving from Utah to Washington state, I managed 19 mpg on one tank, though 17.5 to 18 seems the norm (HWY). It still sucks in town, 12.5 approx. Something else to remember as well, the new design, while cool, added around 500 pounds to the truck; this can't help milege either. Take heart though, every Dodge truck owner I've ever talked to has it worse.

larck · February 2005

I have an F-150 with 3500 miles on it. I get 12.6 to 13.5 in mpg in town and 15.3 mpg on the highway. I think this is in line with what most people are getting ??

wrightman · February 2005

I have the same problem with my 2005 f-350 crew cab. I get 12-13 mpg normal driving. The best I got was 16.5 when I took a trip to Chicago from California. I only have 8200 miles and am wondering some of the same things. I just met another guy in my town who has an '05 and is only getting 13-14 also. My dealer just told me "You should be getting better than that." Hopefully somthing can be done because I feel cheated, due to misrepresentation when I was buying.

wpalkowski · February 2005

Wrightman,
F350 CC and you're getting 12 -13 mpg, that's really not all the bad. You don't say what engine or whether you're a 4x4, or 4x2. or long bed or short bed. You're a lot heavier, and have a bigger payload than the F150 yet you're getting comparable mileage! Still quite painful though when you have to fill up.

explorerx4 · February 2005

i had a '00 expedition rated at 12 city 16 highway. usually got 12-13, unless a long trip then 16-17. that's about right.

spoom · March 2005

'03 F150 4x4 w/5.4L No matter how hard I try, I get about 12mpg in mixed driving and maybe 17 in mostly hwy driving: (
Have about 11k miles on it and running full-synth 5-20.

pusterracing · March 2005

I have an '03 F350 SuperCrew KingRanch 6.0L Powerstroke with 19K miles on it, with a fiberglass rear lid. I average ~17-19mpg unloaded hwy and ~12-13mpg hwy pulling a 27' travel trailer. Unloaded City is ~16 mpg.

I've been pleased with these numbers, and I can say I don't baby it, but I also don't jump all over the gas either.

mclmn35 · March 2005

I'm trying to decide which truck to buy. It's between a 99'F-350 diesel, crew , 4x4, longbed with around 100k miles on it, or an F-150 4.3L V6, crew, short bed, 4x4, with about 21k miles. Which do you think would get the better mileage? And do you think the 150 would tow much?

ANYBODY HAVE ANSWERS?

pusterracing · March 2005

Okay, not too familiar with the 4.3L V6, what year? Anyway, with the 4.6L V8 the F150 has a standard towing capacity of ~6000Lbs, Maximum of MAYBE 7000lbs, but you'd be pushing it. I couldn't tow a 4700lb (dry weight) travel trailer with a 2000 Expedition with a 4.6L comfortably, even though it had a standard towing capacity of 6000lbs.

With the '99 F350 7.3L Powerstorke, you get 12,000lbs towing off of the "bumper" and up to 14500 if you use gooseneck/5th wheel.

Fuel mileage.....figure 16/20 for the F150 and 14/18 for the F350. 100K miles on a diesel is nothing, the engine is just being broken in. If it were me...I'd go for the F350 Powerstorke, but that's my $0.02. You'll be able to drive it just as long, if not longer than the F150 with 21K miles AND you get tons more towing capacity and the fuel mileage doesn't drop that much. If you chip it, you'll be able to get better fuel mileage than the F150.

xwesx · March 2005

Yeah, I'd have to agree. Honestly, I cannot understand why you would even be comparing these vehicles. If you think the F150 would handle your needs, then the F350 is absolute overkill. Vice versa, and you're wasting your time even considering the F150; V-6 OR V-8.

my05f150 · April 2005

ANyone have a 04-05 f150 5.4 3.55 rear end supercrew 2wd real world mpg
i am averaging 16-17 hwy 13-14 city is that good or bad 400 odo

shine · April 2005

I currently own a 2004 Ram QC 2500 4x4 The gas is killin me. I am looking at a 4.6 4x4 SUPERCAB F 150. I currently average 12mpg. 1/2 city 1/2 highway. With the lighter truck (I'm sure the SC is lighter than the QC) what should I reasonably expect. I've looked at Colorado and Frontiers but I have always had full size trucks and don't know if I could adjust to the mid size. I could even live with a Regular Cab if the mpg was better. Any help would be appreciated.

wpalkowski · April 2005

Unfortunately, I don't think any full sized pickup is going to alleviate your wallet pain. Even if you get 15-16 mpg with an F150 it's still going to be expensive - there's still all that mass to move around, (I think cab size only account for a few hundred pounds in weight difference) and pickup trucks are about as aerodynamic as a garage door

You could switch over to a diesel, they get better mileage than a gas engine pushing around the same amount of weight. However, diesel engines are more expensive to buy up front and in my area diesel fuel is about 30 cents more expensive per gallon than gas.
Don't know about midsize trucks, do have friend with a Ford Ranger who consistently gets around 20 mpg - but I could almost fit his truck in the bed of my F350.
You could do like me. My truck is a V10, and it gets 10-11 mpg in the city. It takes 39 gallons to fill it - it's pushing close to $100 for a full tank of gas.

Luckily,It is not my daily driver - it only gets used when I have to haul or tow something now. My other car is an an older Honda

that gets ~25 mpg in the city and ~38-40 on the Highway.

jej673 · April 2005

thinking of trading in my '02 F250 for a new F150 because gas (87) in northern NM is now about $2.50/gal. Ratings for '05 F150 supposed to be 15/20 mpg. Anybody getting close to that in newer F150? My 250 (4x4 crew cab long bed; V-10, 6 speed manual; 77,000 miles) has consistently gotten 14 in mixed driving, and up to about 17 in Hwy only in warm weather and 12 to 15 in cold. Great truck, but if new F150 numbers are accurate, I can save up to about $1,250.00 a year in cost of gas, more if prices keep going up.

pusterracing · April 2005

Or, if you don't want to sacrifice size, get a 250/350 Powerstroke, I consistently get the 15/20mpg out of my '03 F350 SuperCrew 6.0L Powerstroke. I can get 22 on the hwy if I cruise a steady 65 mph......

-PR-

03 Ford F350 SuperCrew KingRanch 6.0L Powerstroke
04 VW Jetta GLS TDI
05 VW Passat GLS TDI

titaneese · April 2005

98 f150 5.4 L 4x2 super cab

Since taking my foot out of it a bit and airing the tires up to 35 psi and not running the A/C I have been getting an avg mpg of 14.16 after averaging 4 tanks of gas.

Usually this truck was about a 12-13 mpg with my driving habits.

rangerx93 · June 2005

FYI: You cannot accurately calculate gas mileage by guessing how much gas you have in the tank (based on the position of the gas gauge needle) and dividing that by the trip odometer amount. It is most accurate to calculate immediately after fill up.

Currently my truck has 62,500 miles on it. 85/15% (City/Highway) I get 14.5 MPG. During short 1 hour trips on highway at 70+ MPH I get 16.5 MPG. Best ever 17.9 MPG. Pulling 2,000# trailer 200 miles over light hills in S. Alabama 13.1 MPG. I am thinking of buying a 2005 Tacoma Reg prerunner.

banknonit · July 2005

bought 05 ford superduty250 4wdr diesel was getting about 16 to 18 average.now down to 10 to 11 mpg only 4000miles on truck.also after you turn off ignition something sounds like it still spinning coming from exhaust system .I have 35 inch all terrains but have had them from start.Luv this truck,lots of power might put banks big boss bundle any suggestions or answers ,thanks?

autoholic · July 2005

I have a similar situation with my 2005 SD250 4WD PSD, long bed with 3.73 limited slip, 325-65R18 Nitto Terra Grabbers.. I bought it back in December 2004, but I am still under 2000 miles. The MPG was originally 15 to 16 average with mixed driving, no towing. The last tank yielded less than 10 MPG. My engine warning light has come on twice in the last couple of days, but goes off after a stop and restart.

Anyone have any ideas. I would like to be prepared before I face off with the dealer.

berdine · August 2005

Anyway I knew it would anyway when I bought it but it didn't suck as bad until the A Hs that bid on oil bid it up to $66 a barrel for every dopey reason under the sun. What's up with those baffoons? Anyway I don't drive like an old lady so when I read that people get 14/18 I wonder where and how are they driving? In CA it is bumper to bumper, AC always on and when you can cruise on the freeway you do 80. So I get 9+ city and 13+ highway. Actually before I put a HP exhaust I was getting + 2 more for each. I put a AEM air intake system and I noticed a + 2 mpg increase. So I am back to a sucky 11/16. Right now my truck is down to swap out the front and rear gears to 3.31 from 3.73 I am hoping for another + 2 out of that. Any one have any other suggestions other than driving like an old lady or buy a toyota? Has anyone out there done any other modifications to their new F150s that they have noticed an improvement with? Any reasonable suggestions would be appreciated.

ford_dude · August 2005

I like what you have done to your truck, I would suggest maybe purchasing a computer programmer that plugs right into the truck's central computer. I have gotten, on average, 5mpg out of it and an noticible increase in hp and torque. I would also suggest investing in a throttle body spacer, they are said to increase your mpg by 3 to 5, and give you 10hp! Good luck and enjoy your truck.

andre1969 · August 2005

anybody have any idea what kind of mileage a '95 F-150 might get? Regular cab, long bed, RWD, 5.8 V-8, 4-speed automatic. I checked the EPA ratings and it looks like it was rated at 13/17. I might have a lead on one of these.

Also, anybody know any particular trouble spots on that era F-150? It has about 120,000 miles on it, but supposedly everything works on it. I haven't seen it in person yet, though.

shellace · August 2005

where can i get the computer and spacer i aslo have a f 150 1997
i get 14.5 in town driving like an old lady
shellcae

wpalkowski · August 2005

'95 F150 -auto, rwd, long bed, ext cab. 5.0L, 175K miles . I get 11-12 around town, but still can get 17-18 mpg on highway.

Check the oil pan - they're notorious for rusting through and getting pin-hole leaks. They're a pain in the butt to change, because you've got to raise the engine in order to be able to get the pan around a frame member. The truck may also be ready for new ball joints - Ford cheaped out and didn't put greasable joints in, so they start to go around that mileage

exxtremester · August 2005

what chip R u using? thanks

swaampy · August 2005

Can anyone tell me what kind of mpg your getting with 2005 5.4L F-250 4x4. I'm seriously looking to buy one, but in light of the recent gas prices I need to find out what the realistic mileage is. I looked into the F-150's but I can get a better deal on this truck, plus it;s twice the truck, and from what I'm reading the F-150's aren't so hot on gas either.

Also can anyone tell me why the rear seat in the F-250 xtra cab appears smaller than the F-150, and there is no head rest.

I test drove the one that I am thinking about buying, and it drives like a dream for a F-250. I've had half tons all the way up to a one ton and this one by far has the best ride. The only catch is that this truck was traded in only after 4600 miles due to gas concerns. He went with a diesel.

pounder2 · August 2005

Hey Fellas,
I just bought my loaded XLT 4x4 with the 5.4 big gulp..
Damn this hurricane is really killing us at the pump :-( .
My first 3 tanks have yielded 15 - 16 MPG. :surprise: ????
I am very interested in eventually modifing but think we better keep the warranty. :lemon:
How about some details on that throttle body spacer. :confuse:
Also no VIBRAtions, knock on wood!!!!
This truck has gotten a bad rap..???
If we can just improve mileage a little I will be pumped!
Thanks...........

jjrjj89 · September 2005

I have an 04 f150 crew. I was reading the discussion about gas mileage on edmunds and just had to respond to this one. I've seen the programers before, didn't think that much about them, in terms of a considerable increase in mileage. What type of programmer did you use, where did you get it and what did it cost you. My 5.4 is getting me just under 15 in mixed drive. It PO's me, especially when I hear that me dad (with the same truck) is getting 20 on the highway. I have the throttle body spacer, but its not giving near what you're claiming. Makes me skeptical. Can you provide more data? thanks.

jljandrew · September 2005

20 MPG!? Is he pushing it? I just bought an 05 250 4x4 5.4L, and I'm lucky to get 13 mpg. After 1100 miles (over 90% of which are hwy), I'm getting btwn 12.5 - 13 mpg (never over 70mph or 2500 rpm). Looking into a KN air intake, but can't find one for an 05 anywhere. Maybe I'm better off parking it for a while with gas prices around $3/gal.

jjrjj89 · September 2005

I'm not kiddin' you!! the lowest that he's had on a tank of fuel is 15.7 mgp. He drove over 200 miles out to Albany, at 65, and got 19.8. Drove back, at 70, and got 18.5. He told me that he was doing fire police work one afternoon, and left the truck running for 3 hrs. while he was directing traffic (Dad's in his mid 60's and needs his AC) on that tank he was all the way down to 15.7. I've seen the receipts. He does a lot of country driving, but that's incredible. My 04 isn't touching that. I'm with you. Park it. It's a hell of a price to pay for something that just sits, though. My minivan it getting the lions share of the family travel. My dealership told me not to run the KN air fliter. It leaks and allows dirty air through. If the air mass sensor goes with that air filter in, they won't warrenty it. Just some info I've learned along the way.

jljandrew · September 2005

So when should my mileage start getting better? I haven't gotten better than 13.1mpg, and I have 1300 miles on my 05 250 5.4L (over 90% of which are hwy miles). The K&N issue with the air filter seems standard for a dealer. If you don't install the filter (any filter) correctly, it will allow dirty air to pass through. I had one on my 99 F150 4.6L, and after 48K, I was still getting 21-23 mpg hwy (a big improvement over the 18-20 mpg hwy w/o the K&N).

jjrjj89 · September 2005

Man, you have to be kickin' yourself for getting rid of that '99 w/ the smaller block. I went the other way, though I'm not entirely satisfied with the mileage. I'm got rid of my 02 Avalanche with the 8.1 liter. 13.1 looks pretty good when you compared it to that thing. I don't know what to tell you about the prognosis for when you mileage will improve. My guess is that it won't...under present circumstances. Sorry. On this tank, I've been backing way off the accelerator and it seems to have made a difference. City and some country driving, no highway. I'll let you know. I try to ask guys, that I see with the same set up as me, what they're getting for mileage. Most don't seem to know. Most out of fear, denial, etc...! I e-mailed a buddy of mine that is an engineer for Ford in Detroit. he works mainly on brakes, suspension, etc. for the SUV and truck divisions. He had a pretty good laugh over my request for "great" gas mileage on that ship that I was driving around. If I wanted good gas mileage I should have purchased a Focus=:( Not going to haul a lot with that. Not even the kids. I e-mailed him back, told him to cut out the smart remarks and talk to the guys in the engine department. I'll let you know if I hear anything. Hang in there, man, we're all suffering.

uga91 · September 2005

I have had my truck for almost 2 weeks now and seem to be getting 11 mpg around town and about 16 on the road. The sticker said 15 mpg around town and I was expecting to get about 13. Eleven is a little upsetting. I'm sure it will get better after it gets broken in--I hope so anyway!

jjrjj89 · September 2005

I read this on another site. Pretend that you have an egg shell on the accelerator of your truck. Try not to break it! I've been doing this for the last 2 tanks. I've gone from 14.5 (f150 5.4L screw) to 17. It makes a difference. Remember to that the Ford didn't determine the mileage that goes on the sticker. The EPA does. I see gas going up again

Thanks RITA :mad:

uga91 · September 2005

The thing is that I am not one to stand on the gas or anything. I could go slower, though, I'm sure. Looks like Rota may not disrupt things like Katrina did--that's good.

et14 · September 2005

The reserch that I have done for the F-250 2005's the fuel mixture from km 0-2500 is very rich ( computer controled ) the 2501-5000km better. But not till 5001km ( around 3000 miles) does the mixture of fuel go to "as needed" for gas mileage.

I get 15-16 Hwy and 11-12 city, and that after I re-learned how to drive eg. the door locks do not look for almost 1 block ( slow acceleration) no fast starts...

My Ford Explorer 92 with 4 liter got around 25 Hwy and 18 city.. but I drove it fast too. Any one know the most optimal speed for the F-250?

uga91 · September 2005

"the door locks do not look for almost 1 block "

Wow, that is slow. I don't drive that slowly--and I'm not making any plans to start. I have slowed down--but not that slow. That almost seems like a safety hazzard for traffic behind you.

Ford F-Series Real World MPG Numbers

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