V-10 vs diesel

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TooBadBrad

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Jan 31, 2003

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• May 25, 2003

• #1

Time for a new Ford truck. Dealer says V-10 gets only 2mpg less than diesel. I find that a little hard to belive. I've heard 11 to 13 mpg for the gas motor, 17 to 21 for diesel. Any first hand reports ? Thanks. Brad

 

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ktmboy

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• May 26, 2003

• #2

My bro'-in-law has an Excursion with the V-10, and he gets between 11-14 mpg. I've heard of people with the powerstrokes getting 20. The only disadvantage I see with a diesel is they need to be driven alot; they don't like a lot of short trips! BTW, Fords newest Powerstroke is smaller, puts out more power, and is more fuel efficient, but there are rumors of some teething problems. Hopefully they'll work the bugs out!

 

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G. Gearloose

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Jul 24, 2000

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• May 26, 2003

• #3

Either way, get the stick. The PS is a hoot to drive with the 6-speed.
BTW I think your dealer is on crack.

 

Zerotact

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Dec 10, 2002

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• May 26, 2003

• #4

the diesel will without a doubt get better gas mileage when towing. 8mpg is not unusual while towing a 20ft boat with the v-10.

 

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john stu

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• May 26, 2003

• #5

sure the diesel will get better mileage but don't forget it costs $5000 more to beging with!!it better get better mileage!!

 

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NVR FNSH

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Oct 31, 2000

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• May 27, 2003

• #6

Brad,
17-21 sounds high for the diesel - even if it's highway miles. A 2wd diesel MIGHT pull 21mpg unloaded but I wouldn't believe it unless I was driving it & doing the mpg calculation myself.

RetSenior just bought an '03 crew cab w/6.0 Powerstroke - drop him a line.

My Cummins is averaging 15mpg combined city/hwy over 55K miles. It's a 4wd w/6spd.

Brian

 

Patman

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• May 27, 2003

• #7

I've owned a V10 5 spd and currently have a Powerstroke 6 spd. The V10 never broke 13mpg, not with synthetic lube front to back, a light foot (65mph) and a tail wind on I-10 between Houston and San Antonio (i.e FLAT). In a daily driving situation I always got 11-12mpg unloaded. The pulling power was adequated but compared to the Powerstroke it's weak and mileage goes away fast with a load. My diesel with synthetics front to back (yes the synthetic lubes do make a significant difference in the results I see) running 75-80mph on the same run consistantly nets me 20mpg. Depending on the quality of fuel, I have seen an honest hand calculated 24mpg. This was on a run back to Texas from Casey, Il for DW01 the bed was full of bikes and gear and I set the cruise on 80mph once I passed St. Louis. My daily driving gets me no less than 18mpg unloaded and the worst mileage I ever saw was this weekend pulling a skid loader with a combined weight of close to 10,000# which gave me 12mpg. Both trucks were 2wd, the V10 a reg cab long bed and the diesel a super cab short bed so the WB is the same. Both run 3.73 gearing and had 285 AT type tires. Adding 4wd will make a significant impact on mileage.

 

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TooBadBrad

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Jan 31, 2003

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• May 27, 2003

• Thread starter
• #8

Thanks for all the info. Brad

 

High Lord Gomer

Poked with Sticks

Sep 26, 1999

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• May 27, 2003

• #9

My V10 gets 6 mpg...but that's hauling my house around with it.

 

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G. Gearloose

Pigment of ur imagination

Jul 24, 2000

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• May 27, 2003

• #10

Hmm, the 4wd penalty might not be too large..
My bud with a 4wd F250 PS/6 speed regularly exceeds 20 mpg by good margin, even in the hills of VT, 22 highway if he's extra careful. Winter fuel it drops some.
With the stick, you get to use the 1100-1800 rpm range, The auto doesn't lock up and let you use that range until are in at least 3rd gear and moving 40-45, I forget exactly. A good chunk of usable powerband is wasted with the auto.

 

dklink2000

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Feb 18, 2002

764

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• May 27, 2003

• #11

I have to agree with patman on the synthetic thing. I just switched in my Tacoma(not quite a powerstroke but it gets the job done) and have seen a pretty big jump in mileage. I have not calculated it, but I would guess up 3-4 mpg on the highway.

 

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darnjr

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Jul 5, 2001

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• May 27, 2003

• #12

I have a 2000 F-250 SuperCrew 4X4 with the V-10. I get 11 around town and 15 on the highway. I pull about 5000# out to the races from the hitch and get 9.5-10. My friend pulls 8000# behind the same truck with a deisel and 50hp chip and gets about 13.

 

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TVRider

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Oct 29, 2002

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• May 27, 2003

• #13

How big a deal is the short trips around town on a diesel? I have only a 1 mile commute to work and most of my daily driving is short trips of 10-20 mins. but I drive 30,000 a year easy.

Patman,

Why a 2wd? Just wondered what your thoughts are, around here there is a big premium on resale of a 4wd.

Thanks,

Tom

 

Patman

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• May 27, 2003

• #14

A 1 mile trip would be pretty tough on a diesel, heck it'd be tough on a gasser, I'd ride a bike. I just don't NEED 4wd, sure it might be nice sometimes but I live down a dirt path ("road" would be overestimating it a lot) and have never had problems except with the stock ribbed tread tires. I have a 4wd big Bronco if I really anticipate needing 4wd and to me it's just wear and tear on expensive items the 99.5% of the time I don't use 4wd. I'm not too worried about resale as I plan on running this truck up to about 300,000 miles then giving it to my son when he's 16.

 

Zerotact

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Dec 10, 2002

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• May 27, 2003

• #15

To me, this is what it comes down to.. Is the extra $5000 worth it? Some people drive enough that the gase mileag savings is worth the xtra $5000 upfront. Also a diesel appears to have quite a lot better resale value, as i have been looking for a used one i could afford. Even with 180k and almost 300k miles they are getting quite a large chunk for a used diesel. Most used gas trucks i see are rarely over 180k miles.

 

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NVR FNSH

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• May 27, 2003

• #16

Originally posted by High Lord Gomer
My V10 gets 6 mpg...but that's hauling my house around with it.

Click to expand...

My Dodge CTD gets 10mpg towing my house - but that's at 70 mph.

Brian

 

Patman

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• May 27, 2003

• #17

Gomer's speedo doesn't even register 70mph, I think it starts out at 80 and goes up from there. :)

 

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SPD

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Feb 20, 2001

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• May 27, 2003

• #18

My dodge v-10 get around 12-13 with out towing. With a 24 ft camper loaded,truck bed loaded with bikes and firewood and othe stuff I get 8-9 mpg. This is with an auto trans.

 

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ktmboy

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Apr 1, 2001

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• May 27, 2003

• #19

OK, I've gotta jump in here one more time! A 'chipped' diesel truck will haul @$$, but you gotta pay the piper, and that means less fuel economy. Stock for stock, the PSD will out-tow the V-10 AND get better mileage doing it. My Father-in-law has the Dodge Cummins diesel in his P/U and gets 23 MPG while towing a 23' 5th-wheel trailer!
So, are ya gonna tow with it, or just drive it to work? If you plan on driving the diesel for 300,000 or so miles it'll pay for itself, but if you buy a new truck every 2-3 years go ahead and buy the V-10.

 

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Tahuya Rat

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• May 27, 2003

• #20

I bought a '96 F250 4X long bed with 97k on it's powerstroke recently, 1st two mileage checks were 19 & 20 for my 150 mile round trip commute which includes way too much bumper to bumper stuff - average 4 1/2 hours.

Just got a 7X12 enclosed trailer, haven't taken it far enough for a mileage check yet, but it sure pulls easy.

re: powerstrokes being $5k more, besides the longevity, and the resale, and the power, remember that diesel is generally about the same price as regular, and you can often do even better at truck stops.

 

Okiewan

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• May 27, 2003

• #21

Originally posted by NVR FNSH


My Dodge CTD gets 10mpg towing my house - but that's at 70 mph.

Brian

Click to expand...

Dodge makes a truck?

 

N

NVR FNSH

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• May 28, 2003

• #22

Originally posted by Patman
Gomer's speedo doesn't even register 70mph, I think it starts out at 80 and goes up from there. :)

Click to expand...

That's only because he's towing a shack. My trailer back there in his neck of the woods would house his extended family and still have room for the dogs to come in from under the porch (Gomer you'll have to take off your socks to count to 22) :moon: Heck, they'd probably use my trailer for the Governor's mansion :)

Brian

 

N

NVR FNSH

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• May 28, 2003

• #23

Originally posted by ktmboy
My Father-in-law has the Dodge Cummins diesel in his P/U and gets 23 MPG while towing a 23' 5th-wheel trailer!

Click to expand...

Is your FIL Kiwi? I'm calling BS on this claim. Unloaded he must be pushing 30mpg. I must respectfully disagree.....

Brian

 

N

NVR FNSH

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• May 28, 2003

• #24

Originally posted by Okiewan


Dodge makes a truck?

Click to expand...

Nah, they put a bed on the back of a Caravan and figured out how to stuff a Cummins under the hood.

Why is it that the Cummins ISB is an optional engine in the F650/750s? I've always wondered why Ford felt the need for something other than the Powerstroke (and smaller displacement to boot) in their medium duty trucks.....

Brian

 

K

ktmboy

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Apr 1, 2001

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• May 28, 2003

• #25

Brian--my F-I-L is an old man, and drives like one, lol! I wouldn't expect I would get the kind of mileage he does, but it would still probably get 18 with me driving it. I'm sure his 5th wheel is not as sizable as your 'house'!