6.2 Gas F-250

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/760462707/overview/

Any thoughts? They get the same gas mileage as my Tacoma, and I need a bigger truck but don't want to pay diesel tax.

 

@Pugga - care to chime in on the F250 mod?

 

Is that the same 6.2L motor that was in the Raptor before they gay'd it down?

 

I think it is, just detuned.

 

I will say this, that truck will NOT get the same fuel economy as your Tacoma. If you drive your Tacoma to where you're only getting 12-14 MPG, you'll be lucky to get 10 in the F250. It's thirsty if you keep your foot in it. That said, I love mine and it was identical to the one you posted before I started modifying it.

I get 14-15 MPG now and can actually push 17 in the summer and that's commuting. On straight highway runs, I actually do a little worse. That's being really nice to the truck, I can drop it into single digits very, very easily. I've actually found the fuel economy and the driving experience to be a lot better in tow haul mode, even when unloaded. It's a lot more responsive.

Some things I noticed or learned about the truck, and you can take this with a grain of salt, it's just my opinion. The stock suspension (or shocks rather) absolutely suck! I replaced mine within about 1,000 miles of owning mine with Rancho9000's.
There is almost no travel in the front suspension. This means it rides very stiff. unloaded, it's not comfortable going down a rough road, even with the tires aired down in the 40 psi range.
The turning radius takes some getting used to. I went from an F150 super crew to the f250 super crew but just having the solid axle up front makes it not want to take tight turns.
Those factory wheels in particular were miserable to keep clean. I mean terrible, I spent a lot of time polishing them up, even bought an attachment for my drill to help. I swapped them with someone who sold a set of Lariat PVD 20" wheels with the Michelin tires and it was a great improvement. Same sidewall height for the tire, so the overall tire diameter is 2" taller, looks a lot better and the wheels are much easier to clean.
The stock vinyl steering wheel was sort of cheap. I bought a Lariat leather wheel online, brand new for $150 and it's an easy swap.
The truck is tall! I work in Boston, which is a fairly old city. I don't fit in a lot of the older parking garages around the city and it does take some planning ahead. Also, this means the bed is really high off the ground also, loading and unloading takes some height. Not sure if that's a concern for you.

Overall, I love the truck. It's very powerful, fun to drive and comfortable for the most part. I went with Ford over the others because of the cab. I like that they have the flat rear floor, it's great for my kids and the dog. Feel free to ask any specific questions about the truck or any mods I've done. I bought mine last April so I've had some time with it.

No, it's revamped for the 17+ super duty. It's more powerful and efficient than the slug they put in the Raptor. The Raptor 6.2L, for what it was intended to be, was actually pretty slow.

 

Mine, shortly after I got it:

 

Awesome, thanks so much for the insight!

It's between one of these and lifting/wheels/tires and an F250: https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/764361062/overview/


So, what would you say your average city/highway numbers are for the life of the truck? Another thing I'm slightly concerned with is the price, compared to the amount of features. The small screen is a bit of a turn off, but the gauge one makes up for it.

 

One last thing, those Continental tires that come on it are not great in snow. They also got a little squirrelly in heavy rain. That was one of the big reasons I swapped out to Michelin’s. They did OK, but something to keep in the back of your mind.

 

How much of a bigger truck do you need?

 

I’m probably averaging in the 14 -15 range overall. I take a dip in the winter months and get better in the summer. I get 9 ish towing my camper. It’s a beast of a tow machine, I love it for that.

I had the same Sync system in the ‘13 F150 I traded in so I don’t mind the center display. The gauge display is fine, not as fancy as the Lariat, but nice to look at. You can put the upgraded Sync system in if you were so inclined. I think it’s a little over a grand without navigation.

You can also add remote start pretty cheap through 12volt solutions.com, plug and play.

 

That's pretty decent, most of my driving is city so that works out.

Do you think it's worth paying more over a Silverado with more features?

I know it's dumb, but I'm also worried about being crucified by my diesel owning friends over a gasser 3/4th ton

 

Well, you can always tell them that you saved $10,000 and that your front axle won't need as much maintenance. I'd rather have a big gas engine over a diesel engine.

 

I don't like the F-150, but I really like the F-250. But I basically just need something bigger than the Tacoma, and the crew cab Silverados are made in Mexico which is a no from me. I also don't want a Tundra, though I like them.

 

In short, i’d get the truck you need. If you can do everything you need with a half ton truck, i’d Get the half ton. It will get better full economy, ride smoother and is still the overall size, just not as tall. If you don’t need the 3/4 ton, I wouldn’t pay the premium for it, then keep paying the premium at the gas pump for the life of the truck.

I tow with mine and I was finding I was going to end up paying a lot of money to get a half ton truck properly equipped to tow by the time I added the tow package, payload package, tow mirrors and brake controller. So, I bought a 3/4 ton because they pretty much come with all that built in, no options needed. It’s admittedly slightly overkill for what I tow, So the other reason I bought it is I love the look of the new Super Duty I also was in the market for a new truck and picked mine up for less than I could have bought a similarly equipped F150 for.

Can’t help you on the diesel front other than, wait til they have a repair with theirs and it cost them a metric shit ton of money to get fixed.

 

Honestly, I wouldn't bother with a diesel in a new truck. The emissions really hurt the reliability of a diesel. I used to have a 96 Cummins with the mechanical injection pump which was practically bulletproof. Rest of the truck, not so much. My choice for a new full size would be Ford.

 

I also just love the look of the F250. I don't like the F-150s at all for some reason. It's also worth mentioning that I do have a commuter car at my disposal when I need it, otherwise gas mileage isn't too big of a concern for me as long as it's in the double digits.

I could pull a half ton for what I need it for. But the Silverado extended cab may be too small and the crew cab is made in Mexico which is a turn off for me. I don't want a Tundra, don't like the F-150 and Rams/Titans aren't even on the same page. So it's either a basic F-250, or a Silverado with options; but I've heard horror stories about the cylinder deactivation and whatnot.

 

The Titan XD is ridiculously comfortable, those seats are the best in a full size truck in my opinion. I was seriously looking at one with the Cummins in it but couldn't get past the reliability issues they seem to be plagued with.

My Dad just got rid of a Tahoe that had a grenaded engine due to the cylinder deactivation, not sure how common the issue is though. He's run several others without any problems at all. Who knows. The 5.3 is a good, strong engine though.

What's important to you, the beast of a truck, or the creature comforts? You can add some of them to the F250 but some are too costly to make sense. I was fine with the level of options my F250 had and I loved the rest of the truck. The fact that you're even talking about the more optioned up Silverado makes me think you won't be happy with the more stripped down truck long term. Fuel economy aside, which one do you like driving the most when you test drove them? Sounds like that's the one you should go with. You can't really go wrong with either option, both see nice trucks.

 

I agree on the Titan XD. I sat in the Platinum Reserve (or whatever the top trim is) and I really liked how comfortable it was. But in the end, it's a Nissan and I'm scared of those.

I've seen a whole bunch of people having AFM (Active Fuel Management- cyl deac) issues with their 5.3 trucks. There's ways to disable it, but combined with bigger wheels/tires I'd be hitting the same gas mileage as a gasser 3/4th ton. I've also heard they've been having transmission issues under 100k, even with minimal towing.

I guess it's a mix of both. I'm happy with the level of crap my Tacoma has, (SR5 Convenience package.) As long as there's a digital display, trip computer and a decent sound system I'm happy. All I'd want is to add a $250 remote start system, tint it and get Clazzios and I'd be set. It's also under $2,000 to upgrade to the larger head unit, which is expensive, but cheaper than buying a whole new truck.

The Silverado would only have remote start, a bigger screen, power drivers seat and a leather SW over the F-250. Which really isn't that much stuff, 3 of which I can add for relatively cheap. Plus I'd have to do stuff to the suspension and get wheels/tires because they are ass ugly stock.

 

Talked to a few others today about it, what's the best MPG you've gotten with it? I've heard around 18-19 from someone. Never broken 20 in my Tacoma, so it can't be all that bad.

Also, what axle?

 

The best I've seen was just over 17 so far, I might be able to push up to 18 if I find the right road, tail wind and all stars are aligned perfectly. In the winter I've been floating around 14, in the summer I float around 16 on average. I have the 3.73 rear end. The best fuel economy is on slow speed back roads. On straight, 70 MPH highway runs, my MPGs are actually worse. RPMs climb, MPGs drop. I also live in a hilly region so people living on the flats might do a little better.

I have a feeling the 4.30 rear end would make the engine rev too high and MPGs would suffer. I'd avoid the 4.30 unless you really need the extra grunt for towing or are planning on much larger tires.