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Old 02-01-2007, 03:20 PM   #1
richfaa
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What Happened

We turned 12k miles in our 05 F-350, V-10 sometime in Jan. The best Average MPG we ever got towing was 8.2/8.3. We did 8.3 on our trip down to Havasu City from Ohio. On the trip down to Quartzsite yesterday @ 80 miles on 95 South,,not exactly a level road, some fair grades ..we did 10.3 the best "average " towing ever. I thought "what"..well towing down to Apache Junction we did 10.2mpg..Hummm.. It is like something snapped when it turned 12K miles. I had been told the V-10 needed 12/15K miles to break in but never put much stock in it.We never checked the MPG while in Havasu city for 6 weeks.Now what??? more to consider if buying the diesel.Anyone with the V-10 have that experience???
 
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Old 02-01-2007, 03:40 PM   #2
Montana Sky
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Rich,
My neighbor had the same experience with his 8.1L V8 Silverado, mileage got better around 15k. He has over 40k on it now and towing his 3295RK Montana he averages 10mpg.
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Old 02-01-2007, 03:55 PM   #3
bsmeaton
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A pleasant surprise Rich! That plus the difference in fuel prices does make you begin to wonder on the diesels.
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Old 02-01-2007, 11:34 PM   #4
adelmoll
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We have been getting over 10mpg all of the time and even up to 13 mpg with a strong wind at our back for a long time now on our F350 diesel.

Helen
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Old 02-02-2007, 12:12 AM   #5
virgil47
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Wow Helen, you guys are kicking my butt on mileage. We're only getting 11 mph.
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Old 02-02-2007, 01:20 AM   #6
Wrenchtraveller
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Rich, great news and so far I am only getting 8 MPG with my rig, total weight 20800 pounds.
I have just turned 12000 miles so maybe my next trip in April will bring better mileage.
I am very happy with the power on grades, after 11 years of diesels, the higher revs of a gas V10 take a little getting used to, but she pulls great and is a hoot to drive. Mine has always been hard to drive without burning rubber, buy you have twice the rubber on the road as I do, so you shouldn't have that problem.

One question, were you in T/H all the time to get this mileage which is right up in the range of many diesel rigs towing 13 foot high Fifth Wheels. If I were you I would hang on to that V10 for a couple more years and let a few improvements roll into the 6.4 We all know every 6 months they are going to make mods, they have in every diesel they have used so far. Take care.

On Edit, I also know a 4X4 will never get as good as a 4x2 but I absolutely need 4x4 where I live and go. Two weeks ago, I had a white knuckle drive in a blizzard that had only 4x4s moving around. I never thought I was going to make it home and when I did, I kissed my truck's front end, because that is what gets you home in a 4x4.
Completely the opposite of most things in life, where you are forced to kiss the rear end.LOL
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Old 02-02-2007, 03:16 AM   #7
VanMan
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Rich, that's great news !!

With our F250 V-10, I was pushing 13 mpg not towing and 11 towing - our TT is lighter than the 5ers but probably not as aerodynamic. Then it all went to H**l ! All of a sudden I couldn't get 10 !!! I figured I had a sensor or computer problem, looked at filters and plugs. Then I happened to ask a friend who had just put some new tires on his Suburban just like I had put on - all terrain BF Goodriches. Apparantly this "aggressive" tread just killed our efficiency. I never realized that could happen, but I couldn't find any other reason.
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Old 02-02-2007, 03:57 AM   #8
richfaa
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WT..Yes we were in TH the entire time. This was the 1st time we stayed in TH in all conditions..Wonder if that made the difference?We are just about the same weight as you and after being in the West and SW for awhile we understand the need for 4X4..Everyone goes off road..in fact there is more off road than on road around here.With folks with Diesels getting 10/11 towing makes you wonder if spending 5K for maybe 2MPG better is worth it.Of Course that is NOT why we would go to the diesel..how we use the motor is..but folks like to wolf about MPG.We will continue to monitor the Daily driver MPG while here..we will not tow again till mid March. If the V-10 can maintain 10MPG or so towing We will have a lot of re -considering to do.

On Edit..As we have stated before we are completlyv satisfied with the pulling power and overall performance of the V-10 THUS FAR.

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Old 02-06-2007, 01:54 PM   #9
sreigle
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Rich, are you getting better mileage solo also? If so, that's further reason to think long and hard. Also, consider that ULSD has reduced diesel mileage for many of us, at least a little, further closing the gap. I still get 30% better than I did with my V10 but I never got your mileage with it, either.
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Old 02-06-2007, 04:08 PM   #10
richfaa
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I have only run one tank of fuel non-towing and we are doing 11 around town...not enough to get a good number..Thse Gas motors are known to not get much better MPG towing or not towing. MY chevy gasser got 10/12 towing and 14/16 not towing.. We are not all that concerned with MPG gas vs diesel..but found the increase in MPG interesting and un expected. The camper next to us has the 04 F-350,CC Dually in the 6.0l and says he does 11 mpg on a regular basis.Then I have other campers saying 12/13 towing with the 6.0l.. All I can say is that we are definitely getting better MPG since we broke 12K miles..I will say 2 mpg better. Is there a difference in gas fuel here in the western states???
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Old 02-06-2007, 05:01 PM   #11
Wrenchtraveller
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Rich, if there is a better fuel in the western States, it is something new because my 88 F250 with a 460 gasser used to get about 6 miles per gal towing my 8000 pound Kit Fifth wheel from the Canadian border down I-5 to southern California and I did that trip 9 years in a row when the kids were young and we all loved Disneyland. When I got my 95 F250 powerstroke and my mileage pulling the same fiver went up to 14, I thought I had died and went to heaven. In those days diesel fuel was much cheaper than gas but the worm has turned and now gas is cheaper, gas engines got better, and diesel engines got worse because of emission stuff.
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Old 02-07-2007, 05:08 AM   #12
richfaa
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I did notice posted on the gas pump at a station here in Apache Junction that there was three different blends of gas depending on the time of year//I will take a closer look and record them next time we fuel.
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Old 02-07-2007, 05:50 AM   #13
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Rich, I am not an expert on fuel or gasoline. Btu a friend of mine who runs the local co-op station has told me there are different grades of diesel fuel when I showed him my records of mileage and asked him why I was seeing better numbers from his competitor. His fuel is normally a few pennies cheaper, but my mileage showed it too. As far as diesel goes I have a truck similar to yours except I have the 6.0 and 4:10's and I am seeing 11.5 towing on the flat interstate roads we have traveled most.
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Old 02-13-2007, 09:29 AM   #14
richfaa
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Just did a 215 mile trip mostly on interstates not towing and at Az speed limits of 65 to 75MPH. We are doing 2MPg + better gas milage. I am not bragging as that is still not very good..we did 14.2 average. Our towing gas milage incresed by 2MPg on the trip down to Apache Junction from Havasu City. That makes it @ 10.2 towing and @ 14 or so not towing. This V-10 is doing exactly what the Ford folks said it would do as it went past 12K miles although I did not put much stock in the PR. Two things have changed...we went past the 12K milage mark and the blend of gas fuel has changed here in the west. The new numbers will cause a bit more thought when considering the 6.4 diesel.
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Old 02-14-2007, 02:53 AM   #15
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Rich what octane rating are you running? In Canada we have 87 89 and 91 and I use the 87 in both my V10 and my 02 Accord. I have been told that if your vehicle is set up from the factory for regular 87 octane, as both my vehicles are, then you are just wasting money to go to a higher octane. That is incredible mileage for a gas engine by the way, and way better than I get but I am sure the 4x4 is costing me at least a 1 MPG loss and maybe more. I am 50 miles away from 12000 miles so I hope to see the jump you saw. I know at 150 hours I got a big jump in power as did a lot of guys I used to talk to over on the V10 Forum. Don't care for one of the moderators there and have quit posting.
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Old 02-14-2007, 03:38 AM   #16
richfaa
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I use 87 Octane as that is what the motor is tunned for,, and I use what ever brand fuel I happen to be near..Right now a no name brand at a Wall mart store. We have 290 hours on the motor.On the interstates at home we did 12mpg or so not towing almost from the beginning. now driving in rather heavy stop and go traffic here in Apache Junction we are down to 10.5 city driving. I agree on the V-10 forum..to many guys being less than truthful. Had a guy tell me he was doing like 16/17 in his 350 V-10 till another poster PM'ed and said that the guy had a regular cab short bed and the truck probably weighed 1 ton less than mine.. Actually the truck is living up to what most folks told me...I just did not expect it. We are not unhappy with the V-10's towing ability however our travel mode has changed and we use the truck more for a daiy driver now.. If the 6.4 Diesel can do very good on non towing MPG we will consider changing..

And we would not change over for a 2MPG difference.
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Old 02-14-2007, 11:52 AM   #17
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I'm averaging 12.6 mpg right now. I don't know how she'll do without the Monty, it's been a LONG time since I've been on the freeway without being hooked up...LOL The truck is headed towards 5000 miles on it now, and handles the Monty very easily. I usually set the cruise 3-4 miles over the speed limit. Around here, thats about 74. I let Ann take the lead through the TN and KY hills today, she has a LOT of trouble with her motorhome with the grades. My truck just glides right along...:-) She has to handle the motorhome like I drove semi...fly downhill so you can keep the momentum for going uphill. So, I just set my cruise, and sat back to watch her work...LOL I'm happy about the mileage since Ann only averages about 8 mpg with her motorhome gasser...LOL

Jan
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Old 02-14-2007, 01:21 PM   #18
richfaa
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The V-10 will keep the speed up on a good size grade..Tow Haul, Cruse control..however it will scream and I mean scream 3500/4000 RPm's. The V-10 loves to work that hard but we do not like the sound..Note that the tach goes up to 6000RPM's ..no red line . I do not use Cruse in tow haul but control the RPM manually.. Being a old gas motor truck driver me self I do the hurtle down the hill to keep the speed up trick.Having driven diesel busses for the last 6 years I appreciate the difference. We are pulling for the new breed Diesel motors.
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