2008 F350 mileage - Page 2 - Montana Owners Club

Mudchief · 09-05-2007, 01:15 PM

Bingo, I am like you I really don't worry about MPG. I do know my unit gets 13 MPG at 55 and 10 at 70. I don't run 55. When I get ready to go somewhere I know it is going to cost me 30 cents a mile to pull that Montana.

richfaa · 09-05-2007, 01:35 PM

We are not happy about MPG and we are not happy about the cost of fuel and both those factors slow us down from time to time but we are on a great adventure .We do not know how long we have to live it but we will live it the best we can. If we had not spent all the $ we have spent on Trucks, Campers , travels, etc we would be worth a great deal of dollars and we could count it every month like Scrooge McDuck.Nope it was money well spent so let the spending and the adventure continue......

Crossthread · 09-05-2007, 03:47 PM

RE: fuel milage, Yesterday D W and I were discussing it, remembering the '74 Chev Caprice Classic station wagon we had. On a good day,downhill,with a tail wind it might get 11 mpg.
We just returned from a 8,800 mile trek around the country, about 700 miles non towing. We have a '05 F-350,6.0,auto 4:10 rear gears. 4x4,w/duals. An '07 3000RK. overall average was 10.6 mpg. They've come a long way in engineering.Not perfect, but a long way.
As every one knows, hills,speed,wind, and the weight of the foot has a lot of influence on milage.
By taking an extra day or two "off" and staying in Corps Of Eng. parks for $7to $9 a night really off sets the fuel cost. Bill

sreigle · 09-07-2007, 04:20 PM

Yeah, we had a brand spanking new 1972 Ford Gran Torino Sport Squire wagon with the 400 cid gas engine. Once it got 11. The rest of the time it got from 8 to 10 max. Eight months later we sold it and bought a Chevy Vega Kammback (very big mistake). It got decent mileage for the 38,000 miles before needing an overhaul. I don't know which is worse.

quarrles · 09-17-2007, 09:13 AM

On a positive note; Diesels have LARGER fuel tanks

gj4040 · 09-18-2007, 01:09 AM

Following in RICHFAAS steps we were attempting to get the initial 500 break-in miles on our 2008 F-350 SD diesel and went riding through the hilly region of the Cumberland plateau in Tennessee, putting on almost 300 miles. Returning home the trip computer displayed an average of 17 mpg. Filling up and doing the manual calculating method produced figures of 16.6 mpg.
I am very satisfied with these figures as I can still clearly remember a 1978 Ford Club Wagon (passenger van) that got 8 mpg no matter how you drove it. Thats what you drove when you had a whole flock of kids. (The good ole days).
This truck has so much instant power that it is very difficult not to put your foot into it and will probably put the after-market performance people out of business.

richfaa · 09-18-2007, 02:13 AM

We have observed, and it is very early to make any statements we only have 1K miles on the truck..but like gj4040 we got very good initial MPG NOT towing, comparable to what he got...however towing the 3400 anchor on fairly level tpk the MPG plunged to the low 8's. I understand from other Ford forums that that is normal

dsprik · 09-18-2007, 04:44 AM

Is that low 8's after or before break-in? Of course, I can't imagine a lot of 08's out there with over 30K-50K miles on them?

richfaa · 09-18-2007, 12:24 PM

Dave,,,,why didn't you just knock on your rear window and ask me that?????

stiles watson · 09-18-2007, 12:45 PM

Today, I finally looked at some here-to-fore unattended specification on my F350. Now I better understand why I am getting the mileage results I am. This thing has the 4.30 rear end rather than the 4.10 I thought it had. No wonder I can pull Monty straight up the mountain, but at the cost of fuel economy. I guess elephants eat more grass than oxen.

lwcdg · 09-18-2007, 12:51 PM

Rich, Pam & I will be out there Saturday. I'm looking forward to comparing notes and ideas wth all the guys. Your Ford & my Chevy. I'll be trying to put the initial miles on it so no Monty this weekend.
Chuck

gj4040 · 09-20-2007, 02:37 PM

Update. Two trips in two successive days into the hills of Tennessee pulling a two horse trailer with two horses , gear, supplies totaling approx. #6000 and averaged 13.7 mpg. I'm sure that when we put the anchor on the back (Montana) that the milage will drop because #6000 was nothing behind this new truck but doubling that #6000 will certainly make a difference.

Dean A Van Peursem · 09-21-2007, 03:35 PM

In planning ahead for May 2008 when I will get serious about buying a new F350 SD 6.4 diesel I would like to hear what others are getting for mileage pulling their Montana's. talked to a commercial hauler who had an F450 and he was quite unhappy that he was only getting 7.8 MPG under load. He didn't know the rear end ratio, beleive it or not. I'm thinking of getting a 3.7 ratio again. Is the mileage really this bad on the 2008 Ford F250, 350, 450's?

traveljunkie · 09-23-2007, 06:12 AM

We have the new Ford F450 2008 with 4.88 rear axle gears with only 2,800 miles on it. Thus far towing we have averaged between 9 and 10 MPG and without towing (normal city driving) I am getting between 11 and 12 MPG. On the highway not towing we get much better mileage going around 60 MPH than trying to keep up with traffic and go 70 or 75MPH. It must be the rear end gears. It does seem that with every tank of gas the mileage has been slowly creeping higher as the engine continues to break in.

richfaa · 09-23-2007, 12:05 PM

08 F-350 4:10 ls..thus far we are not impressed.Got better MPG with our 05, same truck, V-10/. only 1300 miles on it..MPG 8.5.

05WAF350 · 09-24-2007, 10:13 AM

Well to add a buster to the party, If you go by the on board computer the F350 4X4 from Port Orchard Wa. to East Spokane Wa.,just abt Idaho going over the Cascade mountain pass and not towing anying I got 20.3 miles per gallon. I have the 3.73 gears. Pulling the 3400RL the next go round same trip, we got 11.3. Around town we get 15.5 to abt 17.0 just depending on if I get out to the hwy a little bit. I have 17,500 miles on the truck. If I want better milage I get into the Toyota Tacoma. Having owned Ford 4X4 for around 30 years I do not buy them for the milage. This is the first diesel and I love it. My first, 1978 F250 4X4 got 8 mpg and I was happy. so these trucks have come some distance fpr the power and milage. I said my piece so call the computer what you want.

richfaa · 09-24-2007, 11:54 AM

I comment on the MPG because of the many post on diesel forums of how great the diesel is. Having just stepped out of a big block V-10 gas I am qualified to comment. First of all comparing a normally aspirated gas motor with a turbo charged diesel is not very fair is it. take the turbo charger off the diesel..then compare..I am not complaining ..just relating my experiences. I went to the diesel for a good reason and I am sure I will be satisfied. My on board computer on my 05 V10 and this 08 Diesel are accurate to with in a couple of tenths of a mile compared to hand calculations. I will trust in the on board computer as it is not subject to human error. I am still not impressed with the diesel..in all areas...yet..

Dean A Van Peursem · 09-24-2007, 12:08 PM

05WAF350

What year and engine do you have in your truck? I have a 2003 F250 7.3L with 3.73 Rear End 4 x 4 and just went from Monroe to Wenatchee and back over Stevens pass pulling a loaded 3400RL. Averaged a little over 12 MPG for the whole trip and that includes pulling up the 7 mile 6% slope on the west side of the Cascades.

I would like to buy a new 2008 F350 SWR 4 x 4 3.73 (for mileage not power) next May or so but if I'm going to get a real significant reduction in gas mileage I won't do it. Need more pin weight capability and would like the bigger brakes.

05WAF350 · 09-24-2007, 02:06 PM

My truck is a 2005 F350 with a 2005 6.0 diesel. The gears are the 3.73. We went over snoqualmie pass. Again, towing nothing was 20.3 to east Spokane. The second trip towing the 3400RL was abt 11.3, trip papers back out in truck. We have 17,500 miles on the truck so it really is not broke in for a diesel but I consider it enough for figuring milage. Again, I got it as knew it was an excellent towing machine for the 3400RL we picked up in Aril of this year. I bought the truck in 2005 to put some milage (10,000) on it befor we started towing. I really like the 2008 with twin turbo but I do not need the quick off the line jump. Mine will do for now until the wife retires in 5 years then will probable look at another newone ?? We maintained 65mph up the pass and also up the long haul from the Columbia river. Our partners have an 2006 F350 with identical 3400RL and we run idential rpm's as we communicate via radios as we are traveling. I just had to respond to this when I saw Stiles Watson message. I love my FORD TRUCK!

richfaa · 09-24-2007, 02:52 PM

If MPG is important you won't get the MPG on the new diesels that you get on the older ones.Pulling the same roads and the same camper at about the same milage on the truck the 05 V-10 is out performimg the 08 Diesel. Hopfully the diesel will get better as it piles up milage but I do not expect it to get more than 2 or 3 MPG better than the V-10. The V-10 had the 4:30 diff and got a steady 8.5 or so pulling the 3400 anchor all over the country...

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