5.4 or 6.4 diesel

[brian95]

i have a 08 f-250 fx4 with 5.4 and 3.73 gear and i average 13 to 13.5 combo driving i am going to be pulling a 20ft trailer with car totaling 6700lbs. i was looking at a 09 250 with 6.4 and im trying to see if the switch is worth it. i have friends with diesels and with chips they get 18 mpg. any help would be great.

[xp1ik05]

i avoided the high cost of a diesel just for the fact i dont pull enough to constitute paying the extra cash, ask yourself do you really need it? how often are you planning on pulling the trailer? 6700 isnt too much for the gasser at all, do you commute far enough to not wear on the diesel with the short trips? i went through months of debating and came to the conclusion to go with the 5.4 and im very happy to know my truck will start every morning, maybe my life will change and i can constitue needing one, till then i study and learn everything i can about them cause god diesel's are amazing

[brian95]

il be pulling trailer around at least 6 or 7 times in summer to race track and daily commute is about 20 miles to 80 miles one way for work depending on which terminal i go to. i do 85 percent expressway when im driving my truck. i have heard that while towing with 5.4 people only see 8mpg or so.

[brian95]

the 5.4 feels like it is alittle under powered for a 250 weight wise,would switching to 4.10 gears hurt my gas milage from the 3.73 i have now. i have 20 inch factory rims also. just looking for more power down low.

[jlo_737]

I just pulled my 30 footer with my 08 Expedition EL to Valdez, AK with numerous hill climbs and I was really impressed. I was really sceptical at first, but it worked out just fine. I usually pull with my 03 F-250, but we had family in town and needed all 8 seats of the expedition. Pulled for 700 miles and I averaged about 9 miles to the gallon. I never went over 60 mph. I was at the limit of 8,700 lbs. When we first started the trip I only went about 10 miles down the road and I had to move some stuff from the back of the trailer to the front. The back end was too heavy causing sway (pretty scary feeling). I almost turned around to get my truck and take 2 vehicles. After I moved everything around it was fine.

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[7.3Lariat]

If you can afford it and are willing to put in a little money into mods to remove the restrictions I think the diesel will last you longer and perform better. Plus can get better mileage to offset the extra cost of diesel.

[jlo_737]

Originally Posted by 7.3Lariat

If you can afford it and are willing to put in a little money into mods to remove the restrictions I think the diesel will last you longer and perform better. Plus can get better mileage to offset the extra cost of diesel.

The diesel would definately last longer and perform better. Go with the diesel. I couldn't imagine towing all the time with my 5.4L.

[brian95]

Does the 08 5.4 have the same problem with spark plugs shooting out
Also what kind of gas milage does the 6.4 get i have been seeing desent milage if i stay on expressway

[jlo_737]

I haven't had any issues with my 5.4. I've only had it for about 8,000 miles. 1,000 of those were towing 8,700 lbs.

[Kalabin]

I have owned both and for me it comes down to how often are you planning on hauling? I made the switch from an 06 F150 Lariat to an 08 F250 6.4 about six months ago because the deal was too good to pass up. The 5.4 ran solid, but one thing I can say is my 7,000lb trailer doesn't even touch my F250 with the 6.4 where the 5.4 did have to ramp up pretty good on hills, now I just cruise control it.

Another thing I noticed with my F150 vs F250 was that my mileage actually went up on the Diesel vs my F150 in the 5.4 and that's not tuned. Hand calculated I was seeing 13.5mpg @ 65 mph on my normal drive to work, the Diesel I am getting 15mpg, and I have a DPF Delete and H&S tuner coming in this Thursday.

Now with maintenance I pay a little more on oil and fuel changes compared to my F150 however I feel in the long run my F250 will hold up much better to the loads. I also drive my F250 roughly 300 miles a week so it gets used, where as if its going to sit a lot and do short runs around town the majority of the time you may be better off with a Gas engine.

The biggest thing for me is the comfort while towing (integrated brake controller, tow package, camper package, towing mirrors, etc.) and feeling of being safe knowing I am no where near the limits of my truck. I'm the kinda guy that feels good knowing I have "too much truck" rather than "it can do it".