New F250 - I BIT THE BULLET

I finally went ahead and got a new F250. It is a Lariat Outlaw edition. I cant wait to hook up the boat and see the difference between the '01 Yukon and this new diesel. I agree with Evan on another thread that Ford is lacking a bit in the dashboard (I feel like my '98 explorer had close to the same options), but as an overall truck, I love it!! I park next to my uncle's truck every day and it just towers over it. It came on 20's










(Message edited by mossy44 on August 21, 2006)

that red leather is nasty! in a good way... nice truck

sweet ride!

i just picked up a black duamax crew this weekend after looking at the big three diesels... the fords do look killer with the stock 20's...

(Message edited by mendo247 on August 21, 2006)

nice truck. I like the black look headlights

Nice truck....You will love it for towing
I tow our x-star with a 04 f-250 6.0 powerstroke diesel too..
Like a dream compared to our old gas engine.
Gas mileage doesnt really change much from regular driving to when we tow..
Diesel Power!!!!!!!! gotta love it!!

Matt, you're killin me. I'm headed back to the dealer on Wednesday to see if we can strike up a deal. I'd love to off my Tahoe first, but I may suck it up and trade it in.

Sick ride, though, bro. I dig the red interior too.

BTW, Anyone know if you can get Sirius sattelite radio of retro-fit a input for a I-pod into the factory stereo?

Soooo nice. Thats what I want to get to pull our X2. For now, I will have to stick with the Tundra. Congrats!!!

nice

Very Nice !

thank you.

does anyone have an idea on how much of a drop on my trailer hitch i will need? i could hook it up to the hitch that i have (i know it doesnt have a big enough drop) and just guess at it, but i figured i would ask. not sure if it matters, but its an '02 xstar with a tandem axle trailer.

Sweet truck. I have an 2001 with the V10. I love the power hate my fuel milage. But passing cars on steep grades towing is worth it. I put the wet okole seat covers on so I can jump in with a wet bathing suit.

C.I.E

Here is a link to a I-pod adapter 04-06 F250

http://www.logjamelectronics.com/piefrd04aux.html

Matt, might depend on your trailer a bit, but a 4" should do the trick. If your boat is at your house, then the easiest thing to do is get the trailer level, measure it, then measure to your trailer hitch receiver. I think it's measured to the center.

Measure to the top of the receiver hole square then measure to the bottom of the coupler and subtract the two. Do this while all is level. This will account for the approximate height of the ball.

If you want to get really tech about it, measure to the inside top of the ball coupler on the trailer and subtract the height of the ball.

Top of hitch square - bottom of coupler = drop

or

Top of hitch square - top inside of ball coupler - ball height = drop

The difference is your hitch drop. I noticed my F250 FX4 sagged down about an inch or so after the trailer is hooked on so you should err on the side of a smaller drop if you really wanna keep it level.

again, thanks for all the compliments. i dont see myself ever going back to an SUV.

Evan - when you say measured to the center, what do you mean? measured to the center of what? i will go home and try that tonight.

do i need to take into consideration the lowering of the truck when all of the weight is sitting on the hitch?

anyone else with a 250 diesel.....about what mpg are you getting? right now, the electronic reading is telling me 9.8 in the city. when i first got in the truck, it was saying 8.9 all day. i have been driving it for 4 days now. but it has consistently gotten better, not just fluctuated randomly. any idea why? is this normal?

flux, i was typing while you posted. thanks.

Dig it.

Matt, your diesel will see improving gas mileage for up to 30,000 miles. The first 1000 miles is the major break-in, after that it will slowly gain efficiency.

Your mileage sounds about right for around town driving with a new truck. On the highway 70-75 you should see about 16-18 depending how heavy your foot get's. Put the boat on there and you will see about 12-13. That's what I am getting on mine with only 2000 miles on it.

A great place to get some info on the Ford Diesels is:

http://www.ford-trucks.com

They have a 6.0 powerstroke forum with a ton of info. This is where I got swayed into buying one and I am definately glad I did.

There is a tech folder in there with an article that talks about general Diesel break-in. You can make your engine run a bit better if you kind of follow their guidelines. You may also want to consider an early oil change at about the 1500 mile mark to get all the break-in contaminants out of there, then get the 5000 mile and 5000 there after.

here's the link to the break-in stuff:

http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/239418-breaking-in-the-6-0l.html?highlight=breaking+

Take it for what it's worth, it's just some suggested practice and can give you some insight as to how to treat that engine for the first 1000 miles. I towed after 500 and hit big hills after 600, so I was early on all of that.

I have your exact truck mechanically, mine is just the Lariat though, but I got Leather and mine is white. I plan on running Stanadyne or Diesel-Kleen in it to keep the injectors lubed and get a litte cetane boost. Cheap insurance when they switch to ULSD fuel and they don't mix in proper lube agents in the fuel.

If you have any questions about anything I did alot of research on the truck before I bought, otherwise the forum I linked is an amazing place, lot's of techs and diesel gearheads on there.

I prefer white though.

Matt,

I am getting about 14mpg on mine all around city/highway/tow. 1st long trip with the boat got right around 12, I drive slow on the highway even though I can go much faster.

Just about to hit 5000 with ours, don't miss the suburban at all!

I have an f-250 6 liter almost identical truck. It is a xlt sport package crew cab w/black sport leather. I am getting about 18-20 miles per gallon so long as I don't stay on the pedal all the time. Towing I am only losing about 3 miles per gallon.By the way I am running a 5 inch drop but I have added a leaf so 4" should be right.

As far as the break in I'm at 48,000 miles so that is probably where the few extra miles are coming from. 17,000 miles in the last 4 months.

You guys are killing me... I'm fiending for a F-250 right now. Tomorrow night is the night. Hopefully we can strike a deal. I want to haul the dirt bike and boat to Tahoe over Labor Day. LOL....

question...

what are you guys paying for these 250's...

I'm pulling the trigger on one as well in the next 24 hrs., but not too sure if i'm getting a good deal on the truck or not??

The one(s) i'm looking at are 250 powerstroke supercrew, 4x4, lariat, longbed...pretty much all of the trimmings. (the dealer here claims they load them up)

06' price is around 37k
07' price is just under 40k.....

I'm having a hard time swallowing the 06' when used the 07' is'nt much more, and i've looked at slightly used 06's (10k miles) for the same price as a new one I can get....

I'm feeling like I can grind a bit more here, but need some input.

06 CC Lariat FX4 4x4 Shortbed Leather Captains Chairs with all the trimmings except power rear window & DVD, 6.0 L Diesel.

43k 1.9% at 60 months.

There is virtually no difference from 06 to 07 and you will have the same engine etc.

If you can swing one for 37k with the diesel, do it. make sure you have tow/haul mode, it rules for going down hills with a boat.

my 06,,, bought 4 months ago

Hey rich, how do you like the Dirt Logic shocks?

I've got a Donahoe Racing 7" lift with 37" Toyo m/t's and their new reservoir shocks. they seem to be bullet proof so far.

matt: drop by www.thedieselstop.com for all kinds of info on these trucks. I warn you though, you will want to buy exhaust, intake, and a tuner for that bad boy though! My truck can literally SMOKE the 37" rear tires!

(Message edited by SummerObsession on August 29, 2006)

Paid 43 for my 06' 4 days ago. Has the chrome package, 20" wheels and is pretty much loaded w/ the exception of a sunroof and DVD player. Great vehicle.

NO ONE LIKES FORD!!! haha jk, nice truck

Only way to go is UP! Try lifting it 15" and sitting on 42's!



Nice truck, I'm slighly jealous

I al looking at an 06 diesel. What kind of mileage are ya'll getting???

10 around town
17 highway empty (65-75 mph)
12.5 highway hauling boat 65-75

That will improve over time.

We towed an 02 X-Star 1200 miles and the electronic read inside only changed a tenth of a mile for 2400 miles....12.5 to 12.4 and that is on an F-350 DRW 6.0 PSD 4x4 bank on 12.5 MPG. Gotta love the diesel!

I thought diesels got better mileage than that... Interesting!

i am now at 11.7 around town. it got up to 12.5 and is now back down to 11.7. nice looking trucks.

john, i hope i never meet you because i might have to hit you for showing me that website i have been reading it and its a great site. thanks. i will let you know how much more money i spend over the next year because of it.

Mileage improves up to about 30,000 miles from what I have read, it's a slow steady increase. Lot's of people think they have mind boggling gas mileage but in reality they have mind boggling power and improved mileage over a gas engine when hauling.


Now i hear the VW TDI engines approach 40 mpg!!

Brandon, you have a 15" lift? Do you have to rappel outta that thing???

When towing my 22SSV w/ an 03 tahoe I get around 11 mpg. I also thought diesels got alot better mileage than that especially when towing.

Rich, what lift, how high, tire and wheel sizes? That looks great! If I could talk the wife into I would go for the 0% financing they are offering now.

well they do when they are doing around 45 to 50. My friend has a 2000 f-350 dually with the 7.3 get around 16 MPG towing a 15000 pound trailer doign about 45-50 anything above that say 60-65 goes down to 12.5 or so 11 when at 70

Swass,

Yeah, there's been a couple times I've forgotten how tall it actually is and busted my arse! It is a real pain the butt backing the truck to the boat for hook up, because the tailgate covers all the way to the mid-windshield of the boat!

it's about 8 in the front, 7 in the back. 20x12 weld cheyannes on 36x13.5 swamper irocs. love everything about the truck except the tires! the coil over's have an awesome ride

I wish I would have bought a diesel

Rich,

Yeah, I'm on about 10k miles on mine and they are getting LOUDER and LOUDER! But I need something to get me through the rocks, as rockcrawling is another love of mine. Its been re-geared and have installed detriot lockers. If BFG made the RockKrawlers in a 42" I'd probably buy em!

My F-250 is showing me 19mpg @ 80mph on the freeway right now with 200 miles on it. Around town it gets down to around 14.5mpg. I've heard they get better and better till around 45k. The dealer told me to expect around 22mpg.

I love the new truck.

What up Rich are ya going to Pismo with us, wasn't sure if andy told ya.
End Hijack

Allen

Here's mine. An '06 6.0 4" lift. LOVE IT !!

Here's another

evan.......19 MPG????? dang, what am i doing wrong here? what did you end up getting?

greg - nice looking truck!

i dont really have a choice, but do yall think its ok to tow the boat on a 5 hour trip this weekend? i have 800 miles on it so far.

I have just under 700 mi. on mine right now, and it's showing 14.8 even when i'm on the freeway cruising 70-75 mph. It's showing 14.8 even on city streets....
What are you doing, Evan to get that many mpg?

Matt, my dealer told me not to tow until I hit 500 miles. I think you'll be okay?? I'm towing a 2.5 hour trip this weekend myself.

You'll be fine, run it hard up the hills and break your motor in real good. After that tow, get an oil change around 1500. They will tell you not to get one til 5000, but your factory oil will be pretty dirty and sheared down. Then just get it at 5000 and every 5000 thereafter.

Evan is getting great mileage for sure, it seems that some of them just do. I am right at the average on a new one, about 17 hwy/13 towing/10 round town.

Wow, really? I ended up with an '06 White/Grey, Lariat, 20's, Chrome package, pretty much everything except the power rear window. I kinda had to take what they could find. I was stoked it was really close to exactly what I wanted.

I'm not doing anything special. After two days of commute traffic and around town I'm showing 15.4 MPG with the mileage getting better by a tenth or so every time I drive. When I reset the computer and ran it down the freeway for 1/2 hour yesterday it was showing 19-19.5. I was going around 80 on a pretty level freeway.

Are you resetting the computer when moving?? I noticed that tricks it a bit into better MPG initially but then after time it averages back out.

I really don't know the "correct" thing to do with meter resets. Most of my trip averages were over a couple hundred miles as I drive my old vehicle to work, it's too close to fire up the diesel every day.

I suggest to everyone with the new 6.0's to head over to walmart and get some Powerservice Diesel Kleen + Cetane Boost and use it on every tank. This stuff will protect your pumps and injectors from crappy fuel and the ULSD fuel that is now in the pumps. Or get the Stanadyne equivalent. A fuel additive seems to do really well for these engines.

Best boat accessory ever really, makes towing fun.

I got the 06' Dark Stone/Tan, Lariat, 18's, Chrome pkg, 4 door, longbed 4x4, loaded w/ everything except the sunroof and navigation.....

When I first got mine last friday it was showing 13.1 no matter on the freeway, or around town. It's slowly climbed it's way up to 14.8, and it's been there for the past few days no change.

I have towed my boat with it a few times now, and it's AWESOME compared to my old Tahoe. No regrets what so ever.

Flux, I did reset it on the freeway and the mileage jumped to 18, then slowly climbed to over 19mpg after a 1/2 hour. I don't know how accurate it is. I'm taking it on a road trip to Tahoe this weekend. I'll be curious to see how it does up the hill.

In the shop where I work we stock Redline SI-1 (as it's one of the few additives factory approved by BMW and Mercedes). I was thinking of adding 1/2 a bottle with each tank as a injector lubricant. Anyone have any thoughts on that. Flux, do you think the Powerservice stuff is better.

Also, my truck is my Tahoe taxi. Temps rarely drop below zero, but I know I'll be needing some antifreezing agent for the fuel. Anything I should look out for?

matt:
You're welcome.
At least now I won't feel so bad. I will know I am not alone in spending bucks on my ride.

There is a great place to buy stuff online Marty is the guys name, and they have been great:

Www.trucktoyzperformance.com

i love your truck, i need to sale my 03 6.0L and get one like that, its hot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One thing all you people who "thought diesels got better mileage than that" need to consider is we are talking about 325+ HP with 600ft.lbs. of torque,there isn't one gas engine on the market that can match those numbers and even get 12mpg let alone be getting 15 or 16 like the Fords. And yes as you start getting over 30k on them they will loosen up some and start getting better mileage.I have about 52k on my 03 F-350 and I can tow the boat and get 16mpg all day long, my Excursion has 82k and I can get 19.5 (not towing), both have 6" lifts with 35's.

Evan, I have been reading up on the Ford-Trucks.com 6.0l website, lot's of great great info there and some nice tech folders. That site really convinced me to buy one of these and especially an 06'. I bought mine June 30th when they bumped the rates down and offered some cash back. I at least got exactly the truck I wanted save for the power rear window and maybe the chrome package, that's why I jumped on it then.

Anyway, 90% of the folks on that forum run Stanadyne or Diesel-Kleen. Diesel Kleen makes two blends, one summer (grey bottle and one for cold temps (white bottle has anti-gel). Walmart carries Diesel Kleen so that's what I am using, it's like 12 bucks a gallon and that will treat 5-10 tanks depending on the ratio you use. Both have Cetane booster (like octane boost for gassers) which helps on hills and takeoff. I got a backpacking stove fuel bottle that carries 20 oz, perfect for road trip fillups.

These are the two brands that most on that site use religiously. Trusting that the refineries put enough lube agents in the fuel is not what you want to do. It's a matter of how long your injectors and pumps will last, especially since they switched to Ultra Low Sulfer Fuel. Some claim good MPG and performance gains from it, most say it's simply the right thing to do for the engine.

On the 06 models, there have been reports of Turbo failures, that seems to be the major concern. Mostly due to corrosion, excessive idling, and not using the truck enough. Basically when you drive it, it's best to get it up to operating temp and then run it hard. Don't idle it for excessive periods or use it to go a mile down the road. They like to be driven, they like to haul, they like to wind out. Most report zero issues with the 06 and you will love the way it handles a boat trailer and a cab full of people and all their gear. Get an oil change at 1500 miles, againg at 5000 miles, and every 5000 thereafter. Lot's of people reccomended the early change due to these engines kicking the crap out of the oil, expecially on break-in. Ford doesn't because it's not necessary, but they don't care if you seat the rings properly or not, it does not create warranty issues, but you will have a motor that runs a bit better over the long haul.

You should be looking forward to hauling your boat up the hill, it's fun passing people while hauling a boat. I pulled a SANTE with a bed full of gear and 5 people up the grapevine at 65 without really stomping it. I got bottlenecked and dropped down to 50 and still accelerated up the hill and got back to 65. You will hear the cooling fan kick on and make some noise, perfectly normal. Use the tow/haul mode when climbing, it will wind the gears longer. For downhill, use it as well, it will keep you and the load from taking off. Amazing feature and it gives you nice control. I took mine into Nacimiento a few weeks ago, the road is steep, up and down, and windy. I thought my brakes would be smoking when I arrived, they were fine. I powered up the hills and coasted down the other side with minimal braking. Keep an eye on your tranny temp, the one with the little gear around the temp thingie, if it get's hot, just pull over for a while. I doubt you will ever have to do that. Chances are you will never own a gasser truck again, I know I won't.

I highly reccomend these forums for anyone looking for more info on their Fords. All kinds of info really. I learned a ton there and know what to watch out for if something feels funny.

Sorry for the long post, I guess I dig my truck as much as my boat. I look forward to hauling with it, it made getting there fun, kicking back in the leather and jamming tunes, not worrying about the big hills and getting good mileage hauling.

guess i will play and the truck is paid for, yea

(Message edited by theresa on August 31, 2006)

Theresa......you guys just taking pics of the setup since there's no water in the river??

hell yea, hopping there will be enough water for this weekend, but the rumors are saying its not likely

The best ford diesel site IMO is this one below. I have been a member for 3 years now and the guys there really help out with any issues you might have with your truck.


http://forums.thedieselstop.com/ubbthreads/

04 6.0 Liter Edge diesel tuner, Banks monster exhaust, and as of yesterday it has retracting steps

•••••••••• rides a pimped out biatch

i like it!!!!

Mine:

Love the black wheels. That thing looks dope.

With all the talk of diesels, have any of you looked at any of the aftermarket computer chips that are supposed to optimize performance and mileage? I know nothing about this, but I know four guys that have diesel pickups that swear by the chips.

They can void your warranty too!! Depending on what you do with them, they tend to blow head gaskets and can even stretch the bolts on the heads.

They can also give you the ability to smoke the tires and pull a house behind you. Lot's of good tunes out there and you can pick the kind you want, optimized for towing, mpg, or accelerating quickly to high speed while driving through brick walls. There are a ton of modifications that can be done to these. Ford is getting pretty sticky about it though and I am told the 6.4l engine will have a memory that can't be erased so they will know if you tuned or not.

Mine is stock and will probably remain stock for a long time, it's got plenty of power for my needs and I am told the 05/07 is factory tuned very well and should be trouble for the most part. Lot's of folks are getting out of their 03-04 models and are raving about how much better the 06 runs. Then again, when you drop that much coin, your brain may be compensating.

Just wait until we get the 6.4 liter twin turbo. It should be out around February along with the new 08's. We'll see how they wind up but I'm hearing 400/700 which would be insane. Yes I sell them.

I must get the worst gas mileage of any 06'. I towed my friends new B52 200 miles from Austin to San Angelo and only averaged 10mpg. The truck was only towing about 5K. I also only get like 12-13 city 15 highway when not towing. How come it seems like some guys are getting 4-5 mpg more on their trucks than others?

I really thought diesel's get much better fuel economy than that. With my 5.3L GMC crew cab 4 x4 I get aroud 12mpg and it pulls great. I was thinking about getting the new GMC with the 650lb/tq A6 but it doesn't seem worth it as much anymore.

++++ for www.thedieselstop.com

One thing to keep in mind when looking at fuel economy is make sure you compare apples to apples. You have to compare the weight of the vehicles to each other. How much does an F250 weigh compared to the truck/suv you're looking at?

Mike, that definitely doesn't sound right. I just got back from a trip in the mountains where I averaged 17 MPG with only 500 miles on the clock. I was also hauling 2 dirt bikes and a bed full of gear/fuel.

i havent seen above 12.5 yet.

however, i will say that at 850 miles before the weekend started, i hauled 40 30 packs of beer, gear, 2 huge speakers, and boat through some hills at 80 with NO problems. man i love that truck. but my mpg has stayed around 12 since i got the truck. and yes, those were 30 packs, not cases. too bad we didnt quite finish them.