F250 .. whats better 6.0 or 7.3 Diesel?

have you ever rode/drove in a 3 valve V10...makes HUGE torque , i would bet it would blow the doors off of a 460 anyday

the older V10s were only 2 valve, but in 05 they went to 3 valve heads , and man ole man that thing makes power

prolly hard as hell on gas

 

I have not had much diesel experience since the '80's. However, I remember, that at one time, the concensus was that if you were only going to drive a vehicle every now-and-then, don't get a diesel. I remember the school of thought was that if you were only going to drive your diesel once a week, that you were better off to let it idle 24 hours per day than just sit. For once a week or less type driving, you may be better off with a gas engine. I think you need to research this area of the decision before you decide which diesel. Just my two cents.

 

I owned a 2000 7.3 and currently have a early 2003 with one of the last 7.3's. Other than a cam position sensor (not sure it was actually bad since I also had a bad connection on a feeder harness) I have had no problems. Knew a couple of people that had late 2003's with the 6.o with lots of problems. They have them straightened out now. A friend of mine has a 2005 6.0 and has had no problems other than a few recalls. Now that they have the 6.0 figured out they are changing to the 6.4.

The 6.0 is quieter with the pilot injection, but who buys a diesel if they are concerned with noise.

As for performance I love my 7.3, and when towing a 30 foot travel trailer it makes a huge difference. Been looking into the FS2500 bypass system from Filtration Solutions from a maintenance standpoint.

Don you want to run the tow vehicles down the track at the Gathering?

 

If you are only using it for "infrequent towing" and other uses....I would recommend a gas motor as well.

 

whewww,lots of comments,most good some alittle bias but none the less. Dan what did you think when we towed your mav to the 2005 roundup? I have a 2004 F350 Dually w/6.0 in it. the only problem I've had is a recall to update the computer and the EGR valve replaced, looks good and gets a consistant 18.5 mpg, towing the 28' enclosed it drops to about 16 or so,I have owned 3 other F350 dually's with 7.3's and they are somewhat underpowered comparied to the 6.0, I'm not always easy on my truck but it hasn't let me down. My dad's 2003 F250 Has had some problems and I would steer clear of the early ones but a diesel is not a bad investment and with occassional use will last you for many years. my truck is not a dog and I drive it every day and prefer it over my wife's expedition. you can buy a gas truck and it would probably do you fine but you won't get the torque out of a gas truck as a diesel, now I might be a little partial as I like diesels and having been a trucker for many years like the longevity of the diesel and the maintainence cost are relative for the vehicle,let's face it everything is going to breakdown from time to time, but if you are not repairing it as frequently as a gas motor then you have saved that cost,it might cost alittle more at repair time but it's stronger and more durable. the cummins in the dodge's are sort of sluggish even though I like cummins engines...in the end it's up to you, right now there are good deals on previously owned trucks in the 04,05 range that are trades or program vehicles. good luck on your search Dan, let me know if I can help you.

 

Dan if the 99 is a late 99 (99 1/2) as aposed to an early 99 (98 build date) I'd go with that one. The early 99 superduties are like the 69 1/2 Mavs. Just enough differances in the front brakes and other parts to make them a PITA to work on and get the right parts for. A quick way to tell early/late 99's is the emblems on the outside of the truck. If the V8 diesel emblem is on the fender it's an early one. If it's on the dorr it's more than likely a late 99.

 

Unless you are going to be pulling all the time, Id stick with a 4.6 or 5.4 gas truck. My 99 with the 4.6 gets 18 mpg. I pulled my Mav from NC on a 16 foot trailer and got 16 mpg. On the long hills between Greenville, SC and Atlanta, I had to switch off the overdrive to keep it from changing gear as much, but it pulled real good. Since it's not going to be your primary driver, you could pick up a 99-00 model standard cab for less than $8000. The extra expense for the diesel in fuel and oil changes wouldn't be worth it, IMHO. Just my

 

So the F150 4.6 pulled good? I did find a nice one of those ...

 

Dan, my trailer weighs 1350 lbs. Add any Maverick and you still will not be over 4200 lbs. Half-ton 4.6 or 5.4 should do well.

 

I didn't consider the 4.6 or 5.4's but yes these motors pull well.

I drove an extended cab F-150 4.6 of my ex wifes many times... pulled a 14' enclosed trailer many times loaded with misc junk and pulled fine. Turn the OD off, as your supposed to and I had no problems. I could have used trailer brakes however (which isnt the trucks fault)

Also drove the same truck w/ a 5.4 of my ex grandfather-in-law and it pulled great also. It's his farm truck and he's pulled everything with it.

Old guy pulls his Fairmont and Mavman's Maverick and the mustang with a 5.4 extended cab 1/2 ton with trailer brakes and has no problems. I'm not sure what MPG he gets but I dont think it's all that bad.

These trucks are way cheaper than the Diesels of the same year and they sound great w/ dual flowmasters. So my choice still goes for the Diesel 3/4 or 1 ton if you want to pay for that, or the 5.4 or 4.6 otherwise

 

Dan if you are going with a gas motor then go with the 5.4 the 4.6 is a slug when pulling, even if it's only sometimes, you will work the heck out of the 4.6. You also have to consider stopping what ever you are pulling,getting it rolling is only half the battle. The resale on a 5.4 truck is better also,you will appreciate the extra power the first time you need it, besides neither engine will get very good mileage anyway, I've never seen 25 mpg on one of them, usually 12-16.

 

I never had problems with the 4.6. Pulled just about the same as the 5.4

But, I'd go ahead and get the 5.4 if I was going to buy one for myself.

And the 4.6 and the 5.4 get about the same gas mileage. Maybe a mpg or 2 difference. I got about 18 out of the 4.6 truck when I was driving it back and forth to work

 

I got a 05 250 superduty extended cab with th 5.4 4x4. I like it. Gas mileage, 13-14 not towing, towing a 28 ft enclosed trailer (trailer loaded with car weighs 8,000) mileage around 7mpg. This is in Pa with the hills. If you dont watch the speedo, truck runs 70-75 easy or faster. The 250 weighs 6,800lbs, not light! Not sure on a 150. Gears on mine are 3.73, the 4.10 or 4.33 would help more on mileage an keeping speed more at 60-65. The 150's being lighter do run/pull better than 250, just watch your overload. Cops/DOT are cracking down on pick-ups pulling trailers!

I like my gasser, has the power to pull my trailer and not tick others off. If priced the same, I dont think I would buy a diesel. Truck gets 10,000 miles on a year, if I ran lots of miles, I would go diesel. Diesel will outpull and leave me on a hill. I do a good job on hills and dont need to race the diesels.

Resale is better on diesels. I dont buy to resell.

 

Dan, I was real happy with it. I ran about 65 -70 mph towing the mav, on the long hills it would pull down to about 55-60, so I don't feel like it was a slug. A 5.4 would probably do a little better. I don't know if you seen it at the christmas breakfast or not, but it's a 150 extended cab, with the small sucide rear doors, so it's a little heavier than a standard cab. Like I said before, mine averages 17-18 mpg, even pulling the loaded trailer it never got worse than 15. I gave $8800 for it in Jan 05, I'm sure a standard cab 99 like mine would be even cheaper than that now. And it still doesn't use any oil, and it has 121,000 miles on it. I'm not the kind to tell you what to buy, but just offer my experience with mine for you to compare with what everyone else has to say.

 

i am on the look out for a truck as well when i get my inheritance. there is a ford 250 right across the road from me with a 460 in it.. the guy wants 8400 for it. but then i found another truck not sure the power plant in it... but they wanted 6000 for it.

i dont know what i want, what brand, i just want something that is decent on mileage, isnt gonna cost me an arm and a leg to fix, and something that will haul the maverick on a trailer if i need to.

what trucks are good to get... chevy.. ford.. dodge.. toyota..