My 2008 F450 XLT 4x4 6.4L

[brain55]

Here is my initial review after the first 330 miles. I have had this truck 3 full days now. My first fill up on Friday cost $143, it was down to an 1/8 of a tank and has a 37 gallon tank. The mileage computer says I'm getting 12.7 mpg, I will confirm this on the next fill up. Not the 15 mpg that some people had predicted. This is mixed driving city/highway. Still better than my 8.1L that got around 9 mpg mixed.

This truck rides like a truck. It is not uncomfortable, it is just firm and you feel every bump. The only 2 trucks I have to compare against it are my 2001 GMC Sierra K3500 and my buddy's F350 King Ranch SRW 4x4 with a 6.0 that I have been using the last couple of months when I really needed it. It rides rougher than either of those.

I am still waiting for my gooseneck hitch to come in to report on how it tows.

The Oasis report said it has 4.30 gears, at 60 mph it spins 2000 rpm which is about the same as my GMC, of course it had the 8.1L and not a diesel. This truck also seems to make a lot of boost, more than what I noticed with the F350 I have been using. I cross some hills everyday, and going up the hill unloaded it will make 30 psi boost, the only time my buddy's 6.0 makes that much boost is with the trailer hooked to it. I'm assuming that is a result of the twin turbos on my truck. His truck also has lower numeric gears.

I am also curious about the licensing and insurance. I think it will have to be registered as commercial vehicle and insured accordingly. It having a factory pick-up bed on it might help but I'm not counting on it.

I'm also starting to plan its first maintenance at 45,000 miles, it has 41,600 now. Everything I have read says to make sure the engine oil gets changed every 5000 miles. I will change both fuel filters at every oil change, even though the manual says they can go 10,000 miles. I also change transmission fluid every 15,000 instead of 30,000. Since this is my first service and I'm doing everything else, I'm going to do the differential fluids and transfer case too so everything is on the same schedule. In the grand scheme of things, fluids and filters are cheap.

I will check back later in the week with some more pictures and a towing update.

Brian

[timswi]

Almost 13MPG isn't too bad on a monster like that...I'd be kinda happy with that.

As far as insurance....You're kinda are commercial right?....This truck is your office for the most part. The plates will probably hurt, but the rest shouldn't be that much worse than your last truck. Insure for the risk. From what you've said about what's in your trailer and the weight of it, I'd look into an umbrella policy. I just did that and it's very reasonable.

I'm not commercial, but my insurance actually went down on my '11 GMC compared to my '04 GMC..Go figure.

[Topkicker]

Kelderman makes an air ride system for your F-450. Stiff ride solved. I installed the system on my GMC 4500 and was worth every penny. The ride quality was night and day difference. This system does not change the tow or load rating of your truck.

4WD 4-Link Rear (remove leaf springs) KLM15715 - F-450 Pickup (2008 - 2010) Ford - Kelderman Air Ride Suspension Technology

[JESSE1]

Glad to hear the truck has 4.30's instead of the 4.88's. You're truck is getting about the same mileage as my F-450. I'm averaging about 12.5, if I keep my speed down to 65 or less I can get close to 13. Not good but it is a heavy truck. You'll forget about the firm ride as soon as you hook a trailer to it, the F-450 pickup is a supreme towing machine. Keep the oil changed and don't idle for long periods and the 6.4 will be a good engine.

[Diamondpilot]

Glad to see its working out for you. Like others said, once you hook that trailer to it you will see where it shines.

Chris

[slowzuki]

I've been in old F-450's, they are certainly sprung to handle the load rating on that rear axle for sure. Not a pickup for daily driving if you don't need to load it down.

[CompactTractorFan]

Almost 13MPG isn't too bad on a monster like that...I'd be kinda happy with that.

Yeah...I think our '95 Ford Explorer 4.0 gets that.

[Dmace]

Mileage doesn't sound bad at all for that truck. It's good that you plan on a short oil change interval, that seems to be the real killer of any newer diesel engine.

Good luck with the truck!

[Lt CHEG]

Mileage doesn't sound bad at all for that truck. It's good that you plan on a short oil change interval, that seems to be the real killer of any newer diesel engine.

Good luck with the truck!

I completely agree. With that gear ratio, and the weight of that hauling machine, I think those fuel economy numbers aren't bad at all. The 6.4 likes the highway. If you were to ride exclusively on the highway your mileage would likely increase significantly. If I keep the speed to about 68 with my truck, I've gotten almost 19mpg on the highway (approx. 18.6 hand calculated). I've said it before that the 6.4 can sure feel like a hot rod, but if you drive it like a truck and not a car it can be a lot more economical.

I also agree completely about the oil changes. Diesel engines are not meant to be super clean burning engines, it's a low price to pay in my opinion for their greater fuel efficiency and power. Since all the new emissions junk has been foisted upon the modern diesel engines, the maintenance has become all the more critical. Keep the oil changed and fresh and you will likely get very good service from it. Keep an eye on the oil level and check the oil with the "short dipstick method" and don't let there be too much oil in the crankcase. Virtually all the problems that I've read about with the 6.4 could have been prevented with more deliberate maintenance. A few engines have made too much oil, or otherwise had oil related issues causing catastrophic failure. Also DO NOT use anything other than Motorcraft fuel filters and oil filters. You could conceivably use Racor as well, as they make the filters for Motorcraft but if you ever have a problem, you've got firmer ground to stand on with a Motorcraft proof of purchase. There is a difference in the Motorcraft filters and all the other manufacturers and those differences can lead to big problems.

[75H2]

Yeah...I think our '95 Ford Explorer 4.0 gets that.

+1 on that. DW's 03 V8 Explorer is reading 13.1.