F250 5.4 gas mileage

[Kahuna]

I saw the post on the 6L Ford diesel regarding fuel mileage (which is what I really wanted) but had to settle on a gas. I am pulling a gooseneck on rare occasion so had to upgrade from a V6. I have a 2004 Super Duty Crew Cab 4x4 with the 5.4 liter gas engine and 4 speed automatic tranmission. It has 3.73 gears.

I am mainly concerned with my mileage when not pulling. It is getting in the 12mpg to 14 mpg range. Is this typical mileage or is this worse than normal. I bought a Flashpaq prgrammer and put it on the "performance" setting. It really increased the power and acceleration but took at least 1 or 2 mpg off my milege. I checked it yesterday and it only got 11mpg but it was very cold and I was driving into a 25-30mph wind. I put the programmer on the "ecomony" setting to see if that helps. I have 30 days to try out the programmer and can send it back if I don't like it. I do like the extra snap (the 5.4 is no power house in a F250) and I do like the tighter shift points, but not at the sacrifce at lower mileage.

One point I do want to make. I traded in a 1999 F150 4x4 I bought new with the V6 and 5 speed manual. It would only get about 14mpg on a good day too. Checking to see if anyone has an 5.4 Ford experience or advice.

 

[Rocko]

I bought a 2006 F-150 5.4L fx4 supercab with a 6 foot bed, I got it new in sept of 05....I got about 40,000 miles on it now. I got 13.5 mpg when it was brand new, and I still get 13.5 mpg. I am a carpenter, so the truck has a vanguard ladder rack on it with topside tool boxes that sit on the bed rails.

I traded a 2004 dodge hemi in for the F-150...The hemi was getting 11.5 mpg, was a regular cab with a 6ft bed and same ladder rack and tool box setup.....If gas didn't hit 3 dollars a gallon I would have kept the hemi...

I had looked into getting a programmer for the F-150, but never got one. Let us know if it improves your mpg.

 

[Dmace]

I am surprised you got such crappy gas mileage with the Hemi. I have an 03 Ram 1500 4x4 4-door and get 15-15.5 mpg average with about 60% highway and even towing my 3,500lb car on a 10k gvw car trailer, I get 11-12mpg.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e139/4CE-FED/100_1278-1.jpg

 

[archerynut]

I had a 2004 F-250 crewcab with 5.4 L, same gears and bed, and I got right around 12 MPG around the suburbs. It would hit an amazing 14.5 on the highway. I traded that in on a 2004 f-150 and then 2006 F-150, both F-150 get about 12.8 - 13.0 MPG around the suburbs. I don't do a lot of hard city driving, just suburb driving. The F-150 will get about 15 MPG highway with a quad in the back, and about 16-17 MPG with nothing in the back. With a tonneau cover my MPG did go up about 1 MPG. There are no (really) flat straight roads where I live so the highway MPG is always lower than advertised around here.

 

[rdbigfarmboy]

I had a 5.8 auto that got 5 mpg towing about 15000#. no trailer and about 14 was normal. If I drove a flat 50 I could get 17.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I get 13-14 mpg from the 4.6L in the F-150, 12mpg from the 5.4L in the one F-250 and 13-14 from the 6.0L in the other F-250. The 6.0L is still new though and only has 4400 miles on it so hopefully the mileage will improve some.

My driving is all local usually, short trips to jobsites in the local city and towns as well as material runs so it is a lot of stop and go driving. All three trucks have automatics and the two gassers have 3.73 rear axles (if I remember right) and the diesel has the 4.10.

 

[kentrodngun]

I've got a Dodge 2500 Ram but I figured I'd chime in too since we're talking mpg. I've got the 5.9L (360 cu. in. for us old guys) and an automatic. I typically get 13 mpg except when I'm towing my tractor or a car and then I get between 9 & 10 mpg. Make you feel any better?

 

[Thomas]

Don't feel bad,I have Colorado 06 Z71 getting 17mpg and that's babying it.

 

[Solo]

I have a '04 F-250 extended cab long bed 5.4 liter with 3.73 gears and 6 speed manual transmission. 11.5 mpg 14 on the interstate if I'm lucky.

Solo

 

[workinallthetime]

I got those numbers out of my 2 privious 6.0 300 hp gmc engines, now the new one has displacement on demand so when i dont need the 367 hp it runs on 4 cylinders. Problem is i cant keep my foot out of it, lol supose to get 15 to 22 mpg we shall see once its broken in. And ya your programming will efffect your fuel mileage so will gears and tires.