Ford F150 vs F250

Long out last... LOL, from a guy ready to ditch a 2 yr old truck.
Scratching my head as well, lol.

Ken, I love you but you're being an idiot. What do the guys in your wine club have to say about this?

All good things pointed out already Ken, but I guess you really have to ask yourself how long do you really plan on keeping it? You say that longevity is a factor for the TD but I would think that unless you really plan to drive it 300K miles, why bother? Everything I hear about any new diesel based on the feds going gonzo on the emissions side of it, they aint worth the extra cost and routine maintenance required. I've heard from more than a few sources who are seasoned diesel owners say that they've even started looking for "good used" over the new ones.

Nautique2001 wrote: Hey Tim, was thinking the 6.7 diesel is far less compression than the 3.5 twin turbo. The truck isn't an issue, as I take super good care of it. Do you think the diesel is a far more reliable engine than gas?

I would argue this Ken. Diesels traditionally run upwards of 20:1 compression or higher. That's the whole theory behind a diesel. Turbocharged and supercharged engines actually require lower compression ratios than their normally aspirated counterparts because they're forcing extra fuel air mixtures into the combustion chamber. This is standard motorhead knowledge.

FYI, Ford did things the right way when they bought Volvo back in 1999. They learned turbo technology from Volvo and ultimately the end result is the ecoboost. My '98 Volvo turbo just turned 399K and it's not a question of "if" but when it hits 500k. Will you run your TD that long?

Ken, buy the diesel and get it well optioned. When you trade it in a few years, I might know someone that'll buy it from you.

I've kept a variety of trucks upwards of or over 200k and have not had a problem with an engine whether it's a Ford or Chevy. It's the bodies that start to rust out at 8-10 years that limits the life of the truck. Ford has aluminum bodies now, but SS brake lines would be a real plus.

i would weigh towing needs , miles driven per yr , gas prices probably dont make that much difference when you factor the down swing and upswings generally seem to relate to both fuels. i would opt for the diesle for the same reasons i would opt for the 454 bfn over 351.   arent there 4 engine options for the 2015 f150? and the colorado could be a good option i was told it has an optional -4 liter diesel with 350+ foot lbs of torque.

Nautique2001 wrote: One could argue, why get the 454 in the BFN when you could settle for the 351? Does the 454 perform better and less stressed under load? Same thought process with a truck. No load versus feeling a load. Just a thought.

454 not worth it in a boat if you only keep it a couple of years too    I think unless your towing a G, a truck that big is a waste if you have no other towing use. HW's Caddy works for him,I was pulling my 95 fine with a Town Car. Run the one you have now hard while the warranty is good,if it starts having trouble then get rid of it.

Get a 1/2 ton Ram with a diesel. Only a $1500 upgrade and you're not driving around in an over sprung buckboard 90% of the time. I think the Bighorn model comes with wine glass holders

Where u been dude?

Mike

MrMcD wrote: I saw the new Cummins 5.0L V8 at a show recently, 300 HP and 500 ft lbs, they had it in School busses. The Cummins Rep says they tried to market this engine to Dodge and they refused it so they made a deal with Nissan, should be out in their trucks this year.

The new 5.0l engine is going into the Nissan Titan XD, which is supposed to fall somewhere between a 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton.

I agree with most here, unless you actually need the towing ability of the diesel, there is not much argument (certainly not financial) to getting a diesel over a gas, let alone jumping up to a 3/4 ton over a 1/2 ton. If you're having trouble pulling a 3000lb boat/trailer up a ramp, try releasing the emergency brake. That should be no problem. Drop it in 4L if you need to.

05 210 wrote: Get a 1/2 ton Ram with a diesel. Only a $1500 upgrade and you're not driving around in an over sprung buckboard 90% of the time. I think the Bighorn model comes with wine glass holders Mike

I was waiting to comment until someone mentioned the Ram 1500 diesel, thanks Mike.

Ken what kind of problem are you having at the ramp? If you have 4wd I can't imagine any ramp giving you that much trouble where you feel you need more power. 4Wheel low should get you out of anything no matter what power you have.

As for going with the 6.7 diesel in an f250 unless you plan to work that truck and get it nice and hot I can't imagine you'll have anything but trouble with the emission system eventually, the diesels need to be put to work and your Ski is not going to do it. Plus have you ever driven a 250 diesel around town, nice work truck but not a grocery getter by any means.   

With that said the Ram 1500 with the Eco Diesel is right up your alley if you really think you need to move away from the Eco Boost gasser.   I have the Eco Diesel in my Jeep and just under 30,000 miles and it just keeps getting better as it breaks in. I've mentioned before I get anywhere from 17-19.5 mpg TOWING and just this weekend I did a 300 mile highway trip (Not towing) and got 29.3 at 70+ mph.    I think you need to go drive one and see for yourself. I did have to deal with a recall on the exhaust system but I think they are starting to get the new small diesels sorted out after a couple of years on the market.

Maintenence costs on the 6.7 diesel will be quite a bit more than your gasser too but with my small diesel an oil change costs me $75 every 10,000 miles. Fuel filters every 20,000 at about $150. Def fluid is cheap and not as big a deal as the anti diesel crowd makes it out to be.

I don't let the cheap gas prices fog my decision to go diesel either because this won't last forever and up until a few months ago diesel in my area was only 30 cents more than gas so the extra mileage of the diesel made up the difference, the gas prices won't last forever and it will swing back the other way probably within 2 years, maybe sooner so be thinking about your mpg.

81nautique wrote: I don't let the cheap gas prices fog my decision to go diesel either because this won't last forever and up until a few months ago diesel in my area was only 30 cents more than gas so the extra mileage of the diesel made up the difference, the gas prices won't last forever and it will swing back the other way probably within 2 years, maybe sooner so be thinking about your mpg.

100% agree here. There is only one way that prices will go once the Saudis have throttled the production of their "competition" and it isn't down.

One industry projection I read (released last week at Davos) was $200 per barrel in five years. That might be extreme, but the long term trend in prices is very clearly up even if we get a 6-12 month reprieve.

Yaah, but over the long term, up is more likely than down.

Nautique2001 wrote: those turbos are spinning hard to get my boat out.

Ken,
Please explain your concern with the turbos winding up. With a demand for power, aren't they supposed to do that?

Are you doing a burnout up the ramp? Hard to imagine the turbos spooling up that much. I use a gravel/dirt/mud ramp thats steep as all get out at my lakehouse. Even my 300k mile POS camo tahoe doesn't struggle in 4LO.

Ken,
I love my F-250, and the 7.3L powerstroke, but I think you should drive one for an hour or so to see how you feel about driving it in traffic and parking at the supermarket.   It certainly feels much better on the freeway or at the jobsite than it does parking in the parking lot at the grocery store. Sitting around for long periods of time is hard on the variable vane turbo's, as well as other components, so if you are not going to work the diesel fairly of often, that can really affect the longevity of the motor.   

I won't discourage you from buying diesel, I think it's all a matter of personal preference, but they have both their up side and their down sides.   BTW, I think mine takes 16 qts of oil at an oil change, that was a bit of a shocker when I bought my first diesel