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How to Select Proper Truck Axle Ratios - READ ONLY

18 messages,  Last post on Jul 30, 1998 at 1:48 AM

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#9 of 18 stanford by stanford

Jul 25, 1998 (2:43 am)

You do realize that the V10 costs ~$200 more and gets, if anything, better mileage... not to mention considerably better performance and towing capabilty in the heavier trucks... don't you?

#10 of 18 Brutus by Brutus

Jul 25, 1998 (6:38 pm)

I would definitely go with the V-10 on a dually. As Stanford mentioned, early reports are that the gas mileage isn't much better with the 5.4 in the Superduty, if at all.

#11 of 18 bonvec by bonvec

Jul 25, 1998 (9:46 pm)

Here are my reasons for selecting a 5.4 engine. 1. I am reluctant to purchase a engine in its first years of production. Will there be some bugs to be uncovered. 2. My present truck has over 180,ooo miles and is all original and this is with extremely hard use. I am told that the 5.4 is basically a new version of my old reliable 351. 3. I am suspicous of claims of good gas mileage ,I once owned a 460 engine that gulped gas.Also are two additional cylinders two more potential problems. 4.This is going to be a work truck my351 has enough power and with my creeper gear goes everywhere I need to go. I don't want to appear stubborn but simply want the most reliable truck not the fastest. I am still open to suggestion.Does anyone have any experience with this 5.4 and how long has Ford been producing it.

#12 of 18 cdean by cdean

Jul 26, 1998 (1:50 am)

the 5.4 is NOTHING like the 351. totally new modular engine design. its only been out a couple of years, and theres no real way to tell reliability yet. the v10 has been in the E350 vans for a couple years now and I would say the bugs should be worked out.

#13 of 18 Brutus by Brutus

Jul 26, 1998 (2:10 pm)

I believe the 5.4L and the V-10 have been around about the same amount of time. They are actually made on the same line. The new Triton engine was designed with a V-10 in mind, so they share alot of parts. That's one of the reasons, the V-10 option only cost a couple hundred bucks more than the 5.4L. The 460 had to have it's own line since it shared very little in common with the other Ford V-8 engines.


Like cdean mentioned, they have been using them in the big Econoline vans. Until they built the Superduty, they didn't have an engine compartment big enough to hold the V-10. It won't fit in the F-150.

#14 of 18 bonvec by bonvec

Jul 26, 1998 (6:24 pm)

Brutus, do you know if a 5.4 has a equal amount of power as the old 351. And since they are similar do you believe the v10 and v8 will be similar as far as maintenance and durability

#15 of 18 Brutus by Brutus

Jul 27, 1998 (3:40 am)

No idea about the 5.4L compared to the 351. I just sold my 92 F-250HD 5.8L. I believe they are both considered versions of the 351. I never had a problem with mine. It had 86,000 miles. However, it does appear as if the Chevy 350 beat it in mpg. But like I said, no problems at all with my engine. Still, from everything I've heard, I would not consider the 5.4L over the V-10. I have yet to hear one person on this site, or any of the other sites I participate in, say that the V-10 gets significantly worse gas mileage than the 5.4L when it comes to the Superduty. I've actually heard the opposite from some people. It's a matter of weight. The Superduty is not a light truck. It appears the V-10 is more efficient at pushing that weight than the 5.4L. But once again, I have to say that my 5.8L never cost me a dime in maintenance. I can only hope the same of the V-10 I ordered.

#16 of 18 cdean by cdean

Jul 28, 1998 (12:11 am)

ford built the 5.4 off the same modular basis that the 4.6 v8 was built off of. the 4.6 was in t-birds and cougars for a while before they started putting them in the trucks. the 5.4 is basically a bigger bore version of the 4.6, and the v10 is the same, add 2 more cylinders. mechanically, there is absolutely nothing to compare to the 351.

#17 of 18 kcram by kcram HOST

Jul 28, 1998 (10:22 pm)

The dilemma right now is the announcement from Ford that they are punching up the power on the 5.4 in the _light_duty_ trucks - to 260/345. Very close to the V10's 275/410, and well above the 5.4's current 235/330. There has been NO announcement as to whether the upgraded 5.4 will see SuperDuty use, or if so, when.


I would go along with the majority here and go with the V10 (if you're sold on gasoline) strictly because the Super Duty trucks weigh more than the old 1980-1997 chassis. If you notice, the GVWRs were raised substantially, but there wasn't much increase in payload compared to the older body. All DRW Fords are now at 11,200 GVWR, up from 10,000, but there's a lot less than a 1200 pound payload increase in the otherwise identical configuration.

#18 of 18 bonvec by bonvec

Jul 30, 1998 (1:48 am)

I want to thank everyone at this site for their advice , It sure has made me rethink my position on this v8.

Messages Page 2 of 2

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