2009 Ford F250 super duty v8

downtheroad wrote:
5.4 in a 250...heavy truck, small block V8 (same motor in that era Expeditions -we had one). It's going to be weak when towing.

Good advice on looking for a V10.

X2, and I've owned both. V10 is great puller, but thirsty.

I see you're in San Fran. Well, driving my 2010 F-150 through the cascades and rockies with camping gear and no trailer, it felt like a dog. There was a portion of time where I was passing an individual floored and the truck was not whipping around the other vehicle like it typically does. This was in Wyoming. This drove home the importance of forced induction. If you plan on driving through the mountains and hauling a trailer at higher altitudes, you will be winding it up quite a bit. You will slow down in the mountains as well. It'll do the job, just not as quickly and don't plan on passing all that much.

The nice thing is that in 2007, they fixed the spark plug issue. So the motor should be just about as bulletproof as you can get with any motor. The only common failure on those motors are the cam phasers which are cheap and plentiful. In fact, everything about that motor is cheap and plentiful. Easy to maintain and cheap.

Me to ouer 05 5.4 F150 used to fly with the 19' TT behind it, overtaken manny a car going op hill, so it drops a gear or 2 that is why it has a gear box. O forgot it Ned's to be a disel dually.
Frank

We've towed all around the southeast with our 2010 5.4L 3.73 F250. It won't compare to a newer diesel but it would easily out tow my old standard output 250hp Cummins Ram. It would flat walk away from my '95 160hp Cummins Ram that folks in those days said if you can hitch it to it, it'll tow it. An engine running around it's peak torque rpm or even occasionally near peak hp rpm isn't struggling if it's maintaining or increasing speed. But if you cringe at the sound of a V8 gasser running in it's powerband, you'll be miserable. Self induced migraines are no way to spend a vacation. Just giving you fair warning.

Imagine if Juan Manuel Fangio screamed like a little girl every time he hit 19,000rpm. Some folks here freak at the leisurely sound of 4200rpm. Barely a purr.

I have a 5.4 in my '07 F-150 and a 4.10 rear. I have all I want dragging 8000 lbs. A 250 which weighs about 800 lbs more (+/- options) will not perform any better with the 3.73. The 5.4 is a great engine, but will be maxxed out in your application, IMHO. True, it will get you there, but entrance ramps at speed and steeper hills will make you think twice.

Just for the record;
last generation 5.4L= 300HP, 365 ft lbs torque
Last generation 6.8L= 362HP, 457 ft lbs torque

The 5.4L coupled with a 4.10 rear would be rated at 10k or more. My own experience with both motors is the 6.8L could hold speed in small hills without downshifting but the 5.4L liked to downshift and needed a little more rpm to stay in the sweet spot. The 6.8L can cruise on flat ground all day long at 2k rpm at 65 mph but the 5.4L needed 2500 or so to stay in the power band. Both are very good motors with a well matched load.

Golden_HVAC wrote:
The 5.4L is rated at 300 HP, so why all the crying that it will not do the job?

I think that the V10 is only rated about 50 HP more, and will offer a fuel penalty all the time you are not towing.

3.73 is the rear axle I would be looking for. With a 3.73, you can go up a mountain grade at 4000 RPM around 45 - 50 MPH. At that RPM, you will be making 250+ HP and keep going up the grade!

My motorhome is a 96 with a 460" V8, factory rating of only 225 HP at 3,600 RPM. The 5.4L is much better, due in part to the smaller pistons and ability to run 4,400 RPM all day long. The V10 has the same size piston, and stroke, just 2 more cylinders.

The truck has plenty of weight capacity for your intended travel trailer. But most fifth wheels will have more than 2,000 pounds of pin weight, and you already realize that is out. . .

HAve fun camping!

Fred.

I agree! Most of this is nonsense. I have owned both the V10 and the 5.4 and going up the same grades I turned nearly identical RPM...

OP..go for it!!!

Thanks!

Jeremiah

The 5.4L is rated at 300 HP, so why all the crying that it will not do the job?

I think that the V10 is only rated about 50 HP more, and will offer a fuel penalty all the time you are not towing.

3.73 is the rear axle I would be looking for. With a 3.73, you can go up a mountain grade at 4000 RPM around 45 - 50 MPH. At that RPM, you will be making 250+ HP and keep going up the grade!

My motorhome is a 96 with a 460" V8, factory rating of only 225 HP at 3,600 RPM. The 5.4L is much better, due in part to the smaller pistons and ability to run 4,400 RPM all day long. The V10 has the same size piston, and stroke, just 2 more cylinders.

The truck has plenty of weight capacity for your intended travel trailer. But most fifth wheels will have more than 2,000 pounds of pin weight, and you already realize that is out. . .

HAve fun camping!

Fred.

A lot of hogwash info on this thread. I towed a 10k travel trailer with a 2005 5.4L/3.73 combo and it did fine. You won't get there first but you will get there for sure which is more important.

The V10 is awesome and highly recommended if you can find one. Ours has 4.10 gears and is rated to tow 12,500 lbs.

If payload capacity is important to you, I would not rely on the sticker amount and would run it through a scale somewhere to check it. The payload capacity on our '09 F250 is less than what the sticker or Ford website says by about 700 lbs.

Depending on mileage, you might want to check the front end out carefully. I've read that the front end on these is notoriously weak. I rebuilt the entire front end on ours when I first got it despite having only about 100K miles on it. The shocks were totally shot but I was planning on installing Bilsteins anyway.

I wish ours didn't have 4WD because we have no need for it. It's higher off the ground and takes away payload capacity. If I were to buy new, I'd get 2WD.