Ford 6.7...thoughts and experiences

[rustyshakelford]

well i am beginning the paper work to pursue the lemon law buy back on my 2011 Dodge 3500. It has 7300 miles and have been in the shop 6 times. 4wd problems and CELs have gotten old, not to mention it de-rating while driving home from Colorado.

I have test drove a 2012 F-350 DRW KR, but really like the black leather in the lariat. How is the towing mileage, power and ride? What 5th wheel hitch did you go with? (factory reese or other)

my dodge would get about 8mpg pulling the cyclone and 5.5 in the mountains. anything better than that would be a move in the right direction. i pull at 65 unless its downshifting constantly, then go to 70 if that helps.

thanks

brett

 

[bdb2047]

I have about 15K on mine about 10k is towing trailer is 15500 when loaded.I am doing 11+ MPG towing can get 17 when empty if I pay attention 15 is more realistic.Using 18K Reese Elite hitch.No real problems w/truck.I have a shudder when starting out w/load Ford says is normal I added air bags and helps some but does not eliminate it.Turing radius is long but oiverall happy w/truck.GoodLuck

 

[TedS]

Just traded for 2011 F350 Lariat and have just over 2000 miles on it. First tow I got 10-13 mpg. 17-19 empty. Turns shorter than my previous Chevy. Both long boxes. About 3mpg better than the 2004 Duramax. So far, so good. Have the shudder too when towing, Ford says don't worry. Hard not to worry, I don't like stuff that bangs around even for a short time. Shudder has to do with the driveline angle change when loaded.

 

[jnbhobe]

We have a 2011 F-350 SRW 8ft box. Trailer goes about 16K mostly because we have one of everything. 14K on the truck 7K towing, getting 12mpg at 65mph. We also get the start up shutter but have always got it with a heavy load and the long bed. We're happy with it so far.

 

[lwmcguir]

We have had every Ford Diesel ever sold even with C engines. The 6.7 is by far the best truck ever for both towing and driving. We get 12-13 towing consistently at aroung 65-70 and 17-18 empty. That seems to be about what it will do. The latest computer flash reduced the shutter on start up to where it is hardly noticable. Had it about a year and it is a dream in cold weather. Running 5-40 all synthetic oil. Love the computer and the built in trailer selector. Brake controller coudnt be better and the mirrors are the best you can buy. The fold feature is just as handy as the extension mode. Cant go wrong as the resale value is 30% of so better than SOB's.

 

[rustyshakelford]

does it have an exhaust brake feature? i know on the dodge, there is an actual switch to turn it on, but what is the story with the ford?

thanks for all the input so far

brett

 

[lwmcguir]

does it have an exhaust brake feature? i know on the dodge, there is an actual switch to turn it on, but what is the story with the ford?

thanks for all the input so far

brett

Exhaust brake is built in and applies as needed based on braking and towing. Just came back from the Rockies and the truck / coach came down the mountains like a dream.

 

[porthole]

Almost 12K on our DRW now. It is lives up to just about all the hype. Rides great, very comfortable, whiz bang electronics are really neat.

Mileage was a little disappointing though.
I get anywhere from 9-11 towing the Cyclone, which is heavy. I too have the shudder, just a minor annoyance. It tows great, both pulling and stopping.

But, be aware it does not have an exhaust brake and it is really lacking in that part. That is probably th n umber 1 complaint on the Ford forums.
It does have computer controlled engine braking, engine and trans are controlled to help maintain speed. At highway speeds the system does a really good job maintaining speed downhill, to the point I turn off the T/h mode and disengage the cruise.
On lower speed country roads with lost of ups and down the engine braking is almost non existent, and is really needed.

I like mine and would replace it if something happened.
The Lariat, starting in 2011 can be optioned out almost the same as the KR, with the exception of the saddle interior. Everything else is available.

Just something to think about, the 450 is only a little more and gives you a wider front axle which is really great for the turning radius and is the only way to get a 4.30 rear axle ratio.
Everything else is the same.

 

[rustyshakelford]

Almost 12K on our DRW now. It is lives up to just about all the hype. Rides great, very comfortable, whiz bang electronics are really neat.

Mileage was a little disappointing though.
I get anywhere from 9-11 towing the Cyclone, which is heavy. I too have the shudder, just a minor annoyance. It tows great, both pulling and stopping.

But, be aware it does not have an exhaust brake and it is really lacking in that part. That is probably th n umber 1 complaint on the Ford forums.
It does have computer controlled engine braking, engine and trans are controlled to help maintain speed. At highway speeds the system does a really good job maintaining speed downhill, to the point I turn off the T/h mode and disengage the cruise.
On lower speed country roads with lost of ups and down the engine braking is almost non existent, and is really needed.

I like mine and would replace it if something happened.
The Lariat, starting in 2011 can be optioned out almost the same as the KR, with the exception of the saddle interior. Everything else is available.

Just something to think about, the 450 is only a little more and gives you a wider front axle which is really great for the turning radius and is the only way to get a 4.30 rear axle ratio.
Everything else is the same.

the dodges exhaust brake was very helpful for our trip to colorado but all the other problems outway its benefit.

i have looked at the 450's, from my point, it looks like it about 4-5k more and is the exact same truck as the 350 with the exception of the gears. the 450 C&C comes with the super 60 or whatever the front axle is. we have those at work as booster trucks and they do turn very sharp. the gvwr for the 350 and 450 are 13300 so i wouldn't get any additional payload and the brakes are the same size. i think for the money i would rather do the 350 and get some more bells and whistles. i may be wrong, but that was my observation looking at them side by side.

hopefully i will be able to get dodge to buy back my truck so i can move on

brett

 

[Bighurt]

The current F450 is just a package including badges for the F350.

I love my truck but plan to upgrade to a cyclone in the future, so the F450 is something I've been looking at. However I can actually get an F550 cheaper, and considering I want a hauler body that leaves me without a bed to worry about. Neither solve my other issue, how to transport the RV, wife and 4 kids in one vehicle. I've pretty much settled on buying a Volvo VNL670, and modifying it.

 

[lwmcguir]

We primarily tow the Augusta which is an easy tow so the downhill braking hasnt been an issue. Coming down steep grades I use the manual shift and just change gears as needed and the exhaust brake takes care of the rest. Seems to work very well and never have to touch the brakes. Our total weight is just over 23900 so not really a challenge for the F350 at all. Hauling a load of 16 momma cows however is a different story. That is when you find out what a truck is made of.

 

[porthole]

The 2011-12 Super Duty's do not have an exhaust brake, they have computer controlled engine braking. For the most part, on highways it works great.
On the 2 lane county roads that are short up and downs with a low speed limit, the engine braking is useless.

 

[lwmcguir]

The 2011-12 Super Duty's do not have an exhaust brake, they have computer controlled engine braking. For the most part, on highways it works great.
On the 2 lane county roads that are short up and downs with a low speed limit, the engine braking is useless.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlfz8LAM1xs

We have pretty good luck with ours hauling cattle on the back roads. However to your point it does work better on long grades.

 

[mmomega]

I have almost 11k on mine since June this year so I drive it a good bit. I looked at the KR's too but overall liked the Lariat a little more, the seats felt softer if you will in the lariat.
On the exhaust brake, it is a pretty seemless design not the best not the worst but I had some experience with it towing in the Tennessee mountains and it didn't completely keep me at my designated speed but it did a pretty good job at it, just tapped the brakes a little to slow it back down every once in a while but I didn't have to work it hard if that makes sense.

So far zero problems, I have a miner shudder at take off but so does my 6.0 when towing a heavy load. Pretty sure it's just due to the weight pushing down on the rear and changing the angle of the shaft. I'm planning on getting the R4Tech suspension from Firestone soon which should completely eliminate the shudder, has self leveling and you can squat the truck in the rear and from I hear, makes the truck ride like a big Lincoln.

Towing I usually get 9-11.5, heading to the rally I got 9.8 on the computer with a decent head wind pulling at 70. You will go through some DEF if you tow a lot but it isn't bad. Out of3500-4000 miles towing I've put 7.5 gallons in since I bought it but my local O'Reilleys has it for 9.99 for 2 1/2 gallons so it isn't bad.

The 450's do have a different frame, brakes, front axle and rear axle. I can get specifics if you'd like since I have Fords Source Book with full break downs of all the Super Dutys.
I had thought the frames were the same but a friend tried to order a suspension for his 450 but ordered a kit for a 350 and it wouldn't bolt up so he had to get the 450 specific kit.

Other opinion, the stock shocks are junk IMHO. They say Rancho but they are stamped Motorcraft with a rancho sticker. I put some Bilstein 5100's on and it calmed down the bumpyness a bit but I think the R4Tech will improve way over what just shocks will do and improve towing.

 

[lwmcguir]

Decending steep grades works best for me by using the manual shift feature. The combination of the exhaust brake and the transmission seem to slow us down very well. Only use the trailer brakes as needed such as approaching a sharp curve with a sudden speed decrease required. We do get 12-13 towing the Augusta unless the wind is blowing. Our computer actuall registers more fuel burned than we can put back into the tank.

Best truck we have ever owned and have been driving new fords since 1967 with only a few SOB's in the mix. Our F350 handles almost as good as our F550.

 

[jmgratz]

Towing I usually get 9-11.5, heading to the rally I got 9.8 on the computer with a decent head wind pulling at 70. You will go through some DEF if you tow a lot but it isn't bad. Out of3500-4000 miles towing I've put 7.5 gallons in since I bought it but my local O'Reilleys has it for 9.99 for 2 1/2 gallons so it isn't bad.

Not bad? That is $3.99 per gallon. Seems like it is fairly expensive to me. MHO

 

[mmomega]

Not bad? That is $3.99 per gallon. Seems like it is fairly expensive to me. MHO

Well that's $30 over 11,000 miles, I didn't think it was too much of an added expense. You can get it a little cheaper if you find a Love's or other truck stops that have bulk DEF, around $2.75/gal but I'd have to drive a 1 - 1 1/2 hr round trip from my house to the nearest Love's that has bulk. So what I'd save in DEF price I'd make up for in diesel.

 

[rustyshakelford]

been on the phone for the last couple days with dealers. looks like ill be able to get a little over 10k a brand new 2012 fully loaded lariat that comes in sometime this week or next. i will break even on my trade though...could be worse. going to have to use up the diesel in the tank and look into getting another b&w hitch. this will be my 3rd on 8 months, i shouldve bought stock in them!

looking forward to the power and JD, we are going to be truck twins (black on black) Nav was very hard to track down thanks to the tsunami in japan.

I got my dodge back from the dealer today and they reflashed the ecm. i actually think it has lost some power for some reason. oh well, on to bigger and better things hopefully

thanks to everyone that has responded and given their feedback! once i have pulled the cyclone a few thousand miles, i will give my real world report of owning and towing with each of the big three diesels in a year

brett

 

[mmomega]

Just curious, why did you trade out of the Chevy? I remember you having that black one at the Spring rally.
If mine wouldn't have already come with the 5th wheel prep and hitch I would have definitely went with the B&W hitch as well but this Reese is easy to take out and holding up well so far.

 

[rustyshakelford]

Just curious, why did you trade out of the Chevy? I remember you having that black one at the Spring rally.
If mine wouldn't have already come with the 5th wheel prep and hitch I would have definitely went with the B&W hitch as well but this Reese is easy to take out and holding up well so far.

after taking some trips with decent cross winds and constantly fighting to keep it in the middle of the road, i decided to step up to a dually. i had one in the past and it was a very stable towing platform when hauling cattle. the chevy was a great truck and would get 10-11 mpg but after having the dually, thats the only way to go. i also wanted an exhaust brake. after the dodge fiasco, it makes me regret getting rid of the duramax/allison combo.

we still need to run across the scales but im pretty sure we were over on our pin weight by a decent margin. the tires squatted a bunch on the single axle also and they were aired up to 80 psi. There just isnt much of a safety margin with only two tires back there in the event of a blowout.

brett