Let's try Ford now.

[DCIV]

Anymore my daily drivers I just want quiet.


Coop

[Chris GTO TT]

Yeah it's one of the main reasons I wanted a newer truck was better noise control. My truck wasn't loud but when id drive the newer ones it's amazing how much quieter they are. Now I just need to buy something

[Duck Vader]

My 250 is the quietest vehicle I own.

[ChargerX3]

Random thoughts after driving 800 miles.

Fuel economy peaked at 21.6 mpg. That's great for something with the aerodynamics of a barn.

Seats are really comfortable. Could use a little more lumbar support though. I arrived feeling a lot better than I thought I would.

The interior still faintly smells of spray paint. Hope that goes away soon.

It's loud. Between the exhaust and the road noise, it's annoying at times. Especially over one particular stretch of concrete on I-69 north of Indianapolis. I don't expect it to be a Lexus, but there's room for improvement.

The exhaust isn't stock. It drones really bad between 1500 and 2000 RPM under light to moderate load. Fortunately i was able to keep it above that with the cruise set around 70. The muffler looks much smaller than what I see on parts listed on eBay. I might look into alternatives. This isn't really meant to be a road trip car, so it might not be worth messing with. We'll see.

I'm really glad I got the console in. It was nice to have my stuff organized and in easy reach for such a long drive.

That is good MPG. Is that based off the gauge or are you calculating it on your own? If you havent tried it, try doing it by yourself. I recommend downloading an app to keep track of them all. I went trough a lot of free ones and liked "Fuelly" as you can do multiple vehicles.

Leave your windows cracked when parked, so you can let it ventilate the smell. If you're not already.

I put a smaller aftermarket exhaust on my Ram and got bad drone as well. I ended up putting back on my stock muffler. Its going to stay that way. lol.

I think the rode noise is due to your low profile tire, wide/aggressive tread. I bet if you went with a more standard tire your troubles would go away. I ran all terrains and off road tires on fleet vehicles for years and learned my lesson for my dailies.

[Duck Vader]

As for your mpg, that is pretty standard on these newer one. My DFW is 5.0, supercrew, 6 ft bed, 4x4, big mud tires, etc and I still average above 20 mpg calculating by hand on long drives.

[Jeff V.]

It was nice a few days ago. I should have left the windows cracked.

I want to go to smaller rims and more of an AT tire. I'm keeping my eyes out for a nice set of stock take offs.

For the MPG I'm just going by the dash. It's direct injection, so the computer knows precisely how much fuel is going through the injectors. I don't have a reason to doubt the accuracy. Just knowing it's approximately 20 helps me budget for future trips.

[ChargerX3]

I think a nice upper trim stock wheel would look and perform much better. Honestly i used to buy AT tires, but unless its a dedicated off road rig a simple set of Michelin all seasons ride and sound so much better. They also dont give road noise or cup.

You might be surprised at the MPG you actually get compared to the dash. Oem units are known for embellishing. You also have other mods like wheels and tires that can further throw off those numbers.

[Jeff V.]

This thing is great. Not really much to add that I haven't already said. The only real complaint I had was about 10 minutes from home on a really badly chewed up segment of I-435. I hit a shallow pothole and it felt like the rear end skipped sideways about a foot. It just rides too damn stiff. Even with 300 lbs of sand in the bed. I might look into different shocks once I make a decision about wheels. It'll be fine in the meantime though.

Random photo on my way out of town last Wednesday.



When I left my mom's yesterday, I made a little side trip down to Dearborn to visit the mothership. Ford world HQ.



Final stats according to my fancy dash:
26 hours, 4 minutes.
1620.1 miles
20.1 average MPG

It was almost entirely highway driving. I did very limited driving in town. We took my mom's Kia for her appointments and grocery shopping.

I spent around $300 on gas. Hard to say precisely since I started and ended with a partial tank. It's still a lot cheaper than the $550-600 I was looking at for a flight, and it worked out a lot better since I didn't have a date until the last minute.

[Duck Vader]

Nice. It's amazing how good trucks are at long haul driving. I spend well over 1500 hours and put thousands of miles behind the wheel of them every year. Great all around vehicles.

[DCIV]

Great pictures. Hate what’s happening but glad you found a better option.


Coop

[Chris GTO TT]

I'm glad you're enjoying it! I suspect the rough ride is partially the lowering kit. My old truck and new one don't ride that rough.

[Jeff V.]

I feel like the shocks were done by someone who thought "stiff = sporty". I might see if there are compatible Bilsteins down the road.

It's fine for around town. I've got a few other things on my wish list before I get to that.

[Duck Vader]

I've said it before. Bilstein on my silverado and then the 250. Well worth it IMHO.

[Jeff V.]

They made a huge difference on the Hummer.

[tabasco122]

billies here as well

[Jeff V.]

It's going to be pretty nice here for the next few days. What do you guys think about running an oscillating lawn sprinkler under the truck for a bit to try to flush out all the road salt I sucked up on my trip?

[aaronatstate]

That should work I would think. They have attachments for pressure washers to do basically the same thing.

[Duck Vader]

I need to buy one of those power washer attachments

[Chris GTO TT]

I've heard worse ideas. Like Aaron said there are attachments for pressure washers, but you need a pretty powerful pressure washer for them to work well.

[Jeff V.]

That's why I'm thinking just let the sprinkler run for 15 minutes at each end of the truck. Go with volume over pressure.