Bradracer18

5.4 is big?? Remember the Ford 460?

Keeblerz28

For mpg's and just because its a good idea, make sure you're up on all your maintenance (air/fuel/oil filters, brake/coolant/tranny/oil/PS/axle fluids, not to mention plugs/brakes/tire pressure, etc etc)

Plugs on your truck can be a PITA, but there are so MANY other threads about that. If all that is good, you can look at mods like intake, programmers, e-fans, UD pulleys, custom tunes, etc depending on your budget. In regards to the scangauge2, idk, I have an Edge Evolution programmer does mpg and lots of other things too

Without spending any $$ on mods, there are ways to save on gas of course driving less, coasting up to stops, setting the cruise, driving slower, and make sure to use a good quality gas. I switched from 89 (10% ethanol blend here) to regular 87 and saw an increase in mileage. The ethanol blend in usually 10c/gal cheaper due to ethanol subsidies in Iowa, but the increase in mileage made it cheaper for me to use 87.

Don't put down or take off your tailgate to reduce wind resistance, it doesnt help.
http://www.trucktrend.com/features/c...yth/index.html

dplummer87

Most plugs should be changed at 100,000 miles, but on our trucks, I think they say around 60 so you may look into changing those just cause. Especially if you have the money now. I would take it to the dealer to get it done though. Infate your tires to the max psi, i keep mine around 45-50psi.

91351

7.5 = 460 gas engine for those who are a little slow. my f250 is not fast either but it does sound pretty but it is funny when ppl buy a 5500 lb truck and expect it to be quicker than it is. and have better gas mileage than it gets.

Mod (Ret.)

Another element to consider is that the truck is big. Placing a 5.4 into a Mustang would net you better mileage (assuming you could keep your foot off the pedal) due to the engine not having to work so hard.

I'll assume you don't tow heavy trailers, or climb hills every day. At the risk of getting bashed by the 5.4 crowd, I would have to say this 5.4 had a slightly poor design, as there are engines in the same cubic inch catagory from other manufacturers that get better mileage. Perhaps the 5.4 has better torque and/or horse power ratings, but that doesn't help when your filling up at the gas station.

About twice a month, a "poor gas mileage" post pops up on this forum. I'll suggest for those that know how to use the search tool to do their homework before they buy if gas mileage is a key to purchasing a 2004 to 2008 used Ford truck

CrashTECH

ScanGauge is good stuff. As long as you have the correct tire sizes (or you have used a programmer to adjust) it uses actual miles driven with actual fuel consumed. Since most of us top off and the automatic shut offs differ at each station that number you get at the pump isn't the most accurate for how many gallons you used. It will match what you put in, but it could be different ever fill up. I love my ScanGauge. Pencil and paper is cheaper, but slightly less accurate, (IMHO).

To things to mention here, cruise control will only help on long stretches of flat road. If there are a lot of changes in grade the cruise will run higher rpms to keep the same speed up hill rather than maintaining some momentum from the down hill. So use it selectively. Sometimes you are smarter than the machine!

With Ethanol, that is a good thing to point out. Ethanol is less energy dense (I am not a chemist, but do the math for calculating energy released via combustion for standard gasoline and ethanol and you'll see it in the math). Finding stations that has no ethanol is going to be harder and harder to do since some legislation from the last few years though.

A Cold air intake is probably going to be one of the better mods you can do to help improve your MPGs. Cold air is more dense than warm air so that you can get more complete combustion from the current fuel mix.

CrashTECH

I'd also like to point out... you bought a truck. Did you (I don't mean the OP specifically, just you in general) REALLY think you were going to get stellar MPG? Bigger engines will see bigger fluctuations in mpg based on how they are driven than smaller engines will. The more stops, the longer it idles, the more mash on the loud pedal... you'll see bigger drops in the F-150 than you would in, say, a Focus or a Fusion (or I did in my Mazda6 and Mazdaspeed6), something with ~ half the displacement and half the cylinders.

pittsm

I know its a truck and I didn't buy it to get great mpg. I bought it because i need a truck for my everyday life, period. The point I was trying to make is I did read through the forums about what other people were getting and the average seemed to be about 15 mpg, so If mine is below average I was just wanting to make sure there wasn't something wrong with it for the most part. The low mpg is not a big deal to me just new to the ford truck game and making sure there is not something obvious I am overlooking. (I've always had dodges )

I will look in to changing the plugs, see what it costs. Thanks for all the help!

CrashTECH

Oh sure, I know you probably knew what was up

This might help give you better answers for what you are looking for: http://www.fuelly.com

I decided to try to track my mileage a little close than I have in the past.

The average does seem to be about 15 mpg though: http://www.fuelly.com/car/ford/f-150

barnards

I know you probably don't want to spend the money, but these programmers seem to help the mileage out a good bit. I can average over 16mpg in ann arbor which has enough stop and go traffic to make the toughest commuter cringe. Im not saying go with edge, there are a lot of brands. I could easily average 20mpg on a long trip (no trailer). I have an 08 Fx4.

If you only gained 2-3 mpgs who would make up the cost in 7 months, plus you have the ability to better control your truck.