Current owner of a 17' F-250 6.2L CCSB. Looking to downsize to a RCLB, and I'm considering whether to stick with the Super Duty series or go down to an F-150. I do not do a lot of towing, but I frequently use the the bed of the truck for heavy loads.

How does the Heavy Duty Payload Package on the F-150 affect ride quality? Is it close to or equal to a non-HDPP F-150? Does it ride more like a Super Duty? Something in between?

 

It's going to be in between. It'll have the highest rate springs, along with heavier tires. It'll ride rougher empty, but will be pretty close loaded.

 

It's rough on my package.

 

Put some thought into how much actual payload you need. I made the mistake of getting the camper package on my Superduty. 2900 pounds. It beat us up on rough roads unless loaded, and I had to avoid wash board dirt roads as it would swap ends bouncing so much. But it would carry a load.

As an example my current truck has a 1743 pound payload. Putting a thousand pounds in the truck and it doesn't squat enough to get the point of being level. When I do carry a load I'm concerned about, I will air up the tires to the max sidewall just to take out most of the wiggle.

 

The Tires alone will roughen the ride from their stiff sidewalls. You will feel pot holes and bumps as more pronounced just from the tires, the stiffer suspension will add to that.

Never test drove a F150 CC 4WD HDPP but test drove a 2016 F250 CC 4WD 6.2L w/3.73 before I bought my F150. Surprisingly the F250 rode very nice as it was designed with that HD suspension as it's main suspension. It even had the higher rated front springs for a snow plow.

The F150 HDPP may ride a bit rougher than the F250 but you'll have to test that theory. When I had my LT E rated tires, it was on my 2012 F150 that was a completely different truck than now.

I'm currious to see what that new F250 7.3L gasser will do mileage wise. The reason I didn't get the F250 6.2L because owners were getting pretty poor mileage of around 10 mpg city and 15 mpg expressway, and I drive a lot of miles every month. Besides that, the 2016 I bought had a really good 1890 lbs payload with a pretty good rear axle rating comparing the weight on the old 2012 Steel truck's axle to the new aluminum truck's axle. It came out to be a like going from a 3850 lbs rear axle standard rating on my 2012 to a 4100 lbs rated axle when comparing the weight loss of the new 2016 truck compared to the steel 2012 F150.

 

I'm actually unaware of if I have the payload package. 16' crew 6ft bed. I do have the 36g tank. When I check my payload, it reads about 2100lbs.

with that being said...i often question if my 4 year old truck should be this rough..

 

How does the Heavy Duty Payload Package on the F-150 affect ride quality? Is it close to or equal to a non-HDPP F-150? Does it ride more like a Super Duty? Something in between?[/quote]

I had a reg payload package 2015 f150 for 4 years (crew cab 6.5ft box). When truck shopping recently I drove 3/4 tons from all three of the manufacturers. I ended up purchasing a 2019 HDPP F150 (crew cab 6.5ft box).

My experience has been that: the HDPP truck drives closer to a 3/4 unloaded than it does compared to other F150's without the payload package. It's definitely not rougher than the 3/4 tons but it's not far off from them especially the GMC 2500. If I was to rate ride stiffness with super duties at 10/10 and regular payload F150's 1/10 I would rate the HDPP truck at a 6 or 7/10. These numbers are a random scale I made up just to help explain my own personal experience with a HDPP, hopefully it helps.

 

Thanks for the input! That scale helps. Given the rarity of the package, it's very hard to find one to test drive.

I haul dirt/rocks/wood several times a month. Having the capability to haul 1.5 tons vs 1 ton in the bed equates to entire trips to the material yard. Now, is it worth the bumpiness/stiff ride? That's what I'm trying to figure, really comes down to what I want to sacrifice: ride quality or capability.

 

Yep I had the same dilemma too. It's a tough decision but ultimately I opted for the HDPP as I valued the higher capacity more than the plush ride of a standard F150. I grew up driving older trucks and I don't mind the rougher/firm feel of the ride. Types of roads and conditions in your area may influence your decision as well....

I use my truck to haul heavy loads a handful of times a year and tow our travel trailer a half dozen times or so. The rest of the time (over 90% of my driving) truck is a daily commuter. I'm happy so far with my decision but I've only had the HDPP truck for about 2 months.

 

your exact payload is on the sticker in the drivers door frame. It will be well below 2100lbs if you have any options in the truck. Each truck’s payload is unique and can’t be found in ford’s literature.