Hello from Central Texas
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Junior Member
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 5
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Hello from Central Texas
Just joined the ranks of F150 owners. Picked up an extremely clean 100K miles '98 F150 XLT Extended Cab about a month ago. It has the 4.6 V-8, A-T trans, 3.55 (if I'm reading the option sticker correctly) gears and dual cats with a single exhaust The cruise and power windows are nice to have.
The 1st thing I did was replace the OE stereo with a nice Alpine unit along with putting new Alpine speakers in the doors. I also had the bed sprayed with Line-X since the primary use for the truck will be to pick building materials for the house we're building about 80 miles NE of Austin.
My only disappointment with the truck is a seeming lack of power. If I get on it, it feels like I'm driving into a really strong headwind, even if I'm not. I realize that it's not a lightweight, but I'd think with even the 4.6 it should be somewhat stronger. We have an '02 Suburban with a 5.3 LS V-8 and 3.73 gears. Even though the Suburban is quite a bit heavier, it really moves when you push it, and it consistently gets 14.5 to 15 mpg in daily rural driving, while the F150 gets around 13.5, if I baby it.
As soon as I got the F150 I had the trans and diff serviced and the fuel filter replaced. The spark plugs were checked and they're fine. Before I start looking at cold airs kits, exhaust systems and tuners, am I getting performance and mileage that's average for this truck?
Since I have no previous Ford experience I figured this would be a good place to start looking for info.
Thanks,
Ron
The 1st thing I did was replace the OE stereo with a nice Alpine unit along with putting new Alpine speakers in the doors. I also had the bed sprayed with Line-X since the primary use for the truck will be to pick building materials for the house we're building about 80 miles NE of Austin.
My only disappointment with the truck is a seeming lack of power. If I get on it, it feels like I'm driving into a really strong headwind, even if I'm not. I realize that it's not a lightweight, but I'd think with even the 4.6 it should be somewhat stronger. We have an '02 Suburban with a 5.3 LS V-8 and 3.73 gears. Even though the Suburban is quite a bit heavier, it really moves when you push it, and it consistently gets 14.5 to 15 mpg in daily rural driving, while the F150 gets around 13.5, if I baby it.
As soon as I got the F150 I had the trans and diff serviced and the fuel filter replaced. The spark plugs were checked and they're fine. Before I start looking at cold airs kits, exhaust systems and tuners, am I getting performance and mileage that's average for this truck?
Since I have no previous Ford experience I figured this would be a good place to start looking for info.
Thanks,
Ron
Your Mod Superstore!
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 2,279
Likes: 167
From: San Diego, CA
Welcome!!
Let us know when you are ready to start adding more Mods to your vehicle! We offer forum member discounts. From what I have been reading, 13-15 mpg seems to be the average.
Someone will chime in, but since this is the welcome page, you might be better off using the search for "MPG" and read what others are doing.
Best of luck!
Tom
AutoAnything
Let us know when you are ready to start adding more Mods to your vehicle! We offer forum member discounts. From what I have been reading, 13-15 mpg seems to be the average.
Someone will chime in, but since this is the welcome page, you might be better off using the search for "MPG" and read what others are doing.
Best of luck!
Tom
AutoAnything