# 2011 f550 v10 any good



## exclusive (Aug 18, 2010)

hey guys i was hoping for a little insight on the V10 6.8 are they good motors any problems are they good at towing and plowing i have always been a chevy guy and im looking at a f550 dump


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## 07F-250V10 (Jul 18, 2011)

The v10 is a very good motor but sucks gas like nuts. Ive towed 10,000 lbs with mine it did it with no problem. I havent plowed with it yet so i dont know how it does pushing wet snow


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## Flipper (Nov 1, 2001)

As with the V8 I have heard them have some problem breaking exhaust studs and blowing spark plugs. If you listen to some driving by you can hear the exaust manifolds leaking. Not all though all though mostly higher mileage. Don't plan on ever seeing over 8mpg especially in a 550.. Diesel would be my choice but the V-10 is a good motor. Its no longer an option in the pickups only the C&C


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## Brian Young (Aug 13, 2005)

Like Flipper said, our 06 is a 5.4L gasser with 56k on it and its going to need exhaust manifold repair again. It's already had both sides replaced once and after towing our skid steer to NYC last year it developed another leak. IDK id the V10's are any better but those are an expensive repair some times. As far as power, I always heard they have enough to get the job done and I know a couple guys who have run them for years and only minor repairs and are still running them with 200k on it.


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## maelawncare (Mar 4, 2004)

The v10 is a great motor. One of the best i've owned. 

They are right about the exhaust bolts, after a few years they will rust out. As far as the spark plugs thats only for retards who dont know that you have to torq them down to ford specs. But that was only on the early models. I believe they fixed that problem in 07 or 08, but I may be wrong.

My current v10 is in a 99 f250. I avg 9.5mpg towing and 14mpg on the highway. But only 5.5mpg plowing . 

I wouldnt hesitate buying another v10. In fact I wont go the next 10-15 years without one. Plan on buying a 2010 f250 v10 in the next few years. But in a F550, idk about a v10. It might struggle on the heavy loads a F550 can pull. Your best bet for that truck still might be a diesel.


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## gtmustang00 (Feb 23, 2010)

I had a 04 v10 350 dump. Great truck. In the 70k miles that i drove it for it went through 1 coil pack and exhaust manifold gaskets. Loads of power. Always hooked to a trailer or bed was full of material.


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## wizardsr (Aug 8, 2006)

A 2011 F550 with a V10 will have no problems with power or the issues of plug popping that everyone likes to rant about. The 99-02 5.4 and 6.8 are the only ones that had the plug issues due to too few threads in the head. More threads were added in 02, and in 05 the plug design was changed, so now they stay in there a little too good, LOL. Not a huge deal, but they'll break and you need a special tool to extract them. On our 05, 8 of them came out with no issues, 2 of them broke and had to be extracted. It just takes a little extra time as you have to cement a pin in the broken plug, then pull it out. The cement and pins are included in the kit, I'd much rather have that issue than a plug popping out unexpectedly.

As for power, a V10 F550 will have at least 4.88 gears which keeps the V10 in the right power band to move the truck well, even heavily loaded. Fuel economy wise, our V10 F550 averages 8 mpg, the 1 ton dually V10 averages 10, the crew cab pickup averages 12.5. These are mixed driving, mostly in-town and some freeway.

They do like their fuel, and if towing heavy every day, I'd consider a diesel, but for plowing, use as a dump or salt truck, a V10 will be just fine.


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## dfd9 (Aug 18, 2010)

Flipper;1340675 said:


> As with the V8 I have heard them have some problem breaking exhaust studs and blowing spark plugs. If you listen to some driving by you can hear the exaust manifolds leaking. Not all though all though mostly higher mileage. Don't plan on ever seeing over 8mpg especially in a 550.. Diesel would be my choice but the V-10 is a good motor. Its no longer an option in the pickups only the C&C





wizardsr;1340885 said:


> A 2011 F550 with a V10 will have no problems with power or the issues of plug popping that everyone likes to rant about. The 99-02 5.4 and 6.8 are the only ones that had the plug issues due to too few threads in the head. More threads were added in 02, and in 05 the plug design was changed, so now they stay in there a little too good, LOL. Not a huge deal, but they'll break and you need a special tool to extract them. On our 05, 8 of them came out with no issues, 2 of them broke and had to be extracted. It just takes a little extra time as you have to cement a pin in the broken plug, then pull it out. The cement and pins are included in the kit, I'd much rather have that issue than a plug popping out unexpectedly.
> 
> As for power, a V10 F550 will have at least 4.88 gears which keeps the V10 in the right power band to move the truck well, even heavily loaded. Fuel economy wise, our V10 F550 averages 8 mpg, the 1 ton dually V10 averages 10, the crew cab pickup averages 12.5. These are mixed driving, mostly in-town and some freeway.
> 
> They do like their fuel, and if towing heavy every day, I'd consider a diesel, but for plowing, use as a dump or salt truck, a V10 will be just fine.


Good to see someone with some accurate info on the plug issue.


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## maelawncare (Mar 4, 2004)

wizardsr;1340885 said:


> A 2011 F550 with a V10 will have no problems with power or the issues of plug popping that everyone likes to rant about. The 99-02 5.4 and 6.8 are the only ones that had the plug issues due to too few threads in the head. More threads were added in 02, and in 05 the plug design was changed, so now they stay in there a little too good, LOL. Not a huge deal, but they'll break and you need a special tool to extract them. On our 05, 8 of them came out with no issues, 2 of them broke and had to be extracted. It just takes a little extra time as you have to cement a pin in the broken plug, then pull it out. The cement and pins are included in the kit, I'd much rather have that issue than a plug popping out unexpectedly.
> 
> As for power, a V10 F550 will have at least 4.88 gears which keeps the V10 in the right power band to move the truck well, even heavily loaded. Fuel economy wise, our V10 F550 averages 8 mpg, the 1 ton dually V10 averages 10, the crew cab pickup averages 12.5. These are mixed driving, mostly in-town and some freeway.
> 
> They do like their fuel, and if towing heavy every day, I'd consider a diesel, but for plowing, use as a dump or salt truck, a V10 will be just fine.


Thanks, i knew that issue had been fixed. Just did not know which year.

I didnt think about gearing. Guess with the right gearing in the rear it will do just fine. Anyone know if they bumped the HP/Torque for 2012?


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## wizardsr (Aug 8, 2006)

maelawncare;1341088 said:


> Thanks, i knew that issue had been fixed. Just did not know which year.
> 
> I didnt think about gearing. Guess with the right gearing in the rear it will do just fine. Anyone know if they bumped the HP/Torque for 2012?


Not on the V10, same 3-valve that's been in them since 05. I'm 90% certain they still have the 5 speed as well versus the new 6.


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## Triple L (Nov 1, 2005)

Why wouldnt you get the 6.2V8 when they make almost the same power and you can get the 6 speed trans?


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## wizardsr (Aug 8, 2006)

Triple L;1341139 said:


> Why wouldnt you get the 6.2V8 when they make almost the same power and you can get the 6 speed trans?


They don't offer the 6.2 in the F450 or F550. You can get the 6 speed with the new diesel though, but the V10 and 5 speed are the only gasser options.


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## Marek (Nov 16, 2005)

I have an 08 450 qith the v 10 with 4:88 rear and love the truck . At the time the 6.4 was new and I am really glade to have bought the v-10 over the 6.4.For less than the cost of the diesel option I could replace the whole motor. 8 mpg is right on par with what we see with ours. Its in the shop right now having the studs replaced. From what I was told the new studs are made from a different material then the old studs and will not rust , but time will tell. How many miles would you put on the new unit per year ? Right now Ford has a ton of cash back on thier trucks.


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## EdNewman (Jan 27, 2004)

I have a pair of 2011 f450 crew cabs with the v10. Good power, good towing, sucks gas. I've always had all diesels but I could not get the math to work this time so I went gas. Even at 7 to 8 mpg it is still cheaper over 150k miles. As far as plowing, they have no problem pushing a 9' boss with wings. That's over 11' wide!


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## Marek (Nov 16, 2005)

EdNewman;1341279 said:


> I have a pair of 2011 f450 crew cabs with the v10. Good power, good towing, sucks gas. I've always had all diesels but I could not get the math to work this time so I went gas. Even at 7 to 8 mpg it is still cheaper over 150k miles. As far as plowing, they have no problem pushing a 9' boss with wings. That's over 11' wide!


Which rear did you go with on your trucks ? Are they 4x4 ?


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## EdNewman (Jan 27, 2004)

Yes 4x4. I believe 4.88. There was no choice in ratio.


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## exclusive (Aug 18, 2010)

thanks guys for all the insight but i just brought a gmc 3500hd with a diesel for the same price as the f 550 gas and 0% fianancing thanks again guys


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## maelawncare (Mar 4, 2004)

exclusive;1341411 said:


> thanks guys for all the insight but i just brought a gmc 3500hd with a diesel for the same price as the f 550 gas and 0% fianancing thanks again guys


Why did you decide to go with a smaller truck? the 3500 isnt even in the same league as the f550.


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## Triple L (Nov 1, 2005)

EdNewman;1341279 said:


> Even at 7 to 8 mpg it is still cheaper over 150k miles. As far as plowing, they have no problem pushing a 9' boss with wings. That's over 11' wide!


Could you explain a bit of your math?


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## exclusive (Aug 18, 2010)

because the heaviest thing i pull is a skid steer so i really didnt think the bigger truck was needed


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## wizardsr (Aug 8, 2006)

exclusive;1342134 said:


> because the heaviest thing i pull is a skid steer so i really didnt think the bigger truck was needed


So... Is the only thing you're going to haul in the dump packing peanuts?  I'd be curious what the weight of the truck is compared with the GVW. Seems like a 550 size truck would be the minimum one would consider for a dump truck...


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## Marek (Nov 16, 2005)

So you dont do any dirt work that you would need to haul anything ? Towing the 3500 is great but why even do a dump body at that point?


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## EdNewman (Jan 27, 2004)

Towed our backhoe on a 12t deckover plus 3 steel road plates on it, figure about 16k lbs. The V10 did ok, it is definitely approaching the power limit. On the rolling hills here, it could hold about 60-65 where as with a similiar load, by 6.4l diesel F450 could easily do 70-75. I'd say if you are towing up to 12k its a winner, above that you may want to think diesel unless you do it rarely.


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## Triple L (Nov 1, 2005)

wizardsr;1342172 said:


> So... Is the only thing you're going to haul in the dump packing peanuts?  I'd be curious what the weight of the truck is compared with the GVW. Seems like a 550 size truck would be the minimum one would consider for a dump truck...


19,500 truck gives you 11,700 or around there payload according to fords charts and depending on the cab and 4wd


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## StuveCorp (Dec 20, 2005)

If you could guarantee 10 mpg average, I'd go for a V10. I'd be a little nervous about towing but it might be okay? My skid is just over 10,000 pounds.

What does a 550 all pimped out with a V10 go for now?


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## wizardsr (Aug 8, 2006)

Triple L;1350852 said:


> 19,500 truck gives you 11,700 or around there payload according to fords charts and depending on the cab and 4wd


I was referring to the 1 ton dump he bought...

I love my F550 V10. Went and got it's first load of salt today, 4 tons in the Smith stainless v box and it was still under GVW and drove excellent compared to the 1 ton last year that was maxed out with 3 tons plus the v-box on it. There's one good hill coming out of the salt shack where you're trying to accelerate onto a 65mph freeway that's a real pain, the V10 gets it done, but it ain't no race car...


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## Marek (Nov 16, 2005)

You wont see 10 mpg with 488 rears.


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## maelawncare (Mar 4, 2004)

Marek;1351189 said:


> You wont see 10 mpg with 488 rears.


Nope. You will probably see about 3-4mpg less with a v10 than a diesel. Plowing I normally see about 5.5mpg less than my diesel. But at the added cost of $8k for the diesel plus the fact that diesel is $0.80 more per gallon now. The v10 still comes out ahead.

If diesel prices dont come back down come spring time, I will be using my v10 more than my diesel.


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## White Gardens (Oct 29, 2008)

EdNewman;1341279 said:


> I have a pair of 2011 f450 crew cabs with the v10. Good power, good towing, sucks gas. I've always had all diesels but I could not get the math to work this time so I went gas. Even at 7 to 8 mpg it is still cheaper over 150k miles. As far as plowing, they have no problem pushing a 9' boss with wings. That's over 11' wide!





maelawncare;1351212 said:


> Nope. You will probably see about 3-4mpg less with a v10 than a diesel. Plowing I normally see about 5.5mpg less than my diesel. But at the added cost of $8k for the diesel plus the fact that diesel is $0.80 more per gallon now. The v10 still comes out ahead.
> 
> If diesel prices dont come back down come spring time, I will be using my v10 more than my diesel.


Best two posts in this thread. With the lower fuel economy of a C and C truck, a gasser is almost the best way to go these days.

Not only that but it's way cheaper to work on a gasser than a diesel.

.....


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## Marek (Nov 16, 2005)

Only engine problems I have had has been the exhaust studs rusting thru on my 08 450. Other than that I love the truck.


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## magnatrac (Dec 22, 2006)

I just got rid of my 07 v-10. back when I got it I wanted nothing to do with another diesel due to issues with both cummins and duramax trucks we had. Also at the time I didn't even want to roll the dice on a 6.0 from ford. It was a $600 dollar option vs. 6k at the time. At the time gas was way cheaper too. My truck was a regular cab 350 no where near the size of a 550. Going from a 5.4 2 valve to the new 6.8 I was amazed by the power. It was our main tow vehicle for heavy loads. I regularly towed 12k loads and it did it just fine but at a cost, gas. My truck averaged 8mpg. and on highway trips with no trailer it got 10mpg at best. Plowing depending on the storm it got 5-8 mpg. I never compained about the gas becasue it was a work truck doing a job. This past summer with gas prices the same or even higher than diesel (in my area) I started re thinking my savings. I just got an new 6.7 power stroke in a crew cab and it is getting 13 mpg. towing the same loads and close to 20 mpg. on it's own on the highway. I am not a diesel fan but with the deals ford has I decided to give it a try again. Ford is blowing out diesels with offers that I couldn't get on a gasser. I loved my v -10 but even with gas being .80 cents cheaper right now it still doesn't work out any more. I am getting twice the mileage with the new truck. The biggest thing I hated about gas prices were the crazy price jumps all over the place. All summer I filled my skid with fuel for the same price 3.89 yet gas prices were all over the place. The v-10 is a great motor with tons of power but I just don't know if it's the value it used to be with gas prices regularly going up near the $4.00 mark. It's a roll of the dice either way. It seems either we have to give extra money to the car companys or give it to the oil guys 

, shaun


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## snoway63 (Dec 29, 2009)

I have an 05 f350 V10 and get around 13 on the highway and around 9.5 pulling a camper trailer and around 8.3 messing around on back roads and plowing hasnt ever had any issues yet and im at 78000 miles and love the truck, if i was worried about gas mileage i wouldnt have bought a truck


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