Jakester

Your choices for gear ratios in a F450 is 4:30 or 4:88. The top speed with either gear ratios is 81 because the tires on the 19.5's are not rated to go any faster.

Which will suck when you want to pass somebody.

spoolincat

The reason for the complication is the new mandates on emissions. I expect it won't be long before gm and dodge engine bays are just as complicated. We have a 95 f350 7.3 with a bd performance 50hp chip and have never gotten less than 18mpg. As for bad news about the 08's besides shooting flames i haven't heard anything bad. If you call shooting flames bad.

domson

i tow boats all the time with my new 08 450. i get 12 mpg around town, and 6.5 to 7.5 loaded. i averaged 7 with 18,000 lbs from miami to chicago. recently , pulling a 48 foot express cruiser by fountain, i averaged 6.3 but it pulled effortlessly. no flame issues ever. i dont use cetane boost but do buy major brand fuels. i do highly recommend the fuel lubricant additive with a mild injector cleaner by either Howes or Lucas or other major truck brands. the new 15 ppm diesel fuel lacks the lubricity to keep the upper end of the engine running properly, i dont care what ford or other says, this new fuel is like when they took the lead out of gas years ago. the sulfur used to act like the lead in fuel. for one, you will notice results immedialtely. the engine will run more quietly and the increased mileage will pay for the product easily if not twice over! i get about 1 to 1 and a half miles per gallon better with the fuel lubricant. it has other qualities like it absorbs water and acts as an anti gel in winter. dont go nuts with it, excessive fuel and oil building up on the particulate filter is supposed to be why you get the flame out issue. ford does recommend the use of a fuel lubricant in the 08. i have been using it for quite some time in my other diesels just for fuel economy and reduced wear.
i am very disappointed with the looseness or sway from the hard tires and side tracking in rutted roads. while this is fairly common to this type of truck, it is worse than a semi. i know because i have had 3 over the road cdl drivers drive it and they all agree.
overall, because of the lousy mileage, this truck is designed for construction companies that drag 25 thousand pounds of crap around locally or in state. the mileage is a killer for a diesel. keep in mind a semi tractor will get 6.5 mpg hauling 70 thousand pounds around. why the same on a lousy pickup? the ford needs two more gears to allow it to run at 2000rpm at 75 mph to get the best of both worlds. if it had a couple more highway gears it would be great.
this is a stump pulling grunting monster for pulling big stuff which is why i need it. just suffer on the long hauls with stops to get gas every 250 miles or less. also , this truck needs an optional 65 or 75 gallon tank. 35 is rediculously small for a big truck.

domson

the turning radius is awsomely improved, turns on a dime. very comfortable bucket seats for long hauls. dual climate a very welcome add. satellite radio and direct ipod plug in great for spending time in the truck. touch screen navigation wonderful to have but lots of work to do to get as good as a garmin. the power fold away mirrors sb standard on any truck with tow mirrors. exellent , and the new convex lower mirror allows you to see your blind spot when on the highway. a huge safety advantage!!!! power extending mirrors also a huge plus. the rear step in the tailgate keeps me from trashing my clothes by having to crawl into the bed to get stuff from my tool box or other. lots of cup holders finally and lots of 12v power outlets. good. finally a bigger truck with all the amenities of a more luxurious car. if you spend alot of time in your truck, which i do, this makes a huge difference.

Jupiter Sunsation

I like the way the truck looks but would hold off another year. Domson noted several changes but my 95 Chevy had 3 power points/ held a 6 pack in the multiple cup holders and my 03 has the dual climate control; is Ford just doing all these improvements in 08 or was Dobson's last Ford a lot older?

thunderusone

I loved the way the new 450 looked.......IN MY REARVIEW MIRROR....as I walked away from him in my 2007 Duramax, up a 5% grade. We were both pulling 16,500# goosnecks. I have 3:73 gears and 19.5 tires with 245's which are 2 inches taller than his! He called me while we were doing it and could not believe I ran off like that. We also made a 270 mile round trip and I had a 1/4 tank left and he made it 180 miles before getting another tank. Man I am glad I did not get one of those....and I have $10K in my pocket!

crb76

The 08 is far superior to the 06-07 model besides for mileage. That will change when the tuner comes out...I get about 13 in town and 14-15 hwy with my 250 KR. I got about 10 pulling my AT back to Houston at an average of 84 mph. It pulls so much better than even my tuned 06.

fountain1fan

: flam thrower .i got the hot dogs .

wrinkleface

Multi-tasking truck!!!!!

domson

yeah , Jupiter, my other ford is alot older, the newer ones have alot of this stuff. overall i love my new 08 450. just needs better gas mileage. i cant wait for the new tuners to come out!