New Purchase

[wild4stangs]

Greetings folks, I am a long time Ford diesel owner, and have decided to go with a 3500 SLT Quad cab, long bed, dually, 4x4. Heading down tomorrow morning to pen the deal.



I have a couple of questions:



What can I expect for mileage (unloaded) from this truck once broken in. (I have a light foot)



I currently have a heavilly modified 94 F250, and love it, just need 4 doors, AC, and more towing capicity. Other than guages what would you folks suggest for my first performance/economy mods ? I was thinking of a Ramair 3 intake and the Aero exhaust kit...



Is there anything else I should know about this rig, IE: problems I will need to correct, suggested mods for econpmy & longevity etc...



I am new to this site, and I expect to be an avid reader...



Regards,



JCM

 

[mconstable]

Congrats on the new truck!!!

congratulations... This is my first truck and I love it, besides gauges (which I don't have yet), I was told to upgrade the airbox and the exhaust first, muffler is supposedly real restrictive, air box too, I got a Scotty 3 air box, but some don't like the cone type filters, and opt to cut a hole in the bottom of the stock box, and get a drop-in AFE filter... I lurked this site for over a year before I got my truck, and there is a wealth of info here. do a search on anything you can think of, and you'll be busy for a long time... again, congratulations

 

[Dean Upson]

Welcome and congratualtions .

I would just drive it a bit and get used to it, read what is on this forum and then decide what you think you need. This guy isn't real bad right out of the box . Good luck.



Dean

 

[adsharpe]

Howdy John, I got my '03 HO dually in May. Be advised that there are no aluminum wheels available for the dually and the Alcoa rep says they aren't making any this year. The only stock tires are from Goodyear and if you can find them you'll pay. There are no wheel covers other than the plastic junk Dodge provides. Check all fluid levels as my rear was 2 qts. low. Course, the dealer filled it with non-synthetic and added a friction modifier which is not required. I'll drain, flush and replace with synthetic myself tomorrow.



I average 17 around town in MS with heavy foot. I have the 6 spd as the auto I tested and the loaner I drove were dogs with the auto tran. Basically what you do is put up with the Dodge part to get the Cummins. DC operates without mercy (wheels/tires) so you'll have to comfort yourself knowing that you got the best engine - Cummins.



Hope you enjoy the ride.

 

[jjdiesel]

drivetrain?

John, it depends on your drivetrain... 3. 73's or 4. 10's, auto, 5spd or 6spd??

 

[Prairie Dog]

Welcome John. You'll notice a BIG difference with just the new air intake so thats where I'd start. Even just a drop in like the AFE makes a big difference to a stock engine. I'm getting about 17 to 18 mpg and thats seems to be about the average as I've heard it.

By the way, what caused you to switch over to the Dodge?



Scotty

 

[wild4stangs]

My rig has the SO motor, 3:73 gears, DRW, and the 4spd automatic. I read about the wheel/tire situation, and I hope that is a temporary situation.



My Ford runs perfect, has no rust, and has a bunch of mods. It needs fuel tanks, and in the not so near future an injection pump & injectors. The real reason is comfort, passenger capacity, towing ability. The other things were looks, door handles, interior design, and mostly the motor... . Ford is having real teething problems with the new 6. 0.....



JCM