v6 or v8? 2008 thru 2010

[Michael Brown 3]

Hi, New here and looking at purchasing my first Sport trac and was wondering about the 4.6L V8 option. I'm familiar with the 4.0L v6 as I have a '98 Ranger with that engine. It's been a great engine with 153K miles on it but with the extra weight of the Sport trac I'm guessing the 6 won't feel the same. My short list of Sportracs is years 2008 thru 10 Limited models with less than 60K miles but I haven't driven the 4.6L 6speed. I like the idea of the 6 speed tranny of the 8. Maybe lower rpm at 75mph with the V8? How about fuel consumption at that speed?

Any problems with the V8 engine or tranny I should be wary of? I'm also looking at the Adrenalin pkg in V6 and V8 but I think drivetrains were unchanged from the standard models. Is that true?



There are no V8s for sale close by (that I know of) so I can't test drive the engine. Thanks for any comments.

 

[Gavin Allan]

No reason not to get the V8. 1 MPG difference.



Lots of reasons you will love having the V8 instead of a V6. Power, sound, smoothness, etc. etc. etc.

 

[Jim Upton]

V8!!! Not even a question!!!!

 

[user 64972]

Get the V-8 and the Todd Z modded throttle body. What a combo.....on my trip from Buffalo NY to Dayton OH...25 MPG. Not too bad for a 2 ton 4WD truck!

 

[ZoNiE]

what about this throttle body???



I got 18.6 from Flagstaff to Phoenix with my 4.6. First trip. (Met the transporter there to get it before I went it out of town)

 

[Michael Brown 3]

Thanks folks, I've got four V8's on my short list. Twenty-five mpg sounds like a great way to get extended range per tank. I don't like stopping. Hopefully that wasn't at 55.

 

[swshawaii]

on my trip from Buffalo NY to Dayton OH...25 MPG. Not too bad for a 2 ton 4WD truck!

I guess we have a new V8 MPG record.

 

[Gavin Allan]

I average 13.5 MPG with my V-8. If I wanted better mileage, i would have gotten a Ford Fiesta.

 

[swshawaii]

That's why it's hard to fathom, most 4.6L owners average well below 20 MPG. :argue:

 

[ZoNiE]

Well I have gotten consistently 13 MPG with my 2001 V6 on oxygenated fuel with regular driving 80MPH on the freeway and some stop and go traffic, so I figured I couldn't do any worse with the V8.

 

[ZoNiE]

Well I have gotten consistently 13 MPG with my 2001 V6 on oxygenated fuel with regular driving 80MPH on the freeway and some stop and go traffic, so I figured I couldn't do any worse with the V8.

 

[ZoNiE]

Well I have gotten consistently 13 MPG with my 2001 V6 on oxygenated fuel with regular driving 80MPH on the freeway and some stop and go traffic, so I figured I couldn't do any worse with the V8.

 

[Gavin Allan]

Well I have gotten consistently 13 MPG with my 2001 V6 on oxygenated fuel with regular driving 80MPH on the freeway and some stop and go traffic, so I figured I couldn't do any worse with the V8.

You can say that again!

 

[rollingjoe joe]

Without a doubt...V8, the extra power is fun and useful if you tow/carry load. Also, the 6 spd tranny helps bump up highway miles. When cruising at 65mph, your rpm is below 2000 which helps in highway efficiency.



Used 87 octane, inflated tires to 36 psi cold, and averaging 68 mph, I got 23 mpg(all highway miles and cruise control) when I drove up from Virginia the day I picked up my STA. IMO, tire inflation really helps...maybe even 1-2mpg.



Installed a Zabteck throttle body, Magnaflow exhaust and recently installed an SCT iTSX tuner and while using the 87 MPG tune, I am now averaging 25mpg on highway, cruise control at 65mph.

 

[Kevin Lang]

Ouch, 13 mpg?! Even when I had a cracked plug I got 15 mpg on the tank.



Over ~5 years of records, my average for the st is 18 mpg, encompassing long commutes in traffic, short commutes in heavier traffic, local driving and a few road trips. 25 being the high.

 

[user 64972]

I can't find the pic of the 25 MPG but this is from an earlier trip. I don't do 55...usually 70-75 MPH with air on. 25 MPG was the best. Ddin't get that on my Disney trip with 4 adults and one 5 Y/O and the ST and bed FULL. Goy like 21 - 22 MPG then.



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[Supercharged SVT]

Guess being Blown and Tweaked at 14.6 mpg is not that bad running 105 Octane - for my lil AWD Thumper - I do know that when I run 55 on hour long runs, I have scored as high as 17.5 but it is way to hard to go that slow...

 

[Vic Sorlie]

I've put 3K on my '08 Adrenalin in two and a half months. Averaging 17 mpg in mixed in-town and freeway driving. Just changed oil to AMSOIL Signature Series 0W-20; that may give me a tad more.

 

[ZoNiE]

Well, my problem is partly 15% ethanol fuel, old spark plugs (changed at 50k, now 122K), 80-90 MPH on freeway, and I drive a bit like a teenager. I do get better when I fill up someplace outside of AZ with no Ethanol in the fuel. I expect my 18 yr old to get better, since he sorta drives like an old lady. (All the kids do these days, it seems)

 

[Kevin Lang]

Teenagers who drive in a civilized manner and aren't turning every straight stretch of road into an impromptu drag strip where lifted trucks with Confederate battle flags flying on the rear face off against ricers and whatever you call the guys who "race" their VWs? It is also hard for me to imagine going to a stoplight without seeing some punk teenager in an ancient RWD car trying to do burn rubber on launch...generally with a poorly-maintained early 90s/late 80s Mustang :sad:



Gasoline without ethanol being available??! The gas here is all ethanol, all the time, though it is only 10%. I wish I could get gas without Ethanol conveniently but I've even found marinas which run ethanol-laced gas around here. We got both kinds of gas: E10 & E85.



Freeways where you can go 80-90 MPH don't really exist here. Depending on the time of the day you could fly down I-95, I-70 or I-595 at those speeds, if you can deal with the curves and hills, but even if you can, odds are there's a traffic jam on the other side of them. Or worse, dealing with the masses who go 55 or slower on roads with 65 mph speeds.



These concepts are so foreign to me as they don't exist near me...man, I feel like I'm in a foreign country from you :grin:



When I see a Gen 2 trac around here, it's generally a V8. I agree with the advice here, why settle for less? Even my best MPG on the V6 Trac has been annihilated by my worst MPG on my 2012 Fusion; we aren't driving these things for the stellar MPG...at least, I'm not :bwahaha: