Jim's full sized site is pretty cool. I've posted on there a few times, and got the help I needed. I was on f150forum.com for a while, but now it's pretty much full of douche bags, and young kids who have no mechanical knowledge. They just post about burn outs, and what back space they used, and the classic "Can I run 33's or 35's with just a t-bar crank?" ........................Yes you can. It get's really old, really quick.
Yeah, that's pretty much what I'm finding out there. I've looked at F150forum, and another similar one I can't think of the name of at the moment... But the ratio of clue-less kids to knowledgable experts is pretty lacking compared to TRS. When someone actually does post looking for help with an actual problem, there's a lot of "gee... why don't you try this?" type responses. In contrast, on TRS, within an hour you've got AllanD and 6 others (equally as qualified) telling you exactly what's wrong, why it's wrong, and how to fix it. Plus, while active forums are great, there's a lot to be said for a well-stocked tech library like TRS has. As I said, I haven't found anything like it yet. I did come across Jim's full-size site, but it doesn't look like it has much traffic (it's only a single forum, and the tech library is pretty thin still). I fully intend to stick around here as well though
adsm08 said:
There is only one thing to know about the 5.4. They both suck where spark plugs are concerned.
The old version you can't keep them in the head, and the new version you can't take them out of the head.
LOL, agreed. My somewhat limited researched indicated that you can choose between an older 2-valve 4.6/5.4 that shoots plugs, or a newer 3-valve that chews through cam phasers instead. And apparently they both love to crack their exhaust manifolds
Seriously though, it sounds like they're both pretty damn reliable motors. Guess they all have their quirks.
shane96ranger said:
I don't think I'm far behind. I have a buyer for my truck, who approached me about buying it. Now it's a matter of finding an F-150. If I can swing the right deal, it's done.
I'm only considering because 3 kids ain't fitting in the super cab of a Ranger.
Would you guys who have made the switch mind giving me a comparison in gas mileage (also which motor on the Ranger vs. F-150)?
Exactly. Don't get me wrong - I LOVED my Ranger, and all things being equal I'd prefer to be driving the smaller truck. 99% of the time it's a daily driver for me. And when it is being used as a truck, it's to haul around brush, mulch, firewood, somebody-or-other's furniture, etc. I really have no NEED to go to full-size. But I can't (legally) take the kids anywhere in those jump seats. And if I can go to a full-size (with plenty of room for the whole family) for essentially the same price, with the same (or better) gas mileage, I'd be a fool not to. I didn't do the math very often, but my '94 Ranger 4x4 EXT w/ the 4.0L was a bit of a hog at the pump. My new F150 has the 5.4L, but I think I'm still going to see the same mileage, or maybe even a touch better. Maybe that's wishful thinking, but I'll post back after I've driven it a while. I suppose it won't be TOO big a sin since it's still a FORD, right?
I actually did run a lot of numbers before making this decision. Obviously they're not spot-on, but I used all the numbers from fueleconomy.gov, my typical driving pattern (on the low side - usually around 8k miles per year), and gas prices, and ran a side-by-side comparison for an '06 Ranger 4.0, an F150 4.6, and an F150 5.4. I noticed some rounding errors on the fueleconomy.gov site so it's far from perfect, but the numbers worked out showing that my monthly fuel costs would be EXACTLY the same for the 4.0 Ranger and 4.6 F150. I think the 5.4 F150 came out to $6 more per month, or something ridiculous like that.
I also ran some repair cost numbers - I just hopped on autozone's site to use as a common reference point, and looked up part costs for a few common items (brake pads, rotors, battery, spark plugs, etc.). The F150 parts obviously cost a bit more, but the difference wasn't as large as I was expecting.
I'm not trying to convert anyone - as I said I think I'd rather be driving the Ranger
But the results were rather surprising to me.
Welcome Visitor! Please take a few seconds and 
Stupid automatic pickup....
