This is a follow up to my introductory post from a few days ago. Picked up our new 2018 Lariat yesterday. Here is a quick initial report and a few questions. As to be expected with a new vehicle, beautiful and super clean. Turns out it does not have the moonroof/sunroof but that was not dealer's fault and is not important to us anyway. The dealer transferred from another dealer in Iowa, where their website listed that feature. Our dealer emailed me a picture of the window sticker before they picked it up and it was not listed. I just did not catch it. Anyway, it's is amazing how quiet the engine is for a diesel. Reset one of the trip meters and did about a 20 mile drive of mixed driving. The computer indicated a bit over 22 mpg for that. I'll post some pics sometime soon.
Now to my questions.
1. No towing before 1000 miles? However, when looking at the owner's manual last night, it says "do not tow during the first 1000 miles." That was a surprise and disappointing. We are planning to tow our travel trailer next weekend. Thoughts?
2. Tire/sheel size effect on mpg and ride quality? Ours came with 20 inch "chrome like PVD) wheels with Goodyear Wrangler tires 275/55 R20 OWL all terrain tires. I would actually prefer to have 18 inch with all season tires. Any thoughts on whether that would improve ride quality and mpg? Is there a market for me to sell the wheels and tires? Or maybe I just keep the 20 inch wheels, save these tires for the WI winter, and buy some all seasons for the warm weather months. The dealer said they would not swap due to warranty complications. This truck will see a mix 90% highway, 9% city, and 1% dirt and gravel roads.
3.Do wheel liners (if that's the right word) offer undercarriage/underbody/suspension area protection? Our truck does not have what I would call a fender or wheel liner. Would purchasing an aftermarket wheel/fender liner be a good idea from a protection standpoint, especially given all the salt and sand on the road ways here in the winter?
4. Bed shell or topper suggestions/experiences. Our Ridgeline had a hard tonneau cover, but we are interested in a shell, probably one that is flush with cab height. Though I have taken the mountain bike season off this year, I am competitive cyclist ( cross country mtb and cyclocross). I'm intrigued with idea of a topper so that I could just put bikes and gear in there instead of using a hitch mounted bike rack I'd love to see some pics of any fellow F150 owners who are also cyclists who have done this. Any suggestion on topper/shell brands also appreciated along with how that may have impacted mpg.
Thanks.
Now to my questions.
1. No towing before 1000 miles? However, when looking at the owner's manual last night, it says "do not tow during the first 1000 miles." That was a surprise and disappointing. We are planning to tow our travel trailer next weekend. Thoughts?
2. Tire/sheel size effect on mpg and ride quality? Ours came with 20 inch "chrome like PVD) wheels with Goodyear Wrangler tires 275/55 R20 OWL all terrain tires. I would actually prefer to have 18 inch with all season tires. Any thoughts on whether that would improve ride quality and mpg? Is there a market for me to sell the wheels and tires? Or maybe I just keep the 20 inch wheels, save these tires for the WI winter, and buy some all seasons for the warm weather months. The dealer said they would not swap due to warranty complications. This truck will see a mix 90% highway, 9% city, and 1% dirt and gravel roads.
3.Do wheel liners (if that's the right word) offer undercarriage/underbody/suspension area protection? Our truck does not have what I would call a fender or wheel liner. Would purchasing an aftermarket wheel/fender liner be a good idea from a protection standpoint, especially given all the salt and sand on the road ways here in the winter?
4. Bed shell or topper suggestions/experiences. Our Ridgeline had a hard tonneau cover, but we are interested in a shell, probably one that is flush with cab height. Though I have taken the mountain bike season off this year, I am competitive cyclist ( cross country mtb and cyclocross). I'm intrigued with idea of a topper so that I could just put bikes and gear in there instead of using a hitch mounted bike rack I'd love to see some pics of any fellow F150 owners who are also cyclists who have done this. Any suggestion on topper/shell brands also appreciated along with how that may have impacted mpg.
Thanks.
