E150 Suspension & Axles

[Tracker926]

I have a 2wd 2012 E150 cargo van that I purchased new. Took it in for new tires yesterday and have been told I have E250 axles and suspension components. 8 lug wheels etc. Was this something that Ford did as a matter of practice or do I have a "Frankenstein" van? VIN shows vehicle as E150.

[TheLetterJ]

All E150,250, and 350's are 8 lug starting in 2008 until their demise in 2014. Before that, E150's were all 5 lug. Nothing Frankenstein, just a rolling change on Ford's assembly line near the end of production. The big upside for you is that you aren't stuck with registering a 1 ton (high weight penalties here in CA anyway) but you get the same ginormous brakes and wheel bearings as the 1 ton.

[carringb]

The 8-lug change also corresponded with a matching bump in GVWR, and therefore payload.

FWIW front brakes on the E150 were bumped all the way up to the same brakes as the E450!

[Tracker926]

Thanks for the clarification guys. Makes sense and eliminates my confusion.

[MountainBikeRoamer]

I wonder if some of the 2008 move to heavier-duty 8-lug underpinnings on the E150's was also driven by liability concerns. Sounds like it's really easy to overload one of those pre-2008 5-lug vans.

Anecdotally....
A buddy moved West with his early 2000's E150 RB....he TOTALLY filled it up with his stuff....and there were some heavy toolboxes and car parts in there......that van didn't make it the whole way....front axle failure halfway to California....the mechanic at the shop repairing it for him demanded that he either 1) dump half his load, or 2) swap his E150 for an E250....)

[Tracker926]

Originally Posted by MountainBikeRoamer

I wonder if some of the 2008 move to heavier-duty 8-lug underpinnings on the E150's was also driven by liability concerns. Sounds like it's really easy to overload one of those pre-2008 5-lug vans.

Anecdotally....
A buddy moved West with his early 2000's E150 RB....he TOTALLY filled it up with his stuff....and there were some heavy toolboxes and car parts in there......that van didn't make it the whole way....front axle failure halfway to California....the mechanic at the shop repairing it for him demanded that he either 1) dump half his load, or 2) swap his E150 for an E250....)

Interesting info there MtBiker. I purchased my E150 with the single purpose of using it as my "poor" man camper. I have loaded it up with all my gear, dog and a small trailer with my dual sport motorcycle in tow and have never felt like the vehicle was overloaded. A little slow going up steep Mt roads but nothing more.

[Jsweezy]

I bought a 2010 E150 cargo van and looked into the ford body builder specs before I bought it and due to the year and the fact that its a cargo van it actually came with a e250 frame and rear axle.