# Buying New Ford Truck- New Engine Input



## maple lake duck slayer (Sep 25, 2003)

Hello all. Let me start by saying do not do the ford v. dodge v. chevy thing, I am buying a Ford, period.

Need to buy a new truck by the end of the year, probably sooner than that. I have been looking into their new engines and they look pretty impressive. I would love a diesel, but am not sure I want the cost of fuel/maintenence/initial purchase, so I have been looking more into the F150, in particular the 3.5l Ecoboost or the 5.0l.

If I go F150, it will be a crew cab with 6.5' box and FX4 package. Only have a 6x12 enclosed trailer right now but want to go to a 7x14 or 7x16, so I want to get something that can easily tow it.

Leaning towards the 3.5 Ecoboost as the twin turbos provide great low end torque for towing, something a lot of gasoline engines do not provide. Seems a little weird to be looking at a V-6, but with 365 horsepower and 420 ft lbs torque, everything I have heard about this engine sounds great. Couple this setup with the max trailer tow package and it is rated to tow 11,200 lbs, only 800 lbs less than my Dad's 2011 gasser F250.

Anyone here own one and have any input? How do they tow? Actual mileage you are seeing? If anyone has purchased a very comparable model and would like to share what they paid for it(you can PM me) I would like that too so I know what to expect in negotiations.

My dealer is bringing me a truck set up as stated above with max trailer tow and the Ecoboost engine next week so I can hook a trailer up to it and see how it tows.

Thanks


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## southdakbearfan (Oct 11, 2004)

I think you kind of answered your own question and will get to see it in action.


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## take'em down (Jan 8, 2009)

My brother recently got one, pulling a 17 ft boat it got around 12-14 mpg's doing 65-70 id say, if you keep it around 55 you will get the 22 or higher mpg as well


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## Kelly Hannan (Jan 9, 2007)

I know someone with a 2011 Eco and 4 door, he says he is getting 26 Interstate. I really like my new 5.0, power is great, 18 Highway, 16 average. Much better truck than my 2005 with the 5.4


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## maple lake duck slayer (Sep 25, 2003)

Thanks for the input. I just have never been impressed by any gas motors towing capabilities. I guess driving my Dads diesel trucks in the past has just kind of poisoned my thoughts of how vehicles should tow.

Hopefully the Ecoboost will impress me. Anything will feel better than my 2000 F150 with 230,000 miles, but I really hope it can haul a 14 ft enclosed trailer loaded with a few thousand pounds easily. I guess I have my doubts about a gasser doing it, but I will see I guess. I hate shopping for anything and just want to buy something and be done.


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## ruger1 (Aug 16, 2006)

maple lake duck slayer said:


> Thanks for the input. I just have never been impressed by any gas motors towing capabilities. I guess driving my Dads diesel trucks in the past has just kind of poisoned my thoughts of how vehicles should tow.
> 
> Hopefully the Ecoboost will impress me. Anything will feel better than my 2000 F150 with 230,000 miles, but I really hope it can haul a 14 ft enclosed trailer loaded with a few thousand pounds easily. I guess I have my doubts about a gasser doing it, but I will see I guess. I hate shopping for anything and just want to buy something and be done.


The gassers will do it and do it just fine. However they will never do it like a diesel. It's not really fair to compare the two. They are two entirely different animals. My 6.0L Chev tows my boat and trailers just fine. However I will be looking at the EcoBoost when I look for a new truck. I've read a lot of research/info on the 3.5L.

If they could just make a truck that gets 30-40 MPG while empty, I couldn't really care less if it got 12 MPG when I was towing. And I tow my boat probably 30 - 40 weeks per year 60 miles each way (unless I'm going further, nothing closer).


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## 94NDTA (May 28, 2005)

FYI, real world numbers for the ecoboost are closer to a 5.3 gm for mpg, only with a lot more power.

Anyone that tells you their 4 door 4x4 ecoboost gets 26 mpg is on crack....serious strong crack.

You are more likely to get 22-24 mpg hwy with the most ideal conditions, 2wd, non 4 door.

4 door 4x4, not so much.


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## maple lake duck slayer (Sep 25, 2003)

Picked up my new truck Friday evening, F150 Ecoboost black FX4 Off Road crew cab with the 6.5 ft box, luxury package and max trailer tow package.

Before purchasing the sales guy let me take it for a day to test drive as I told him my concerns about towing. I hooked up to my Dad's 14 ft enclosed trailer and hopped on 94, setting the cruise at 75 mph. The truck did not downshift at all...when catching a hill/breeze, you hear the turbo spool up a little bit and it carries you right over. Accelerating from a stoplight with that trailer on I punched it and smoked both rear tires. This engine is a real powerhouse.

On the 40 mile drive home after picking it up on Friday, I was able to pull 20.2 mpg while setting the cruise at 60 and slowing down while going through towns. After hauling my decoy trailer all weekend(and being a little heavy on the accelerator while showing the truck to friends) it is currently reading 14 mpg for the tank, but I haven't even gone through half a tank of fuel yet so you can't really get a feel for the mpg. This truck only has 400 miles on it so hopefully as it breaks in it will get a couple mpg better. Keep in mind these numbers are with a taller rear end ratio(3.73), bigger tires/wheels, heavier suspension, heavier truck than say the same truck in a plain jane xlt package. If you had a plain XLT with 3.31 gears, it would probably get a little better mpg even though the body/cab/box is exactly the same.

I know you can't compare a gas to a diesel, the diesel has 300+ more torque. But the torque curve and the way it tows is very similar. I was very impressed the way it handled the enclosed trailer going up 94...most vehicles you automatically would put into tow/haul...there was no need to with this truck.


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## ruger1 (Aug 16, 2006)

maple lake duck slayer said:


> Picked up my new truck Friday evening, F150 Ecoboost black FX4 Off Road crew cab with the 6.5 ft box, luxury package and max trailer tow package.
> 
> Before purchasing the sales guy let me take it for a day to test drive as I told him my concerns about towing. I hooked up to my Dad's 14 ft enclosed trailer and hopped on 94, setting the cruise at 75 mph. The truck did not downshift at all...when catching a hill/breeze, you hear the turbo spool up a little bit and it carries you right over. Accelerating from a stoplight with that trailer on I punched it and smoked both rear tires. This engine is a real powerhouse.
> 
> ...


Awesome. Keep the real world experiences and MPGs measured at the pump (not the computer) coming. I'm anxious to see the results.


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## Duckslayer100 (Apr 7, 2004)

Better yet...keep those numbers to yourself. I don't want to be kicking myself for years to come for jumping the gun and buy a 2010 last year, when I could have waited and gotten 10 more MPG than I am now... uke:


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## maple lake duck slayer (Sep 25, 2003)

Had to drive from Albertville, MN to northeast of Hayward, WI last Thursday, approx 200 miles each way. Kept my speed to 5 mph over the speed limt so about 1/2 the miles were at 60 mph, 1/2 were at 70-75 mph. Averaged 19.4 mpg for the trip. Hoping this will go up a little as it breaks in as it only has 1100 miles on it currently. At times my live reading would show close to 25 mpg. I think on flat roads with no wind and the cruise set at 55-60 mph you could pull 23-25 mpg with this truck.

Really liking the truck and the power, would like to get some long distance towing under the belt to see how it tows and the mileage.


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## take'em down (Jan 8, 2009)

94NDTA said:


> FYI, real world numbers for the ecoboost are closer to a 5.3 gm for mpg, only with a lot more power.
> 
> Anyone that tells you their 4 door 4x4 ecoboost gets 26 mpg is on crack....serious strong crack.
> 
> ...


Do you own one?


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## duckmander (Aug 25, 2008)

A friend of mine has recently purchased a 2011 crew 4x4 F150. v6. and he loves it. plenty of horsepower eats the road up and he tells me to day we was on I-40 70 mph with cruse and a/c getting 23 mpg. I droped it down to 65 and it showed to get 27 mpg.

I personally have been a gemeral motors man most all my life.

But I like this trudk. I will have to look in to them pretty soon.


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## Andy Weber (Nov 18, 2009)

I have driven a few around that we have worked on at the shop and the feel and drive just like fords always have. I am not a big fan but I am amazed at what a little bit of govnt regulations will do to gas milage. The new chevy 6.2L Flex Fuel that you can get in half tons(mainly denalis) is one heck of a big motor and I drove one on a 120 mile trip and averaged 18 MPG with E85.


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## maple lake duck slayer (Sep 25, 2003)

Kind of got do do my first long distance tow this last weekend. I was a little disappointed by my fuel economy, but I had very strong NW winds to drive into the whole way up north Friday evening and very strong WSW winds to drive into on the way back south on Sunday. Anyone in the area can attest to how strong the winds were through the region this last weekend.

I was hauling a three place snowmobile trailer with 2 Polaris Sportsmans, a Beavertail duck boat, and several hundred pounds of other gear to go duck hunting. I would say probably 3000-3500 pounds.

The truck pulled great with that load and that wind and only downshifted 6 times between the drive up and the drive back(about 300 miles), even with the strong wind and some pretty decent hills. Otherwise it would hold overdrive even going up hills. The turbo would just spool up and carry you right over.

Half the trip was at 70 mph, half the trip was at 60 mph. I averaged around 11.5 mpg. I really think without the wind it would have done quite a bit better as there were a couple small areas that were sheltered pretty good with flat roads and my instant reading would go to 16 mpg-18mpg, I think I would have seen around 14-15 mpg with no wind, but cannot say for sure. Truck only has 2500 miles on top of it, so not even broke in yet.


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