Towing with an EcoBoost

[agallant80]

Anyone out there have an EcoBoost? Any issues ? How does it pull?

 

[raven7]

Re: Towing with an EcoBoost

2011 EcoBoost here. Pulls my 17' Bass boat with ease. No problems what so ever. The torque at low RPM is what makes it so good.

 

[redmen62]

Re: Towing with an EcoBoost

My buddy uses his EcoBoost to pull our 22' Bayliner with no problems either. Not gonna lie, I was a little skeptical the first time we hooked it up, but man it moved like it was nothing.. I'm sold on it and saving up for my own!

 

[jkust]

Re: Towing with an EcoBoost

I'd love to hear some real life example pulling heavily constructed boats. My minivan pulls a 17 footer with ease as it should. I see locally they just started running a commercial comparing the Silverado to the Fords pulling a large boat up hill. No stats given other than the actor driving saying the Silverado was struggling at that particular second. I also just read that Chevy has just substantially increased the power (they mentioned HP but not TQ) in their 5.3l v8 for an upcoming model. Of course they claim better mileage than everyone else as well. I've owned supercharged/forced induction vehicles in the past and can attest to the torque increases over the base engine without forced induction. That said I've friends with Eco boost F150's but don't tow and still claim egregious mileage. If you are going to slap a 6 cylinder anything in a truck and use MPG's as a selling point, it better give me 30% better mileage over the v8 competition before I write a $40,000 check. I already expect fantastic towing capabilities as it is a truck.

 

[BobGinCO]

Re: Towing with an EcoBoost

If you are going to slap a 6 cylinder anything in a truck and use MPG's as a selling point, it better give me 30% better mileage over the v8 competition before I write a $40,000 check.

The Galactica, with the V-10 Triton guzzles gas like it's .29 a gallon. But she does fine with a 2,100 pound camper in the back, and a 4,000 pound plus boat and trailer behind her.

 

[jkust]

Re: Towing with an EcoBoost

The Galactica, with the V-10 Triton guzzles gas like it's .29 a gallon. But she does fine with a 2,100 pound camper in the back, and a 4,000 pound plus boat and trailer behind her.

Love the name Galactica.

 

[BobGinCO]

Re: Towing with an EcoBoost

Love the name Galactica.

Aye, she's got some battle damage, but she's all heart. I bought her with 103,000 miles on her, knowing that she'd be good for another hundred (thanks to the manual tranny - and what my mechanic calls the "suicide clutch").

 

[OllieC]

Re: Towing with an EcoBoost

I have an 11 EcoBoost SuperCrew. It tows my boat, approx 5Klbs dry, + galvanized tandem trailer 1.1KLbs. It does really well. I tow about 800 miles in the Summer. I have the tow package.

Plenty of power to tow - but what I like is when going down hill - you tap the brake, and it goes down a gear to help slow you down. Not sure what that is called - jake braking? Almost like a diesel.

 

[babbot]

Re: Towing with an EcoBoost

There was an article in motortrend or one of the major car magazines about a year ago that did a test comparing a few different f150 models. They stated the new 5.0 was a better tow engine overall. If I remember correctly the V8 got better mileage while towing which makes since. Little engine has to work harder so the turbos wind up more sucking in more fuel.
I read some forums about the ecoboost that seemed to follow the write up. Basically average mileage wasn't any better than the V8. Highway was good but overall people were stating about 17mpg. does not impress me. not going to make me spend a ton of cash to save 1-2 mpg.
Also, can't imagine what the cost would be to replace one of those turbos when, not if, the go.

 

[OllieC]

Re: Towing with an EcoBoost

What sold me on the Eco was more torque and HP for the same gas mileage you get with a V8. 365hp and 420 torque.
A ton of cash was under a grand for an Eco vs. 5.0, at least when I bought mine.

 

[glenn property of pam]

Re: Towing with an EcoBoost

There was an article in motortrend or one of the major car magazines about a year ago that did a test comparing a few different f150 models. They stated the new 5.0 was a better tow engine overall. If I remember correctly the V8 got better mileage while towing which makes since. Little engine has to work harder so the turbos wind up more sucking in more fuel.
I read some forums about the ecoboost that seemed to follow the write up. Basically average mileage wasn't any better than the V8. Highway was good but overall people were stating about 17mpg. does not impress me. not going to make me spend a ton of cash to save 1-2 mpg.
Also, can't imagine what the cost would be to replace one of those turbos when, not if, the go.

modern turbos are a world apart from the old type and now with better oils and redesigned cooling of the turbos especially when the engine is shut off the turbo should be good for a few hundred thousand miles. old turbos liked to cook when the engine was turned off and the oil would bake on the shaft causing all sorts of problems.
Have you ever wondered why ford doesnt call it a turbo

 

[carey965]

Re: Towing with an EcoBoost

the problem with the ECO-boost is not the power, there is a fairly big issue with the intercooler
from what i have read is that there is a condensation build up in them and it is putting them into limp mode, on the ford forums there have been alot of people complain about that, something also to consider when buying them

i know a few people that have them and they love them with no issues so who knows, but i also know mechanics that wont touch them and say buy the 5.0 but at the end of the day its all up to you, my 5.4 isnt the greatest motor in the world but i still love my truck

 

[OllieC]

Re: Towing with an EcoBoost

At 50k miles - Never had a problem with mine. Never heard of an inter cooler issue.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Towing with an EcoBoost

modern turbos are a world apart from the old type and now with better oils and redesigned cooling of the turbos especially when the engine is shut off the turbo should be good for a few hundred thousand miles. old turbos liked to cook when the engine was turned off and the oil would bake on the shaft causing all sorts of problems.
Have you ever wondered why ford doesnt call it a turbo

I'm at 130k miles in my car (turbo subaru), and its on the stock turbo yet. That little turbo spins over 100,000 rpm at full boost, which I'm pushing 19 PSI right now. I've also had LOTS of time towing with it, with extended time at positive pressure. New turbos are a completely different animal than what they used to be...

Anyway, on topic.. Got a couple of friends with ecoboosts, and they all make the same comparison. The ecoboost engine is far more like driving a diesel than a gas truck. Everything about how it behaves and pulls is far more diesel like.

 

[babbot]

Re: Towing with an EcoBoost

I just don't believe a turbo is necessary. The 5.0 is a simpler design with pretty close to the same mileage overall. There really isn't a perfect engine design since the whole problem is the weight and aerodynamics of a truck. If the companies would learn and go back a little and lighten up the trucks and stop making them so tall we would be better off.. Man i am 6'1" and can barely reach into the bed of my truck... There is no need for an f150 to be able to tow 10k or whatever it can do just to go the grocery store. step up to a f250 if you need the capacity. they needed to redesign the smaller trucks rather than discontinue them as well. (man I sound like an old crotchety man)

 

[raven7]

Re: Towing with an EcoBoost

The 5.0 torque of 380ftlb. peaks at near 4500 RPM. The 3.5 EcoBoost torque (420ftlb.) curve is nearly flat starting around 2000 RPM. Based off of dyno charts, you have to turn twice the RPM with the 5.0 to get maximum torque compared to the 3.5

 

[cjjjdeck]

Re: Towing with an EcoBoost

I just don't believe a turbo is necessary. The 5.0 is a simpler design with pretty close to the same mileage overall. There really isn't a perfect engine design since the whole problem is the weight and aerodynamics of a truck. If the companies would learn and go back a little and lighten up the trucks and stop making them so tall we would be better off.. Man i am 6'1" and can barely reach into the bed of my truck... There is no need for an f150 to be able to tow 10k or whatever it can do just to go the grocery store. step up to a f250 if you need the capacity. they needed to redesign the smaller trucks rather than discontinue them as well. (man I sound like an old crotchety man)

I guess I'm becoming a crotchety old man too cause I agree with ya! I was in a used car lot a week ago and saw a really nicely restored '72 Chevy C20 and the first thing I realized was I could reach over into the bed from the side, and I'm 6'! I totally forgot there was a time you could do this with a pickup. Gee, I think they even made a model called a "step-side" at one time...

I have a 5.4L in a Expedition that I have no complaints with towing my 6,000+ lb boat and trailer and a bunch of people and gear. My previous tow vehicle was a '99 Suburban with the 5.7L (which I loved), but the Ford 5.4L has better hp and much higher torque. The new engine technologies are probably better as the 5.0L has higher hp and torque than the 5.4L. If it were me and "towing" was my biggest concern , the Eco has more to go wrong in my book (but I can't help respecting that motor and technology), I just don't want to have trouble on the road when I'm towing. I'm actually encouraged by the mostly positive posting on the engine though. I can't help wondering how expensive it is to "fix" all that technology when it breaks down.

 

[jkust]

Re: Towing with an EcoBoost

The other thing I think about with these trucks is the second and third owners experience. As an example, the 5.3 liter GM V8 has less hp and tq but is tried and true for years and years with few major issues..I suppose the 6.2 is a better comparison. I wonder how these turbo engines will be at say 120,000 miles being sold to the second or third owner after being used heavily for towing? To me that is the true test. I consider any vehicle just starting out at 50,000 miles so I'm not impressed that it has been trouble free with so few miles. I start to take notice when they go 75k and 100k+ with zero issues. My last supercharged car needed a supercharger tune up at 100k miles but was a cheap kit for diy. Somehow I feel that won't be the case for ecoboost engines. Making me even less impressed is i've never owned a car since before college car that has needed anything done to it before 100,000 miles (except the only Toyota). Now the things that tend to go wrong are the options such as heated seats and other nickel and dime things.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Towing with an EcoBoost

I'm waiting to see what the lifetime is of those turbos in places like MN. For me, I'll stick with a Hemi and get about the same gas mileage for less

 

[jbetzelb]

Re: Towing with an EcoBoost

Many a good point both pro and con. I went with the 5.0 F150 and love it. Pulls 6000 lbs with no issue. Gets 13.5 to 14.5 MPG doing it. I have driven Ecoboost and even pulled with them. You can't believe the low RPM pull it has until you experience it. Yes it will rip the chevy 6 liter and it will run even or beat the ford 6.2. Dodge Hemi wont touch it. Like many stated, it doesn't get the mileage it brags about and we dont know what it will do with 150 K miles on it. A small percentage of them have a intercooler problem that causes them to fall on their face when you hit the fuel. Good, bad, or neutral feelings about the 6 with twins, it will out run and out pull any gas engine truck made in 2013.