Kingsize24
Well-known member
IMO, This!
Most affordable, fuel efficient 4x4 set up
- Thread starter Rove Adventures
- Start date
IMO, This!
I was talking with a mechanic when I went in to get an oil change once on my 3.5L eco boost and he thought it was the 2.7. He gave me the quote and I was rather shocked why it was about $30 more than usual, as it was my oil change on the 3.5 wasn't cheap. He told me the 2.7l use a unique oil filter part that is more expensive and they don't usually carry in stock. I was also considering that if you keep it long term, eventually the turbo will need to be serviced, which isn't cheap either. When you would actually have to service the turbo is a matter up for debate, but it should at least be considered as part of the equation.
I agree too, if I were buying another F-150 I'd get the 5.0. However the OP says one of his top priorities is fuel efficiency and no matter how you slice it the 5.0 gets the least mpg (or liters per 100 kilometers) out of all the engines.
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Deleted member 9101
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Yeah..about that. Your mechanic is 100% wrong. The filter is $8.00 and there is zero service requirements for the turbos.
It never ceases to amaze me how people flip out over turbo on a gas motor and then demand them on a diesel.
It is very possible that mechanic was wrong, or maybe was just trying to make an extra buck that day. It was just a random shop I visited while I was on a road trip and needed an oil change before the long drive home. As for turbo reliability, consumer reports published an article recently showing the reliability of turbo engines compared to the average N/A engine. For Ford, it showed that the 2.7L turbo engine is Ford's least reliable turbo engine (I've attached that graph below). It also shows that a lot of turbo engines aren't less reliable than the average engine. I have nothing against turbo engines and honestly if the OP said he was planning on towing or throwing a FWC on the truck than yeah the 2.7 would be a better choice. The 3.3 just seemed like a good way to save some money, in initial purchase price and possibly down the road. It is of course possible that with the 2.7 with regular maintenance he would never have a single problem.
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Deleted member 9101
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While in its infancy the 2.7 had some growing pains related to supplier quality. Most of those issues were worked out under warranty as the problems happened while the trucks had pretty low mileage. The ones you buy today (2nd generation) are built extremely well.
Even if both turbos decide to grenade themselves, you can get both rebuilt to specs that far exceed OEM for under a grand. If you are like me and like to tinker, you can combine that with a new down pipe and a good tune and pick up ~100 rwhp with out any worries about reliability or driveability.
Explorerinil
Observer
It’s more simple than an EcoBoost I guess. The 5.0 has its share of issues, the one in my 18 f150 work vehicle has had more problems than any other truck I’ve driven, in cold weather it keeps getting stuck in 7th gear. The local dealer said its a volatage problem and the truck has “many computers, just leave it running all day to recharge the battery”...this is total bs.
I've got both... and, if you're at all worried about dust, it will find its way into your sealed canopy. I live and play in S.E. BC, and probably travel many of the same roads for fun as you're planning, through the Rockies, and, no matter how well I think i've sealed my canopy, i always come back with a bit of moisture, and a lot of dust, in the truck bed. So, I threw a RTT on a rack over the canopy, and no more worries about sleeping in dirty sheets.
As well, for what its worth, I've got an '11 F150 with the 3.5 ecoboost, and it gets the job done. I spent a ton of time and energy fretting over making sure my choice was "perfect", and then came to the realization that I could just buy something and go, and not waste my time online searching. The incremental increases of buying "the best" engine out there was out weighed by saving some cash, buying a used, and putting any savings into a) regular maintenance, and b) fuel.
You're not going to throw 100 rwhp at the 2.7l ecoboost, or the 3.5l for that matter, without incurring some potential reliability issues down the road...you're just not.
Both ecoboost seem reliable enough, if you get the appropriate version. The newer versions have direct + port injection and I believe addressed some of the timing chain issues (though I'm not positive on the latter). They do recommend midgrade octane fuel for heavy work....just FYI.
If you're going to to be towing or a hauling a load nonstop, the ecoboost really won't offer much, if any, mpg advantage. At that point, you might as well get a F-150 5.0l v8 or comparable offering from GM or Toyota or Nissan.
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Deleted member 9101
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No... you can absolutely get 100whp out of either motor with out any I'll side effects. People have been doing it for many years. Companies like Brewcity Boost have gotten the tuning down to a science. The timing chain issues were few and far between and were solved years ago. It was o ly on the 3.5 and only a few years.
As for the advantages of the EcoBoost whilst towing... even if you ignore the fuel economy, the performance is dramatically better. The bottom pic is the 3.5HO vs the best that Chevy and Dodge have (6.2l and some hybrid Hemi).... look who won every single time when it comes to acceleration. Every single time.... not once did its competition pull away.
FWIW: every 1/10th of a second is roughly a car length.
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Deleted member 9101
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You are absolutely correct, it is not. In fact it is every bit as complicated as the EcoBoost and has more moving parts to fail.
Clutch
<---Pass
Didn't know towing was a race.
$72'000 for an F150!? For that price it better be givin' ya a reach around while you race from one stop light to the next....
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Deleted member 9101
Guest
Didn't know towing was a race.
$72'000 for an F150!? For that price it better be givin' ya a reach around while you race from one stop light to the next....
These days it is. When the EcoBoost first came out in the F150 some magazine did a test where it towed a 10k trailer up a mountain pass and was put against all the other 1/2 ton trucks on the road. It beat all the other trucks by minutes. It flat out humiliated them out of the gate and kept pulling all the way to the peak.
Where the EcoBoost really shines is how low of RPM it can make power. A N/A motor has a very set power band and out side of that window, you are not all that efficient. The more you load the EcoBoost, the more boost it makes, thus the more power. It doesn't really care to much about RPM's.
And yeah... 72K... I'll never pay that much for a truck...but I know people who do...lol.
Buliwyf
Viking with a Hammer
You better watch your EGT's if you add power to a small engine, in a heavy truck, and then tow/haul uphill.
Bad idea. 300hp is plenty. Work trucks get detuned, so you can climb at full throttle without a worry in the world. Other than your water temp gauge.
13 second quarter miles? That's way into Momo land. I'd trade a second or two of that, for reliability off road. (henceforth, my bias to the 5.0)
Bad idea. 300hp is plenty. Work trucks get detuned, so you can climb at full throttle without a worry in the world. Other than your water temp gauge.
13 second quarter miles? That's way into Momo land. I'd trade a second or two of that, for reliability off road. (henceforth, my bias to the 5.0)
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Deleted member 9101
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The EcoBoost doesn't have EGT spikes like a diesel. The first batch of the first gen 3.5's had some problems with over heating (Ford fixed that problem). From 2015+ you would have to do something colossally stupid to make them over heat. Mine is tuned and has an aftermarket down pipe and intake and it doesn't overheat, have EGT spikes, or any I'll side effects from the extra power.
Also, the 3.5 smokes the 5.0 off road. It doesn't need to spin any where near the RPM's to make power and it doesn't really care when you lift it and add larger tires. I have had both, and the 3.5 does everything better (except for the way it sounds). It also has fewer moving parts and way better trail manners.