Ecobeast!

ecoboosteagle · 05-02-2015, 09:16 PM

Just got home from picking up our 15 Eagle 324bhts. Towed it about 275 km with variety of hills etc. I knew I would be right at the limits of the gvwr on my truck (12 ecoboost 3.73 gears max tow pkg 7700lbs gvwr) but I was very impressed how the truck handled. I have the e 2 wd with sway (1200 lbs bars) and there was very little bounce or sway. On the flats with little head wind I was able to stay in 6th gear about 1600 rpm.

This truck is a torque monster and anyone that has the ecoboost with proper gears and max tow don't be afraid to go to the limits with it!

Imo the ecoboost is more of an in between a 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton. But sure is nice to have for the daily driver as well.
Just thought I would share my experience and look forward to to towing it some more. Btw - we love the camper too!!

Brownie · 05-03-2015, 09:00 AM

Always good to hear about another happy Ecoboost owner! I have a 2011 with the same set-up - pulling my Eagle 266 RKS. I just came through the Nebraska Sandhills and am now in South Dakota's Black Hills. I couldn't agree more about the truck being a towing beast!

Filthy-Beast · 05-03-2015, 09:21 AM

Glad to hear it, and congrats on the new trailer.

I also have a 2011 setup the same way. So far the most I've pulled is a car hauler about 7300#, it's almost like it's not there.

We'll be picking up 31 RLDS next weekend, all the forum posts had me thinking I needed to drop 50k on Powerstroke super duty.

blderman · 05-04-2015, 02:17 PM

I love my '14 Eco. When I first towed with it I was amazed at how much more powerful it is than my modified 02 7.3 Powerstroke. Power wise it's right in between the modified 7.3 and an 5.9 Cummins.

SkyBound · 05-07-2015, 09:19 AM

'13 Eco Max Tow here, and absolutely love it. Pulls my 28BHS like a boss. Installed Roadmaster Active Suspension and with a properly dialed in Equalizer E4 the towing experience is fantastic. There is no shortage of power, however I did need to invest some money into good LT tires and rear suspension help. Half tons are a bit cushy for heavy towing.

kjohn73 · 05-16-2015, 11:10 PM

We have a 2013 EB and love it. We pulled our 197 to Yellowknife from Regina area last year. According to some, EB trucks won't last long enough to get out of sight of the dealer's lot.

I certainly wouldn't hesitate to buy another one. Despite all the bragging about torque, etc., I don't think the engine is exactly a heavy duty slogger like some of the diesels. We have 50,000 miles on ours and haven't had any issues whatsoever with any part of the truck. Other than me clobbering a deer and smashing $12,000 worth of plastic off the front, it has been trouble free. The autobody that did the repairs made a first class job. It was a straight replacement of parts.

waltah · 05-17-2015, 08:38 AM

Had a 5.0 f150, key word is had. EB is an entirely different animal, i call it my mini diesel. In the 5.0's defense it was a 3.55 and 145" wheelbase. Not exactly the best for towing. Going to 157", max tow with 3.73 and the EB....night and day.

Not sure if I'd hood a trailer with a GCWR of over 10k lbs though (1500 hitch weight) but I dont want to be the weight police, so i digress.

LarryJ · 05-17-2015, 09:17 AM

Like what I hear about EB, but wondering about durability in the long run. Last year at local Ford dealer the salesman was pushing me towards the 5.0 V8 saying if I wanted a truck for many trouble free years that would be his the choice. Also didn't care for the just 60K miles warranty, not sure why shorter then others(?). Anyway decided to stay with my RAM which came with lifetime drive train warranty (sales pitch the year purchased) and still runs and looks like new with 88k miles.

FYI recently wife purchased Dodge Dart with Turbo, outstanding performance and superior gas mileage. She purchased a lifetime warranty as dealer said the turbo motor though being around in Europe for years still has more wear then normal asperated motors.

Larry J
2015 SLX 264BHW
2007 RAM 1500 5.7L

SkyBound · 05-17-2015, 09:41 AM

What exactly is it about the EcoBoost that makes people question its longevity? Are people worried about "blowing a turbo"? If that's the reason then tell me why no one hesitates to buy a diesel pickup... Every single one is turbo. Are they worried about the turbos themselves for not being superior quality? The Borg Warner K03 turbo is the same turbo used in VW vehicles, the Eco just uses 2 of them for more flow. I haven't heard of a single person shying away from a Jetta TDI or GTI because it had a turbo. I don't understand the hesitation with this powertrain. It's grossly overbuilt and engineered for the job its supposed to do.

blderman · 05-17-2015, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SkyBound

What exactly is it about the EcoBoost that makes people question its longevity? Are people worried about "blowing a turbo"? If that's the reason then tell me why no one hesitates to buy a diesel pickup... Every single one is turbo. Are they worried about the turbos themselves for not being superior quality? The Borg Warner K03 turbo is the same turbo used in VW vehicles, the Eco just uses 2 of them for more flow. I haven't heard of a single person shying away from a Jetta TDI or GTI because it had a turbo. I don't understand the hesitation with this powertrain. It's grossly overbuilt and engineered for the job its supposed to do.

It's because people rely on hearsay way too much. The Eco had some problems up front; the major reason it became such a big deal is the number of engines that have been sold. I believe it's over 650,000 Ecoboost engines just in the f150 line. The rate of failure/problems is actually very low considering the number of them sold. There will always be problems with a production made product, the higher the number of them made the more you will hear about it.

I do think that Ford mislead people on the maintenance though. Because of fuel dilution with direct injection, oil changes should never exceed 5,000mi and spark plugs need to be changed and properly gapped every 20-30,000mi. The vast majority of problems with the Eco come from worn or improperly gapped spark plugs.

I agree, it's a very robustly made engine that is designed for far more power than it makes in stock form. Just look at the specs for the GT and Raptor. The GT is around the 600hp range and the Raptor is 475-550hp while putting down over 650tq.

kjohn73 · 06-13-2015, 10:45 PM

In my above post, I said I wouldn't hesitate to buy another. Well, we did. Bought a nice 2015 EB 3.5, max tow, 3.55, Supercrew. Ford made some nice improvements and dropped the ball on a couple of things. All in all though, a nicer truck to drive.

Oddly enough, we didn't "blow any turbos". In fact we didn't ever have to take it back to a dealer for anything. I hope this new one gives as good service. My wife drives the truck 90% of the time.

NVGun40 · 06-14-2015, 10:30 AM

The Eco Boost F150 is a great platform and certainly deserves it fair credit. However, as I have recently found; approach such faith with caution. Not just with the F150 eco boost but with any platform (1/2 ton). I posted a story regarding my neighbor and his F150 under the thread, "length to weight". In my thread a couple of people speculated that his payload and towing was overweight, if they payed attention to the information I provided they would know that issue was addressed.
The issue was not weight. He was well within what the F150 could handle safely. His speed wasn't a factor. As we (my neighbor and I) have been discussing and following with the insurance investigators, the issue involves length of the trailer and lack of ass end in the truck and a perfect storm of circumstances hitting at the same time.
Just because you can do a thing, does not mean you should do the thing.
We have been shopping around and he is currently looking at a couple of options in the 3/4 ton range for his new TT. Of especially good news, he is looking and focusing on a Jayco to replace his coachman.

blderman · 06-15-2015, 07:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NVGun40

The Eco Boost F150 is a great platform and certainly deserves it fair credit. However, as I have recently found; approach such faith with caution. Not just with the F150 eco boost but with any platform (1/2 ton). I posted a story regarding my neighbor and his F150 under the thread, "length to weight". In my thread a couple of people speculated that his payload and towing was overweight, if they payed attention to the information I provided they would know that issue was addressed.
The issue was not weight. He was well within what the F150 could handle safely. His speed wasn't a factor. As we (my neighbor and I) have been discussing and following with the insurance investigators, the issue involves length of the trailer and lack of ass end in the truck and a perfect storm of circumstances hitting at the same time.
Just because you can do a thing, does not mean you should do the thing.
We have been shopping around and he is currently looking at a couple of options in the 3/4 ton range for his new TT. Of especially good news, he is looking and focusing on a Jayco to replace his coachman.

I read that thread and think it had a lot more to do with the situation than the truck. That being said I won't tow anything over 30' without the truck being a 1 ton, crew cab long bed. I had a an 05 ram 2500 quad cab short bed cummins, that had plenty of power and carrying ability but it got pushed around towing a travel trailer more than my f150 does due to the really short wheelbase.

kjohn73 · 06-22-2015, 11:07 PM

I read these threads with interest. I see huge trailers being pulled by half tons. Owners claim "never know it was there" or "pulled it with no problems", etc.. I see good sized trailers being pulled with all kinds of wannabe half tons and mid-sized SUVs. Makes me shiver to see some of the setups.

Our truck is my wife's daily driver and is adequate for our 197. Sure, the truck has lots of power and torque, but it is just a half ton. I know the trailer is behind. I wouldn't want to be pulling that trailer with anything any lighter or smaller, that is for certain.

I notice a warning decal on the hitch area of our trailer that it is not to be pulled by a truck rated at one ton or heavier. Probably the heavy springs in the truck would shake the trailer to pieces. Today's half tons and trailers like our 197 are pretty flimsy.

ecoboosteagle · 06-25-2015, 10:02 PM

A comparible f250 to mine with 6.7 cummins has 670 lbs more payload capacity and around 3000lbs more towing. Towing is not the issue with the ecoboost the gvwr is where it starts to hit its limitations. if I towed with an f250 I would be 500 lbs under the gvwr. For me it's not worth to have a diesel, rougher riding, higher maintenance vehicle for the 2 to 3 thousand km I tow a year. I actually think they should put an ecoboost option in a 250 chassis. Makes very similar power to the current 6.0 gasser. The difference in stats between the f150 and f250 is not as profound regarding capacities as you think. Jmo. I am only talking about the chassis of the vehicles not comparing a 6.7 diesel to ecoboost. Not much comparison there rearding the power difference....

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