Eco-Boost opinions

[jdtractor]

Hi IMO they are overrated, Ive been on the F150 Forum and they have alot of discussions about all sorts of FORD issuses. Several on this topic, from what i gather there are several people who own them and are not overly impressed, with milage or towing. I for one think its overrated , i my self own a 2010, F150 with the 4.6 3v engine , it has more then enough power for me. I pull a 7000lb trailer very well loaded with 6, 1000 lb. round bales. I live in southwestern Pa. with lots of hills etc..... and no problems. The current miles are approx. 15000 give or take few 100 extra. I have driven this truck to the east coast twice in 2yrs. and averaged 19 mpg. Around my local running a speed of 75mph,on the interstate i average 17.6,8,9 depends etc.. pulling nothing. xcept my ***** etc......around. Thats why IMO i say they are overrated , this is my first F150 , I ve owned several trks over the yrs. for my buisness this is 1 of 3 fords , and i might add i like it the best of the 3, Ive had the other 2 were H.D. 1 ton gas engine, all 4x4.This 4.6 3v is very good for milage and power , for what i need, BUT im not 1 for milage, you have to drink water when you need it , and you have to buy fuel when you need it, and Im not going to WALK. just my .02cts.

 

[roamerr]

The only truck on that trip was an issue was the Eco-Boost. It lost a coil-pack in Kansas. The local Ford dealer did not have the part but took one off of a new truck. My friend with the EcoBoost is averaging 17mpg on hid daily driving -- 70% highway/30 % not highway. My hemi gets 13.6 on a similar drive.

 

[slowzuki]

The basic idea is under heavy load like high speed driving or towing its not going to do much better than the V8. Its the lightly loaded commuting that everyone seems to do in their trucks where its supposed to pay for itself.

My F350 struggles to get 12 mpg driving at 55 mph with 80 psi in the tires (5.4 V8) the Ecoboost looks good to me. Of course right now it has 3000 lbs of crushed rock in the bed that a loader just dumped in at the pit, and could have gone 4000 lbs easily. Not gonna do that to a brand new F150!

 

[MossflowerWoods]

My 2001 4-door 2wd F-150 w/5.4 Triton empty weighs 4650.
My 2011 Flex Limited, Eco-Boost V6 AWD weighs 4616 (only 34 lbs less).

I have driven BOTH on the exact same route to my customer inside the beltway near DC.

My Truck on a good day with no traffic jams will do this 150 mile round trip around 16.5 MPG. The Flex will easily average 20.

I have NOT driven either to DC since crashing my Harley in early Nov (been working from home). So with NO distance my truck's avg mpg falls rapidly to between 12.5 and 14. The Flex stays VERY close to 18.

AND, when I do get to drive all of us in the Flex, and I NEED to merge quickly (I LOVE the 355hp) I juice it and merge and if the average is fairly new (like only couple tanks of gas) I lose maybe 0.1 mpg average. If there is 1,000 miles on the calculation it has NO EFFECT on the mileage.

I tend to be a few miles above the speed limit, but not a racer typically.

I REALLY like this motor. I've refused to buy every turbo before this too.

I will say the new 4-cyclinder Eco-Boost (anyone know if it is a V4?) in a NEW Ford Courier sized truck would totally score as my commuter car...

Be well,
David

 

[jeffsw6]

Thats what they are. A new Diesel is about $60,000.

That figure is really a little high.

Even sticker price on a new, loaded Chevy 3500 DMAX DRW LTZ Crew Cab is right around $60k and that's before you do any haggling, and with every major option like navigation screen, back-up camera, heated chairs, etc.

Of course if you don't buy all those gadgets it is much cheaper, but you still won't quite pay $60k even if you buy all the creature comforts.

 

[Johnp33]

My problem with all Ford products and I fix them is that they make a couple of new engines every year.
They make a transmission a couple of years and then the change a few things so it is not usable on an older truck. They change the front end parts, tie rods and stuff all the time, ignition parts on some older units you can not get period. Wheels they make seven stud wheels.
I realise that a lot of you buy a new truck, but when someone buys your old one and has to remove the heads to get the plugs out, has to buy compete ignition system because they can not get a component.
I just priced out a sensor for a 7.3 diesel for the Injection Control Pressure. it is a high pressure oil pressure sensor. My best price is $290.00.
I would not buy any new product for at least a year after it comes out.

 

[Dmace]

Personally, I don't think it's worth it.

If you want a Ford F-150, then I would skip the Eco-boost and go for the V8 5.0l. It has comparable power, real close mpg's empty and better mpg's while towing. It's a MUCH simpler design and more reliable, easier to fix and cheaper to repair. Read up on the Ford forums and you'll see the common problems popping up with the Ecoboost V6. You won't find those problems in the V8 5.0l. If you want a race-truck with questionable reliability, get the Ecoboost. If you want a F-150 with a solid engine that will still be simple and reliable, get the 5.0l.

Of course, DiamondPilot knows someone with one with no problems yet so that means they're all perfect and that one GM/Dodge truck that had one problem means they're all junk.

 

[EddieWalker]

Personally, I don't think it's worth it.

If you want a Ford F-150, then I would skip the Eco-boost and go for the V8 5.0l. It has comparable power, real close mpg's empty and better mpg's while towing. It's a MUCH simpler design and more reliable, easier to fix and cheaper to repair. Read up on the Ford forums and you'll see the common problems popping up with the Ecoboost V6. You won't find those problems in the V8 5.0l. If you want a race-truck with questionable reliability, get the Ecoboost. If you want a F-150 with a solid engine that will still be simple and reliable, get the 5.0l.

Of course, DiamondPilot knows someone with one with no problems yet so that means they're all perfect and that one GM/Dodge truck that had one problem means they're all junk.

Nice to hear a good report on the 5.0 I've looked at a few extra cab, long beds with that engine and I've been wondering if that's a better option. I have the 4.6 right now and don't need any more power, but the newness of the eco boost has me nervous.

Eddie

 

[crazyal]

Is there a price difference in costs between the two engines?

 

[Dmace]

Nice to hear a good report on the 5.0 I've looked at a few extra cab, long beds with that engine and I've been wondering if that's a better option. I have the 4.6 right now and don't need any more power, but the newness of the eco boost has me nervous.

Eddie

Great review from Pickuptrucks.com here: Road Test Review: 2011 Ford F-150 XLT 5.0-liter V-8 - PickupTrucks.com News

Is there a price difference in costs between the two engines?

5.0l is $1000 option, Ecoboost is $2200. Although, last time I priced one out you had to add the Ecoboost with another package which was more money and couldn't get the Ecoboost with a short bed (8ft bed only). I like 6.5ft beds on trucks (8ft with tailgate down), if I need to carry something longer than that, I'll take the trailer.