Tell me why I don't want an EcoBoost F-150 vs the 5.0 or any other brands.

This time next year I'm going to pick up a full-size truck so I can comfortably tow the Miata, gear, tools, and bring people with me without the truck feeling like it's about to puke it's guts out.

I've read of some issues with the EcoBoost F-150s that start to pop up around 30-40k miles and they aren't pretty. But it seems to be the minority. I'll likely buy new and keep it for a long time so I can focus on keeping the track car up to snuff vs working on what will be the tow rig and DD.

Any reason to ignore the turbo for the 5.0? Any compelling reasons to consider one of the other modern 1/2 tons (the only exception is Dodge, I will absolutely never own one).

Don't buy a new half ton for a tow vehicle. Buy a used (not used-up) 3/4 ton for half the price. I just dumped my F-150 for a Duramax. Half tons are not happy towing.

Too bad about never owning a Dodge, because the Ram 1500 is in a completely different field than the Ford and GM twins. The suspension is better, the drivetrains are better, and the capability is better, all for less money. Not to mention the whole getting-a-diesel next year.

Javelin wrote: Too bad about never owning a Dodge, because the Ram 1500 is in a completely different field than the Ford and GM twins. The suspension is better, the drivetrains are better, and the capability is better, all for less money. Not to mention the whole getting-a-diesel next year.

Having borrowed a new 1500 Hemi for a weekend, it was nice. But not nearly as nice as a Tundra I spent the next weekend in.

Yanno, the Honda Ridgeline that Tim's been wailing on for 160k miles manages to tow a Miata on a trailer, plenty of gear/supplies, etc. without trouble. It's survived many a GRM exploit, which is pretty high praise.

Tyler H wrote: Don't buy a new half ton for a tow vehicle. Buy a used (not used-up) 3/4 ton for half the price. I just dumped my F-150 for a Duramax. Half tons are not happy towing.

This makes no sense whatsoever. 1/2 tons are perfectly fine towing, especially modern 1/2 tons are perfectly adept at towing AT speed. Plus then you have a vehicle that is more useful than just strictly as a tow vehicle. If I was towing more than 8000 pounds on a regular basis, I would definitely look into a 3/4 ton though.

Javelin does hit the nail on the head, currently, the ram 1500 w/ diesel is my pick of the litter for the perfect 1/2 ton tow beast.

Even with the redesign, it's been said that the GM twins are STILL trucks. They are much nicer than the outgoing models, but at the end of the day GM saw fit to make a vehicle to be used for it's intended purpose, and as such is much more utilitarian. I like this about them, and also that they've put their development work into more workhorse type motors.

Now, you seem to be all about the Fords, which is fine, they are great trucks now. Some things to consider is that the 5.0L (as with most Fords of late) still needs to rev, that's how it makes its power. It tows great, and pickuptrucks.com has actually recommended the 5.0L over the ecoboost for towing as the 5.0L gets better mpg while towing.

If you were considering the GM's, I'd like to note that they have been developed with E85 in mind; you have to do some digging, but the 4.3L V6 on E85 makes over 300hp and 330+tqs. The 5.3L makes something like 380hp and 400tqs on E85 On the normal dino juice, they still are making excellent, USEABLE power (which is one thing I dislike about the 5.0L, it has good top end, but the bottom end isn't there IMO).

In reply to z31maniac:

Have any technical questions about the powertrain? The Ecoboost part, I mean.

Tyler H wrote: Half tons are not happy towing.

I've never cared for sweeping statements like this. Another is, "Any truck for towing MUST be a diesel." No, no, no. It's all about compromise. I mean, not everyone's towing 10,000 lb., so there is room for negotiation.

I have an F-150 Ecoboost and towed the car to the track this weekend. If I chose I could maintain 70 mph, so no problem there. Total towed weight was 4000 lbs, so for lighter loads I don't see anything wrong with a half-ton truck; it's all about the application.

In reply to DaveEstey:

Nice as in you had a Ram with vinyl followed by a leather Tundra or nice as in the Pentastar V6 Ram wasn't as capable as the V8 Tundra? I'm confused. Like-for-like the Ram (and the other domestic trucks) demolish the Tundra in every category (towing, payload, economy, and even luxury if that's your thing). There's a reason Toyota's sales aren't even a blip on the radar.

Tyler H wrote: Don't buy a new half ton for a tow vehicle. Buy a used (not used-up) 3/4 ton for half the price. I just dumped my F-150 for a Duramax. Half tons are not happy towing.

Huh? What exactly is this statement based on? I'm not talking about pulling a 35' enclosed trailer.

A Miata on 16' open trailer with tools and spares............this would be easy with a 20-year old 1/2ton. One of the reasons for a new or newer (last few years) 1/2 ton is they are much nicer to be in.

Since this vehicle will become my Daily Driver, Road Trip Vehicle, Tow Vehicle........something with heated seats, nice stereo, etc is very desireable for me. I realize some in the GRM set don't agree with this and that's OK.

alfadriver wrote: In reply to z31maniac: Have any technical questions about the powertrain? The Ecoboost part, I mean.

My only real concern is longevity of the turbo's and if they have fixed the water in the intercooler and sudden loss of power that accompanies it.

The thought of pulling up an onramp or going to make a pass and the truck falls on it's face and into limp mode is disconcerting...........more so if you happen to be towing at the time.

In reply to z31maniac:

FWIW, on some of my drive homes- I was able to clear 20mpg pretty easily with an unloaded F150 GTDI 3.5l. I've never towed with one- since I'm not allowed to.

Are you thinking of a new one, or used one?

alfadriver wrote: In reply to z31maniac: FWIW, on some of my drive homes- I was able to clear 20mpg pretty easily with an unloaded F150 GTDI 3.5l. I've never towed with one- since I'm not allowed to. Are you thinking of a new one, or used one?

My thought is this regarding the F-150, if I go with the 5.0, I don't have a problem trying to find a lower mileage, loaded example that's 2-3 years old. Although with the way these things hold their value......who knows if buying new won't make more sense.

If I go with the EcoBoost, I would prefer to buy new, because I don't really trust anyone else to be as thorough with maintenance, giving the truck some idle time before shutting it off, etc.

I would be buying a crew cab, 4x4.

z31maniac wrote:

alfadriver wrote: In reply to z31maniac: Have any technical questions about the powertrain? The Ecoboost part, I mean.

My only real concern is longevity of the turbo's and if they have fixed the water in the intercooler and sudden loss of power that accompanies it. The thought of pulling up an onramp or going to make a pass and the truck falls on it's face and into limp mode is disconcerting...........more so if you happen to be towing at the time.

Turbo durability, I would not worry about. The intercooler condensation is a little trickier- I don't know 100% about it, but know that the conditions are kind of unique.

Tyler H wrote: Don't buy a new half ton for a tow vehicle.

I will never understand this American mentality that you need a massive truck to pull a tiny trailer. BAck in Europe people pull race cars all over the place with station wagons, hatchbacks, sedans. I pulled a TR7 on a tandem axle trailer hundreds and hundreds of miles with a 1.8L Cavalier. No only was it easy and no issue, but no one thought it was odd. In what way are 1/2 ton trucks crappy at towing? Last Thanksgiving Tom Spangler helped me pick up my SAAB, nearly 800 miles round trip half with an empty trailer, half loaded. It pulled fine, no effort and returned great gas mileage

I've looked at the 5.0 vs the eco some, and my impression is that the 5.0 gets better mileage towing, the eco is better unloaded. Given the price premium on the ecos ( and apparantly the issues, of which I was unaware) I'd buy the 5.0L. Around here you can save a few grand on eqully equipped trucks if you aren't jonesing for the eco badge and the extra (3?) mpg on the highway.

And any half ton that's rated to tow north of 10klbs will be fine hauling a racecar around. Hell, I tow 4k lbs regularly with a 200k mile Explorer for Pete's sake.

In reply to z31maniac:

A used Hemi Longhorn 4x4 Ram would be the best truck for you, hands down, no question.

Adrian_Thompson wrote:

Tyler H wrote: Don't buy a new half ton for a tow vehicle.

I will never understand this American mentality that you need a massive truck to pull a tiny trailer. BAck in Europe people pull race cars all over the place with station wagons, hatchbacks, sedans. I pulled a TR7 on a tandem axle trailer hundreds and hundreds of miles with a 1.8L Cavalier. No only was it easy and no issue, but no one thought it was odd. In what way are 1/2 ton trucks crappy at towing? Last Thanksgiving Tom Spangler helped me pick up my SAAB, nearly 800 miles round trip half with an empty trailer, half loaded. It pulled fine, no effort and returned great gas mileage

You would be happy to know that our new tow vehicle is a 2.0l Ecoboost Escape. It's 3500lb capability is about 300lb more than we need. Pick it up next week.

Part of the issue is towing speed? (North) Americans seem to feel that if a truck can't pull a 10,000lb trailer up a 8% grade with a 50mpg cross wind at 70mph, it's underpowered and not heavy enough...I don't think Europeans have the same MENTALity.

I have not been in a newer Dodge interior might need to check one out. I really loved me 2004 f150 crew cab FX4's interior. It was roomy and nice and for a truck drove really nicely.

Tyler H wrote: Don't buy a new half ton for a tow vehicle. Buy a used (not used-up) 3/4 ton for half the price. I just dumped my F-150 for a Duramax. Half tons are not happy towing.

As others have said, this is a completely ridiculous statement for any number of reasons. I'll leave it at that.

I have the 2011 F-150 Ecoboost that Adrian mentions. I freaking love it. You can't go wrong with either the Ecoboost or the 5.0, IMO. I picked the Ecoboost because it has more torque and gets slightly better fuel economy unladen. The interior is a glorious cocoon of luxury, it's quiet, it handles well for what it is, and it looks good (IMO).

The intercooler condensation issue with the Ecoboost is overblown like most things are on the internet. I experienced it once, after driving for hours in extremely heavy rain, I had a bit of a stumble getting on the freeway. There is a TSB out that supposedly fixes it, but I plan to wait until I have an actual issue or until my warranty is almost up.

Having said that, Ram and GM also make great trucks these days. They can all tow, haul, are fast, get over 20mpg on the freeway, have tons of luxury options if you want, etc. As far as I"m concerned, it's totally personal preference.

doc_speeder wrote: Part of the issue is towing speed? (North) Americans seem to feel that if a truck can't pull a 10,000lb trailer up a 8% grade with a 50mpg cross wind at 70mph, it's underpowered and not heavy enough...I don't think Europeans have the same MENTALity.

funny you bring that up. For virtually all truck towing ratings, the actual rating is decided via a test that runs up an incline (5% grade), normally in the summer (the location is at the Arizona-Nevada border so call it 110F), but the speed limit is only 45mph. And most of the time, the limit is the cooling system not being able to do that.

Other testing includes acceration up 12% incline, and other handling issues.

The standard is called SAE J2807- which makes trucks post 2013 actually comparable to each other, and not some made up manufacturer number.

Still, if you compare the test with your real world requirements, you can really get an idea of capability of what you want. Like the SUV I want should be fine in level Michigan with 3200lb car + trailer.

In reply to z31maniac:

The intercooling condensation issue seems to have been taken care of(haven't heard any complaints), my future BIL had that issue when his '12 was new. He had the same theory I did, so he bought a livernois tuner. No issues since(14k miles now) He claims to be getting 23-4 unloaded and did 18-19 with a cj jeep on an open trailer. Most of his drive is highway though.

Dad's new farm truck('13 psd f350) is in another realm though.

Tyler H wrote: Don't buy a new half ton for a tow vehicle. Buy a used (not used-up) 3/4 ton for half the price. I just dumped my F-150 for a Duramax. Half tons are not happy towing.

Don't tell mine that. It's perfectly happy with 5k lbs of trailer/car/stuff towing at 75mph.... without trailer brakes. It's towed many things thousands of miles on open trailers and I wouldn't hesitate to do it some more... oh wait, I already am planning to.

Alan Cesar wrote: Yanno, the Honda Ridgeline that Tim's been wailing on for 160k miles manages to tow a Miata on a trailer, plenty of gear/supplies, etc. without trouble. It's survived many a GRM exploit, which is pretty high praise.

There's only one problem- it looks like a Ridgeline.