One more thing to consider, it seems like in Jxn, F150s get stolen more. I don't have any hard data to back that up, it's just seems like it happens more to F150s.
OT: F-150 thoughts
- Thread starter Independent George
- Start date
I do. Had it for just over 2 years and 35k miles. Love it so far.
I've got 20.5 for the life of the truck. It will go up slightly in the summers when I'm not running it to thaw out in the mornings. If I drive 60ish on small highways, I'll get around 25. At 80 or just over on the interstate, I'll get around 21. Around town really depends on traffic. If you can avoid stops, you can spend a lot of time on just electric and get really high mileage. On stop and go trips, I'll get as low as 15 worst case scenario. I drive mine in eco mode any time I'm not pulling something and drive strategically to get good mileage most of the time.
Note: There is a couple bonuses that 1) will flat out get it when you need it too and 2) mine has 2 - 120 plug ins and 1 - 240 plug in the bed.
Appreciate the feedback from everyone. I’m going to keep looking at the 3.5L F-150s and will go and do some test driving. I’m also going to reconsider the Tundra as well. The point made here about the fuel consumption being offset by the lack of needed repairs is a valid one.
I disagree on towing. I've towed a lot and other than seeing the turbo boost vary based on terrain, I wouldn't know that I had most loads behind me. I can set the cruise and it doesn't vary and only with the heaviest loads does it have to shift out of an overdrive gear to maintain speed. I have the power and torque to tow way more that my 150 frame could support. I have a bed liner so I'm ignorant as to how I may have damaged the bed without it, but I kept a bedliner in all my other trucks as well. Let me know if you wanna hook 'em up.***
Yeah, this is incorrect. If you're towing, you're getting about 9 MPG with that eco-friendly V6 and those hamsters under the hood are running full speed to try to power that thing.
Yeah, let's hook em up. My 6.2L Sierra could use a light workout.
I hauled a mid-size suv on a rented car hauler trailer over small mountains and got 13 mpg with it in tow mode the whole way. And it pulled it with ease.
I guess this is just indicative of the crowd I'm around, but most people I know with trucks don't want to do rugged things with them. They move furniture occasionally. They pull a trailer with a side by side behind it. Maybe a light camper. A boat that's under 25 ft. The ones doing actual work use work trucks. Even the ones with F-250's or equivalent aren't doing anything "rugged" unless you count pulling fifth wheel camper or horse trailer or a boat between 25 ft and 35ft rugged.
It takes a lot of Chevy love to tell me that I can't read gauges in my truck when towing. I get 9 - 12 with heavy loads and the only thing that varies is the top 3 gears and my turbo boost. I considered the 6.2 GMC when looking but it got worse mileage and had less power and torque. I'm sure it's a fine truck, but not what I wanted. I do like the sound of a V8 better than the whine of a turbo, but that's about it.
I'd hate to interject facts into this discussion, but engine specs:
6.2L ecotec: 420 HP, 460 lbs-feet of torque
3.6L ecoboost: 325 HP, 400 lbs-feet of torque.
Even GM's 5.3 has more horsepower than the ecoboost.
So no, the 6.2 does not, in fact, have less power or less torque. And the 6.2 will get significantly higher MPG while towing - that wouldn't even be close.
That's why I love Ford. My Trans Am transmission went out after 36,000 mile warrant. I didn't even reach 37,000 miles. I called Detroit after getting 17 you from the dealers and they said they would pay half ($800) to fix the tyranny. 90 day warranty. Mr. Transmission gave me a lifetime warranty for $1000.
Bought a Ford F350 and broke the axles (my fault) out of warranty by 5k miles. They petitioned Ford and charged me $50 to replace both axles. Never going back to a GM product!
For the guy that was asking about the hybrid, add 30 hp and 70 lb-ft. Total of 430 and 570 (at 3000 rpm)
The 2.7L EcoBoost® V6 sports 325 HP, 400 lb. -ft. of torque, a maximum towing capacity of 9,100 lbs., and is only available on the XL, XLT, and Lariat trims. The 3.5L EcoBoost® V6 will up the ante for your daily drive with 375 HP and 470 lb.
Just make sure it is a 2021 or older Tundra. I'm on several Tundra forums and the 2018s get a lot of love. Tundras will not generally have the latest electronics or blow cold air up your bunghole, but they ride well, have plenty of room and will pass everything on the road but a gas station. The only issue is read about for Tundras is a "Cam Tower Leak," I don't know what that is and no Tundra owners I know have ever experienced it.
The thing about turbos and towing is that they'll make max torque at a lower rpm and maintain it through the rev range. A naturally aspirated V8 just can't match the torque curve on the turbos. And don't even talk about altitude where the V8 will fall flat.
My 2013, F 150 6.2L V8, with super crew cab, has been the best truck I’ve owned. My work is construction related, so I haul loaded trailers regularly with no problems at all. I’ve got 302k miles on mine right now with everything in working order. Been in the shop twice for less than 30 minutes each due to having sensors changed. I’m actively looking to trade for newer model now, but mine looks and rides today like it did 10 years ago, so may just get new tires and keep it.
I think it really goes back to application. Every single manufacture has issues. We have already talked about the Ecoboost cons. But what about Chevy? Their V8s have notorious lifter failure across mutliple generations. I've personally known 5 people that have it happen to them. Dodge has issues with their frames braking
When you get to SuperDuty and Duramax you have the infamous Bosch CP4 fuel pump failures.
Tundra is a great truck. I use to have a 2003 4Runner with the 2UZFE. It's arguably one of the best engines Toyota ever made. Found in 4Runner, Tundra, Sequoia, Lexus GX470, etc.
It is considered a dinosaur by today's standards. These older designs like the Toyota 4.7 and newer 4.6 and 5.7 are older designs that just work. The biggest knock is the gas mileage. This won't work going forward, that's why Toyota is killing off their V8s and going twin turbos and V6.
I know everyone is following the news, guvment is trying to kill all of this off as soon as possible. That's why you are seeing more turbos, thinner oil, more plastic, and aluminum. The naturally aspirated V8s are quickly dying off thanks to guv.
The amount of technology, sensors and computer systems are quickly making vehicles less reliable. Everything is "fixed" with a software update.
I love my 2016 F150, but the aluminum is crap. It tears like a coke can. However, even Chevy who had a commercial back in the day making fun of Ford for the aluminum bed tearing, is now using aluminum panels...
The end of the day, it's all about money. Make the product for as cheaply as possible, make it work past the warranty period, then it's on you.
When you get to SuperDuty and Duramax you have the infamous Bosch CP4 fuel pump failures.
Tundra is a great truck. I use to have a 2003 4Runner with the 2UZFE. It's arguably one of the best engines Toyota ever made. Found in 4Runner, Tundra, Sequoia, Lexus GX470, etc.
It is considered a dinosaur by today's standards. These older designs like the Toyota 4.7 and newer 4.6 and 5.7 are older designs that just work. The biggest knock is the gas mileage. This won't work going forward, that's why Toyota is killing off their V8s and going twin turbos and V6.
I know everyone is following the news, guvment is trying to kill all of this off as soon as possible. That's why you are seeing more turbos, thinner oil, more plastic, and aluminum. The naturally aspirated V8s are quickly dying off thanks to guv.
The amount of technology, sensors and computer systems are quickly making vehicles less reliable. Everything is "fixed" with a software update.
I love my 2016 F150, but the aluminum is crap. It tears like a coke can. However, even Chevy who had a commercial back in the day making fun of Ford for the aluminum bed tearing, is now using aluminum panels...
The end of the day, it's all about money. Make the product for as cheaply as possible, make it work past the warranty period, then it's on you.
I think the new 3.5 EB is more like 400hp and 500lbs of torque.
I have towed with the 3.5 Ecoboost (2017) and it has power for days. Bought my Airstream a few years ago in SLC and pulled it down to Moab and back up to my house. 31', +/-8,000 lbs, and 1000 miles in the Rockies... Got 10-12 mpg and as I said, power for days. Unfortunately the handling and braking was absolutely dog shìt because that's too much trailer for a half ton, so I traded the F-150 in on a 6.2L gas burner F-250. Drove back that same route this past summer pulling the same RV and got... 10-12 MPG. But it was a considerably easier drive with the 3/4 ton due to everything else... Particularly in crosswinds and steep downgrades.
The 3.5EB has tons of useable power and a really long flat band too access it. If you are trying to go 65 mph up a 9% grade or 85 mph on flat ground with a 8000 lbs behind you, it will likely suck gas down like it's nobody's business. I also imagine that would kill the longevity. But that's not how any intelligent human should tow with a big áss diesel engine. Beyond that, if you are towing more than 6-7k lbs on the regular, do yourself a favor and get a 3/4 or 1 ton since they are actually built to do that.
Can't speak to the longevity, but I got rid of the F-150 at 100k miles and it never required anything other than scheduled maintenance.
You must be talking about wrecks right? I was in the concrete business for several years and had no less than two dozen pickup loads of ripped out concrete/rebar dumped in the back of my F-150 by a skid stear without a dent... Did have a spray in bed liner which I am sure helped.
Pretty sure my F-250 bed is aluminum too and I load my 400+ lbs tracked snowblower in an out 30+ times a winter with nothing protecting the tailgate and it doesn't even have a scratch. We have loaded it up with gravel, pavers, firewood, you name it. Nothing. It does have a bed mat though.
Had a 19 Raptor and traded it in on a 23 King Ranch Eco Boost. I had nothing but problems out of the Raptor and have fallen in love with the KR. Now It only has 10k on it so I will knock on wood when I say that. To me the KR rides better and is much more comfortable for me and the brood. Also, I am a football coach in one of my jobs so I have loaded plenty of heavy equipment from tractor tires to blocking sleds in the back of the truck and never had an issue with the aluminum bed. I do have a bed liner in the interests of transparency.
LOL I can really picture the Devil driving a Raptor. The Kings Ranch....not so much.
6.2 has more HP than I recalled from when I looked a few years ago. I knew there was a reason I considered it. I like the way the GMCs look and had it not been for the issues my BIL was having with his Chevy I probably would've considered it further than I did.
The numbers above for the Ford engine are off, maybe from older 3.5s?
Your assertions about how my truck behaves when pulling are off. I drive it, so I know how it behaves. I've had my truck tuned since basically day one so I forget about that. I cannot speak to how a stock 3.5L pulls. Never pulled with it when stock.
I mentally had my tuned specs in my mind when I posted, which are 450HP / 455lbft at present. I suspect that if I pulled a load for most of my driving time I'd have an F250 diesel, but I do not so I'll be content with my 19 in town/22 on the road and the knowledge that you having double the displacement and ~50 more HP would be pretty close with displacement probably edging out a stock 3.5L in a quarter, or from a rolling start. See below for current stock specs on the 3.5.
Correct. I had someone back into my truck dead center into both rear and front doors going 3-4MPH and caused 5 grand worth of damage. The aluminum actually ripped open at the bottom of the door. I was pretty shocked at how easily it tore.
It has been good other than that. No dents.
I love the 3.5L because it absolutely gets down. You can get some serious power if you tune.
Like you said if you are doing any seriously pulling you need a diesel or Godzilla at minimum.
Honestly, the power/torque that the 3.5L puts out in the F150 is so high that you couldn't safely put that much weight behind it, but it's a lot of fun to have that power when not towing!
One thing I wanted to mention is I would be careful with any covid trucks. A lot of F-150s sat in parking lots for months and months while waiting on microchips. I would definitely stay clear of any of those. I would avoid those year models that had the majority of stock just sitting and waiting. Lot Rot is real.
I suspect that the same thing would have happened in that case with any vehicle. My Tundra had a similar issue with just one door that someone backed into while open. Ripped the Doorstop out of the quarter panel by ripping a jagged hole in the metal where it was attached.
Can’t speak to the V6. Every day driver for me is a ‘16 F150 5.0L. Have had no issues other than the heater/ defrost deflector going out. 90K miles.
Have an '18 F-150 5.0L with 263K miles. I've owned 7 full size truck in my life. 5 Chevy, 1 Dodge and 1 Ford. The F-150 has been the best by far.
The specs on modern engines in half ton pickups are insane. Loads of power but it goes to waste with the limitations of the half ton frame, wheel base, and all that. It's more than you can utilize in that format unless you just want to brag about torque ratings or feel like maxing out a 0-60 time in your truck.
Just pick something you get a good deal on and roll with that.
Just pick something you get a good deal on and roll with that.
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