I currently drive an '06 F-250 V10. In about a year or so, I am getting an F-150 and will just use the Super Duty for work. Is the 3.5 liter EcoBoost something I should get, and if so, what performance mods should I get?

 

I moved down to an F150 ecoboost from a Superduty last year. Not pulling the big trailer anymore so I didn't need the pulling power of the diesel.
So far I like the truck a lot. Nice ride very quiet. Nice change from the diesel. Overall average mileage since I bought it is 15.6 ltr/100km. Which translates to about 18.5 mpg. Mine is left stock but many guys do the intake and carnal exhaust mods. If you use a tune it will leave a finger print and Ford will know and void warranty. I find the power is adequate as is.
I would say test drive 5.0 and ecoboost and pick the one you like.
Good luck.

 

I just went from an extended cab '99 F250 V10 to a crew cab '13 F150 Eco. Best trade I've ever made.

I only have 1600 miles on the Eco but the mileage is so much better, the ride is better, it's amazingly quiet and it's just nicer to drive. I got rid of my 24' enclosed car trailer and went to an aluminum open trailer when I quit racing so I didn't need something to tow the big trailer anymore. That said, I think this truck would tow just as well as the F250 did, and possibly better.

I don't think you would regret a step back to the F150. I was worried about all the hype but so far mine lives up to it.

SPark

 

I went from a 2000 F-250 7.3 diesel to a 2014 F-150 with eco boost that I really like. It is so smooth and quite. The power is unbelievable. While I'm not getting the same mileage that everyone else is getting, It's still better than the 250 I had. With the "Off Road" package gearing 3.83 I don't expect to get what everyone else is. The only mod I made is a K&N air filter and the locking fuel plug. I'm still breaking it in so I haven't pulled a trailer with it yet.

Key

 

The ecoboost engines take a solid 9K-10K miles to fully break in and achieve full MPG potential. I love mine, she never skips a beat.

 

Where did you get that info because I honestly think that's a myth that dealers are feeding people. I've got 44,000km on mine and I'm getting the exact same mileage now as when I drove it off the lot (Avg of 16.5 MPG). I got the PCM update done last week as per a recall letter from Ford and I just got 18.5 MPG today on a 800km trip. That's the best mileage I have seen out of it since I bought it.

To the OP, it depends on what you want it to do. The Eco has been good to me so far but don't expect anywhere close to mileage they advertise unless you're always driving downhill with a tailwind!! I really expected ALOT better #'s out of it given the 32MPG they advertise it to have. It pulled better than I thought it would but I would really like to compare it to the 5.0 in all departments. I've heard the mileage is just as good (if not better) and the 5.0 is a proven engine. The Eco is new so that scares me. I made sure to buy the 200,000km bumper to bumper warranty but I need my truck for work so I can't afford to be without it if something was to fail.

 

Here we go again. A 3.73 geared truck isn't going to achieve the MPG's that my 3.31 geared truck gets.

Ford was saying that the Ecoboost takes a bit longer to fully break in than a normal engine, I have no clue why. I watched my MPG's incrementally increase as the truck was increasing it's miles. She finally peaked out at around 9K miles. I just rolled 37K on mine and it's been great.

 

I've got 3.55 gearing in my truck. If you think that going from a 3.55 to a 3.31 will yield you huge gains in MPG then you are mistaken. I'd like to know what gearing the truck had that got the 32MPG that they advertise on every Ecoboost commercial ever made?? Every one I talk to has said their "dealer" told them the same thing about the mileage getting better but have you actually met a real life person that has gained any more than 2-3 MPG after break in? I've heard the rumors and know a guy who's sister's cousin's dog groomer's neighbor had an Eco that got an extra 5 MPG after break in, but I'm not drinking that Koolaid. I simply made the comment because no-one has any actual proof to back up these claims that the dealer makes and I wanted the OP to know what he was getting into. I went through the same thing with my 6.4 F350, dealer swore up down and sideways that mileage would get better after "break-in". The only thing that increased MPG on that truck was a new exhaust and a tuner.

 

I really enjoy my ecoboost. I like to the low end torque it has. I would get the max tow package if I bought another one though

 

The wife's 13 Explorer sport gets an indicated 20.2 mpg on her commute into work on dfw freeways... and she's a hot foot !!!

Been a great little engine so far even though I HAVE to take it out and wring it out every once in a while...

Dang, that torque steer is amazing - can't imagine tuning it for more grunt and being able to hold onto it in between the 1-2 shift !

 

What Ford ads have said the F150 3.5L EcoBoost was going to get 32 mpg? I'd sure like to see it.

But in any case, the MSRP sticker in the new vehicle shows no more than 21mpg per the EPA.

The only questions about MPG I've seen are folks not getting the EPA numbers on the sheet.

I don't know if EPA tests different engine/rear axle ratio's or not. But for sure one pickup Ford would supply for testing would be a regular cab, regular GVWR, 4x2 with the 3.16 (or there about) rear end. If that is the number on the MSRP sheet, then almost any other combo would potentially fall short.

 

I haven't checked in here in a long time, but thought I'd catch back up on some threads. I'm at 35K miles on my 2011 4x2 Super Crew, 3.15 axle. No regrets on the 3.15 for what I do, but a 3.55 would have been a lot more mainstream. I'm mostly a commute driver, combined street and short highway, with bed loads of several hundred pounds a few times a month. Minimal towing.

I reset my MPG calculator every time I roll a new thousand miles. The mileage has been between sticker 16-22 MPG on every 1K roll since I got it. General use is almost always 17-18, long trips 20-22. Just took a 7K trip this summer from California to Tennessee to Michigan to South Dakota and back to CA. Averaged 21.9 for the entire trip, with a bed load of ~700 lbs most of the time.

No notable problems so far with the truck, which I've had since September, 2011, other than something in the stereo electronics that has occasionally shorted out the left side speakers. Had the console head replaced under warranty a year ago, and it seems to have gone away. I don't drive in damp conditions (wish we did, out here in the middle of this drought), so haven't experienced the reported power loss noted a year or two ago.

So I chose to be a guinea pig buyer of a first-year EB and have been more than happy with it after more than three years. It's a daily driver for a 5-mile commute, almost 1/3 of total miles have been on two really long vacation drives, and it's still as quiet and comfortable as the day I drove it off the lot. The half-dozen or so times that I've towed a few thousand pounds with it (like today), braking is about the only time I even noticed it handling much different than without the trailer. I haven't pushed the limit on towing capacity yet, but have run with some pretty heavy bed loads.

Just an update for whatever it's worth. I still love it every day.

Bill.

 

Nice report sir. Come back and visit more often.

 

. 32 MPG is prolly the Ranger with EcoBoost 4-banger... the previous Ranger with 2.3L EFI dual sparkplug 4-banger Pinto engine was rated 25 MPG...

 

That would be Canadian MPG's.