When I began the process of shopping for a regular cab/short bed 2013 F150 several months ago, it quickly became obvious Ford is pushing their new Ecoboost engine ... a twin-turbo V-6 ... which underwhelmed me during a test drive. There is a definite "turbo lag" when you first hit the accelerator, plus when I think "twn turbo" I immediately think expensive, exotic cars like Porsche and that made me think of $$$$ every time I brought it in for service.
Soooo ... I doggedly insisted on the 5.0L V-8 with a limited slip differential that had to be custom ordered from the factory.
While I was awaiting delivery, I began doing some research on the performance specs for the 5.OL V-8 and was pleasantly surprised to learn it was the same engine 360hp that that came in the 2011 Mustang GT and was nicknamed "the coyote" and I began thinking this truck might be a lot faster than I ever imagined.
My first test drive last week confirmed it was all that ... and more. It literally SLAMMED me back in my seat. The salesman and I subsequently timed it in zero to 60 in 4.6 seconds .... and he confirmed that's damn near Ford Lightning fast, so we nicknamed it "Son of Lightning."
Now get this ... the salesman was so blown away by my truck he tried to convince his sales manager to order at least one or two more to have on the lot so he could take customers for test drives ... because he was convinced once they did he could sell them like crazy ... but he was almost unanimously voted down by the dealership' exec's who insisted NOBODY wants to buy regular cab/shortbed pick-up trucks anymore.
I can't believe that's true .... but I thought you guys who still appreciate that special tingling feeling you get in the seat of your pants when that throaty V-8 ROARS to life would appreciate this story.

 

Sounds like a really fun truck! Yeah I can't believe that there is no market for a short box street truck anymore. You don't see them much. I think the new Raptor is pretty cool but I doubt many of them really see a lot of off road use like they were built for. With a street truck you get to enjoy its performance and still have a nice driver. But maybe I'm just a biased Gen 1 Lightning owner.

The mustang 5.0 is rated somewhere north of 400 hp. I bet with some bolt ons and a tune you could do a little better than 360.

 

Believe me, I've thought about add-ons but I was told they would cancel the warranty ...
I've been told a K&N clean air filter and a low restriction exhaust system would push it pretty close and if I added a chip it would blow right past 400 hp.
Truthfully, it's plenty fast for me right now. I just got back from a week long hunting trip and it was double fun to haul *** on the highway and slush through the forest and swamps offroad with the same vehicle.
I truly believe that I got the best of both worlds.

 

JLP has a good list of mods to help the coyote 5.0 equipped trucks out a lot

 

I truly appreciate the info and your feedback.

 

The 5.0 in the mustang is 412 HP rated.
The f150 5.0 is not rated as high. (360 ish ?)
The ecoboost will easily out perform the 5.0 in the 150.

The torque curve from the turbocharger makes some serious power; will kill the 5.0 and even keep up with the 6.2.

Take a gander at the power curves; I don't have them, but should be easy to find.

 

First of all, thanks for your feedback. You are obviously very knowledgable about the technical side ... far more than I am ... but if you haven't driven both models as I have you might change your mind. On paper, what you've said makes perfect sense, but in the real world it's a differnet story.
The EcoBoost suffers from "turbo lag" when you first stomp on it. I did a ton of research before I ordered my truck, and the fastest zero to 60 time I could find for the EcoBoost was 6.5 seconds. I can do it in 4.7 secs. Yes, the EcoBoosts's power curve is very different from the 5.0L Coyote V-8, but as it was explained to me at the dealership, the Ecoboost was specifically designed for powerful towing capaciity and fuel economy, NOT acceleration, and I can verify from fdriving both irst-hand experience that the EcoBoost is slow off the line. MUCH slower than my V-8, but once it gets going it is definitely fast.
Again, I don't claim to be an expert by any measure, I just wanted to share my personal experience and I truly value all the feedback I've been given.

 

The RCSB 5.0 is a definite sleeper. Probably the quickest new F150 currently made, and about the same as the 99-2000 Lightning. Being 500-800 pounds lighter than most Ecoboost trucks helps a lot, and so does the instant 5.0 throttle response. This combo has run 14.0 in the quarter bone stock. Add a intake & chip for low 13's. A Roush supercharger and a few bolt on's can easily go deep in the 12's, and one is running low 11's with no internal engine work. Try that with an Ecoboost, it won't ever happen. If you miss the Lightning, this is the truck for you. I just bought one today, it's very quick. Not sure if I'll leave it alone or mod it. Love the RCSB, and for this truck, the 5.0 is the ONLY way to go.

 

I can see you obviously love lightning's...
A little biased though, eco boost trucks with a tune, intake, and exhaust can whip quite a few lightnings, never mind 5.0 f150's.
You might not like them, but they are powerful little suckers.

I'm curious where you found a stock 5.0 f150 that ran 14 s.
I know of a few with tuning that don't run that.

 

Regular cab 2wd's?

 

You know, you sure don't see many regular cabs anymore...
The few are usually xl v6 trucks.

Nothing wrong with a big ol v8 in a reg cab !!!!

 

The STX is basically a XL with a sporty appearance. Opting for the 201A package gets you lots of extra's for another $300. ($1,800- $1500 discount) The extras include fog lights, 18" FX4 wheels, polished cab steps, Power group, Sync, CD, Sirius, Tow package, HD radiator, & Select Shift. A no brainer for the $300. A nice package For the price, and probably the best value in an F150. Few dealers stock them though. They'd rather sell $40,000 trucks than $24,000 trucks. I didn't need the Super or Crew cab's, It's just for my wife & I. We have a 2013 Escape Titanium if we need extra seats. I figured why carry another 500-1000 pounds with me all the time? I get better mileage and performance. For my needs, it's a win-win.

 

Hey LSCHICAGO --
Sounds like we both have similar tastes and experienced similar satisfacton with our downsized rocket sleds.
Thanks for backing me up on how surprisingly quick these new F150s are with the 5.0L V8. As you mentioned, it's virtually impossible to find trucks like ours on the lot, because the dealerships would much rather sell $45,000 luxury models than stripped down fun rides. I'm one of those people who refuses to pay for ANYTHING on a truck that I don't want. Years ago, I recall I could literally pick each individual item like eating at a cafeteria, but now they force you to by packages that include all kinds of unnecessary stuff.
So I had to special order my RCSB and while I was waiting for its arrival, I made a post on this board asking how fast it might be and someone told me just what you and I have found out firsthand -- it's as fast as those 2000 Lightnings, which is plenty fast for me.
I get good gas mileage and every time I get unto the expressway, for 4.7 seconds I'm a kid again.

 

Remember too, the Lightning only had a 4 speed trans, our trucks have 6 speeds with close ratios, and an extra deep 1st gear. That makes up for the torque loss against a gen 2 Lightning. The 5.0 power, 6 speed, and light weight of a regular cab make for a fast & fun combo.

4 speed trans ratios:

1st gear = 2.48
2nd gear = 1.56
3rd gear = 1.00
4th gear = .70

6 speed trans ratios:

1st gear = 4.17
2nd gear = 2.34
3rd gear = 1.52
4th gear = 1.14
5th gear = .86
6th gear = .69

 

Thanks again for your feedback. You are absolutely correct about the six-speed transmission ... the shifting is sooooo smooth you can barely feel it, and that ultra smooth power curve translates to non-stop acceleration.
When I said I told my salesman to drive my truck so that he would experience the amazing accelertion for himself, and the first thing he said when he came back was his amazement that he didn't let off the gas at 60 .. he said the truck was still pulling HARD when it hit 80 and he said it felt like it would just keep going.
I'm toying with the idea of adding a nice cat-back exhaust system just to capitalize on that V-8's growl but I doubt I'll do much more. Adding chips, would void my warranty and truthfull I don't need any more speed than I already have. I don't race. Like I said, I just enjoy getting on the expressway REAL fast!