I have had the first gen and 2 gen with the 6 auto trans. The 2011 was honestly under powered the turbos wouldnt put alot of boost out. Buy my 2016 that baby is a monster I have light the tires up doing 65 with a trailer on it and I was not expecting that. But I own a 2011 F150 5.0 and I love the big V8 over the ecoboost.

 

why do you love th v8 over ecb?

 

 

 

Confused by the options I have on my 2012 F150 3.5 ECO (tow pkg 4x4) that is spec'd by Ford to tow 11,200 lbs, yet the door label states a GVWR of 9800 I think. What gives and what an I really allowed to tow?
Considering purchase of an RV and this plays into the mix of upgrading the truck to a Super Duty or keep it until it starts to need actual repairs.
I LOVE my ECO and get okay MPG for getting it used (had a new 2012 that I got to break in the engine myself, MPG was significantly higher), pulls everything I've put on it without struggle, even up small mountains. I'd hate to upgrade if I really don't need to this soon, but I will take a new truck just like anyone else.

 

I currently have 118k on my 2012 3.5 ECO, bought it used with 70k or so jist over a year ago. Ran many highway miles from PA to Northern NY to ND and back, with some towing on many of the trips of an average 5k-7k. MPG has been fairly steady, started at about 13, did some immediate maintenance (oil to full synthetic, air filter, plug gap verification, fuel injection system, throttle body cleaning, etc). Plus began some basic driving style changes (slower starting from a stop, coasting more, cryise control wgen possible) and MPG's began creeping up. Now I'm fairly steady, averaging about 17-19 MPG combined, even when I must idle for longer warm-up times in the below zero temps of winter or the use of 4WD.

 

I think you're confusing terms, which is really easy with all the acronyms involved.

GVRW = Gross Vehicle Weight Rating. This has nothing to do with your tow rating. It's the maximum your truck can legally weigh on its two axles and nothing more. And there's no way it's 9,800 lbs for an F150, probably in the 7,000 lb range.

GCWR = Gross Combined Weight Rating - This is the maximum combined weight that the entire rig can weigh, which includes the truck and trailer weight. You won't find this on any door sticker, it's exclusive to the towing guide and your owner's manual.

Max Trailer Weight - This is your GCWR, found in your manual, minus the weight of your truck. To be accurate, this includes the weight of the occupants, luggage, gas, etc.

Don't stress over the exact numbers IMHO, a few pounds over or under isn't going to matter much to the truck. Pay close attention to tongue weight, axle weights, and that your trailer brakes are working properly, though.

 

okie dokie

 

Just tagging on here, the GVRW being higher than vehicle weight means you can put the difference in the bed. Going over GVRW may cause issues.

 

I'm looking to buy a 2011 f150 with 3.5l EB it has 171000 miles on it. It is a one owner but no service records. The truck looks new and drives great. The engine sounds good no noises. I have cold started it with no noise or smoke. Any input would help. What do I need to look listen for. Thanks

 

i like my 2011 eco. lots of power and i like to turbo whistle.

 

I'm not trolling. I have read just about everything I can find about the 2011 f150 EB. The two big things that I see pop up are Timing chain and condensation in the intercooler. Does that sound about right ? Should I be worried about carbon build up ? What are your thoughts, am I off my rocker for thinking about buying this thing or do I see If I can get 300k or more out of it ?
Thanks for your input.

 

 

171K is a ton of miles especially without knowing it's history. If money is of little concern and if you're an accomplished mechanic who isn't afraid or deterred from tearing something down to make a repair, then you should be able to buy anything you want and keep it going for half a million miles. But, when do you reach the point of diminishing returns?

So, is an ecoboost good for 300K even with perfect maintenance? Will the chassis still be any good? Does planned obsolescence ring any bells with anyone? What does the term "lifetime" really mean in the auto world?

Look, I put 225K on my old 1988 F-150. But, not before I had to replace the engine, clutch, every single system on the truck and then I ran into issues with the ventilation controls, some parts simply weren't available anymore and I had to make repairs without the benefit of plug and play parts swaps. Never again will I hold onto a vehicle that is that worn out. I'd rather make a payment.

 

I dunno...that many miles over a 7-year period means they were likely highway miles. I've found a couple examples in the last couple years of EcoBoost-powered F150s with over 300K miles, both times the owners reported normal maintenance routines with conventional oil changes every 5-8,000 miles. I think it's quite possible that this truck would have similar service, but of course not everyone has that kind of luck.

Would a $2K repair bill be a big deal to you? If so, I'd keep that in mind when evaluating a truck with this many miles. If you have some money saved away for stuff like this, it may not be a bad deal.