seen a few people taking delivery of their new F150, and I was just wondering how you like it. If you owned a 1st get ecoboost, how does it compare? How's the 10 speed?

 

Don't have but, It good.

 

Took delivery 22 December 16, now have accumulated 3100 miles.
I duplicated my 2016 F-150 in all specs except the new 3.5 EB and 10 speed.
(XLT Screw, 4x4, 3.55 e-lock, Max. Tow,) I drove 38,500 miles with the 2016, 7200 miles were towing a 9100# 35' TT.

Findings so far:

MPG is about 0.5 better than the 2016 3.5 EB in average driving, and this is still breaking the engine in. First 3000+ miles have been within a 1 mpg, by math calculation, at each fill, lowest 18.65, highest 19.57 so far.

I did a short 125 mile tow with the trailer and forgot to put premium fuel in but mileage was showing on dash at 11.5 mpg, the 2016 with better fuel normally presented 10.5-10.9 on dash. I anticipate a gain of at least 1 mpg with premium fuel in the 2017.

The new generation 3.5 EB, definitely shows the increased torque available when towing. Better initial acceleration without pushing hard on the right pedal. I'm adjusting to the auto start/stop feature, and if aggravated in heavy traffic just push trans into tow mode, eliminating this feature and typically giving a better in traffic management of acceleration versus the other cars.

10 speed auto is seamless in normal mode, I noticed that it split shifts 1-3-5, then 6-10 after that in normal driving. Push hard on the right pedal and it is sequential 1-10. 75 mph normally shows about 1600-1700 range on tach.

Tow mode is sequential 1-10, slightly firmer at shift point, and when trailer was hooked up it was 1-8, no 9 or 10. Very good automatic down shift when braking.

Sport mode is still "Sport" as we have come to recognize. Good for the spirit and much firmer in shift points and holding gears longer. I have to balance my ego with the increased business with OPEC.

Summation on the new 3.5 EB and 10 speed trans is they have a better all around capability and are very smooth in operation. Waiting for the horse show towing season to begin and the accumulation of more miles, but I anticipate a better overall driving capability, compared to the 2016.

Fx

 

R23 - Good report!
What's this about Premium Fuel though... I guess I should read-up more on the new engine. Are their knock sensors on this engine?

 

The 2016 and 2017 owner's manuals point to using a higher octane fuel when heavy towing. I believe that all modern engines have knock sensor power reduction programs in the engine management systems, definitely not what you want to happen while towing.

I normally fill with premium on start of tow and then alternate between mid-range and premium at each fill during trip. Maybe just naive science on my part, but haven't had any problems with available power, especially in higher summer temps.

Fx

 

That part hasn't changed at all. Here's the blurb from the '17 Owner's Guide:




Almost word for word what's in the guide for my '15, as well as my departed '13. I tried premium fuel in my '13 and never felt the difference was worth the price. Fuel economy was virtually identical for me, and I barely felt any power difference. The videos we took at the OH meet show my truck hauling 15,000 lbs up a hill with regular old '87 octane.

 

2015 F150 Ecoboost 3.5L knock sensor

Apparently they do have knock sensors. Some systems made by Delphi use the coilpack feedback to sense resistance to firing as well as detonation as I understand - so the piezoelectric knock sensors may not be deployed in all engines across various manufacturers. And some use no knock sensors or feedback at all..

 

Thanks for that Tom... You're always on it with the right info!!!

 

It's no 3.0 power stroke I can tell you that

 

Outstanding review. Thanks for taking the time.

 

Does the improved ecoboost have a larger CAC than the previous generation? I found that to be the main issue with those that I had. I had Wagner's on two of mine and they made a big difference in IAT2 temps which translates into more power.
I usually ran 93 octane all summer as that was towing season and it gets hot in Texas. The eco will pull timing if it gets hot air or if you run lower octane fuel.

 

R23, thank you for taking the time for that great review. I was hoping someone had done the '16 to '17 swap. Sounds like the new powertrain makes a difference.

More on the octane difference, 5star dyno'd their '17 ecoboost 3.5. There seemed to be a difference in the octane power bands on the '16, but the '17 is negligible. The peak numbers on the '17 were a little less than I expected, but the power band looks good, and at the end of the day it's just a dyno. Will be interested to see what they squeeze out of it.

 

Digging this one back up.

For those that owned a 1st Gen 3.5 and the new 2nd gen 3.5. Does the port injection make the engine quieter at idle? Does it idle smoother when cold? Those are my only two minor complaints about my 1st Gen 3.5. Mine almost seems like it's misfiring for the first 15-20 seconds it's running when cold which I'm told is normal (engine runs fine after that).

I've been reading about the combo port/direct injection. Looks like Ford programs it to use the port injection at idle and low load and uses a combination thereafter (mentioned in this article down near the bottom):

Explained: Why Some Engines Have Both Port and Direct Injection | Feature | Car and Driver | Car and Driver Blog

 

the first 30 seconds or so mine will idle up to about 1200 rpm, the exhaust sounds different/louder so im not sure if they are changing the wastegate settings to help it warm up or what. after that it's pretty quiet when it idles down for a DI engine. The idle is smooth, but it also only has 1400 miles.

 

We've got a little over 22,000 on ours, and it does not ever idle rough. It does make more tappet-type sound until it's been running for at least a minute or two, and after that, it's pretty quiet.