1/2 ton shoot out!

[wiredgeorge]

Was waiting to get a keyless entry system installed on my clunker work truck and picked up a car mag... think it was MotorTrend. They had a 1/2 ton shoot out and the Ram and Chevy had V8 motors and the Ford had the twin turbo eco-bucks engine. Of course, the Ford won the towing contest and all the drag strip stuff but what struck me was the MSRP of the F150... >$72K. Why worry about spending $72K for towing when a one tone from any manufacturer can be had for a lot less? What will that $72K pickup be worth in 3 or 4 years? What an investment!

[Canonman]

Don't tell the DW, but I was shopping for a Ram 3500 with the Aisin tranny and 1,000 pounds of torque. A reasonably equipped version can be had for under $60k. Not to worry since she hid all the ammo for the "Buckzooka"

[Quiroule]

I paid a little over 50K for my 2018 F-150, 3.5 Ecoboost....

[mwemaxxowner]

Ford offers max tow and HDPP on xl f150s with a much, much smaller price tag than that...

Coincidentally, those will be the most capable, as they will weigh the least due to less options.

[travelin texans]

Originally Posted by Canonman

Don't tell the DW, but I was shopping for a Ram 3500 with the Aisin tranny and 1,000 pounds of torque. A reasonably equipped version can be had for under $60k. Not to worry since she hid all the ammo for the "Buckzooka"

And it can actually be called a "TOW VEHICLE"!
Didn't see or read the article, but suspect they were towing a utility trailer with blocks, which is a total different tow experience than a RV of the same weight.

[KimNTerry]

Originally Posted by Quiroule

I paid a little over 50K for my 2018 F-150, 3.5 Ecoboost....

Same here.

P.S. I really don't care if none you like my choice of Tow Vehicle.

[mwemaxxowner]

I knew this would be good. Lol

[Badbart56]

My friends at Ford tell me the EcoBoost is a very capable half ton. They also advise me to not keep one past the warranty expiration. Take that as you will.

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by Badbart56

My friends at Ford tell me the EcoBoost is a very capable half ton. They also advise me to not keep one past the warranty expiration. Take that as you will.

Same here. Had a friend that owned several dealerships and his advice was the same as yours; after the warranty if it quits....you can't afford it.

[Gegrad]

Originally Posted by sourdough

Same here. Had a friend that owned several dealerships and his advice was the same as yours; after the warranty if it quits....you can't afford it.

Every one I have talked to said 5 mpg is about the best you are gonna do while towing, since it is literally ALWAYS in the boost when towing. Have not heard much negative about breakdowns though. Of course the vast majority of us on here aren't camping because we can't afford a little extra fuel...

[JRTJH]

Eco-Boost has a twin spool turbine, some say it's not reliable

Diesel engines from all manufacturers have had twin spool turbines for 20+ years (some now have variable vane turbines but they also use "oil cooled bearings) and some people say nothing is more reliable than a diesel.

Hmmmmm

BTW, try replacing a turbine on a diesel. $10K to get a rebuilt one installed, $15K for a new OEM turbine.

Yes, if either an EcoBoost or a diesel turbine "goes for lunch" it's going to be expensive.

[mwemaxxowner]

Originally Posted by Gegrad

Every one I have talked to said 5 mpg is about the best you are gonna do while towing, since it is literally ALWAYS in the boost when towing. Have not heard much negative about breakdowns though. Of course the vast majority of us on here aren't camping because we can't afford a little extra fuel...

Lol. I've literally never seen one do that poorly while towing. 8-10 seems par for the course. About the same as any other gasser half ton, and many gasser trucks towing period.

We have plenty of Ecoboost trucks on the forums and in various groups starting to get some age and racking up the miles.

I am a fan of trucks in general. I love all trucks. I'm happy for folks who have any vehicle that they personally like, and I can usually appreciate them also. The hatred for Ford trucks around here is weird.

[Badbart56]

Originally Posted by mwemaxxowner

Lol. I've literally never seen one do that poorly while towing. 8-10 seems par for the course. About the same as any other gasser half ton, and many gasser trucks towing period.

We have plenty of Ecoboost trucks on the forums and in various groups starting to get some age and racking up the miles.

I am a fan of trucks in general. I love all trucks. I'm happy for folks who have any vehicle that they personally like, and I can usually appreciate them also. The hatred for Ford trucks around here is weird.

Pretty much everyone who owns a truck has their favorite so it's a given that they feel like theirs is better than the other brands, so hate might be a strong word here. Spirited rivalry might be a better description.

[mwemaxxowner]

I have my favorite for sure. But I also admire other brands and certainly am not against them because they aren't my flavor. Nor do I put them down out of spite to those who are proud of them.

I wouldn't even claim mine or any certain brand is better. Mine is simply the best for me (the one who's making the payment).

[Free88]

Originally Posted by mwemaxxowner

Lol. I've literally never seen one do that poorly while towing. 8-10 seems par for the course. About the same as any other gasser half ton, and many gasser trucks towing period.
.

I get about 9MPG towing my 7k TT with my Silverado 6.0L gas 2500 at 65MPH highway. My neighbor gets 11MPG (*) with his F350 diesel towing 10.5k 5th at 65MPH on those same highways. I would say neither one of us is especially light-footed.

(*) not including regen cycle, which happens about every 250 miles for about 50 miles, and during that period his MPG's are more like 8MPG.

Someone else I know has one of the more top-end F150's with the 3.5L Eco Boost. Tows an Airstream 6.5k lbs TT. 6MPG is a typical towing average for him. Phenomenal MPG's when not towing, but while towing it's not very good. No lift kit or anything like that, and he is an older gentlemen that is very light-footed. I have known others to report 8-9MPG on that truck while towing super light box trailers and open trailers. Im talking 1500-2000lbs total load. Once you put a load on it, any load, the MPG's take a huge dump.

[mwemaxxowner]

I get 9-10...

Most others I know on f150ecoboost.net and the various groups/forums I participate in report the same approximate average while towing. 5-6 is hogwash and propaganda.

"Top end f150" doesn't mean a whole lot. They can come rated for anywhere from 5000 to 13,200 lbs towing, and 1000 to 3000 lbs of payload.

There are a myriad of options available with different towing packages, payload packages, and gear ratios. Rear ends obviously being the biggest factor, and the new 10 speed tranny is leaps and bounds above the 6. Much shorter first gear and taller overdrive gears, regardless of rear end ratio.

Your description of the truck leads me to believe that a) you don't know much about what gear ratio it has, what sort of towing or other packages you have. We very well could be talking about a truck that's I'll equipped for the load.

B) top end also leads me to believe it's a Platinum, King Ranch, etc. The higher you go up the options totem pole, the more expensive truck you have, and the less capable. Every option detracts from the payload and towing abilities, and also detracts from fuel mileage.

Ford offers the most capable engines with hdpp and/or max tow in the most bare bones of trucks in the XL package, and then on up the pole to the heavier more well optioned trucks.

I say all that to say that, without knowing the specs on said truck, can't make much of a well informed opinion about its performance. Could be talking about an apple and an orange, and a King Ranch non tow package truck with a 3.15 rear end trying to do what it wasn't designed to do.

Even towing at max gcvr through the Smokey Mountains I wasn't much worse than 10 mpg.

I'm not trying to enter a pissing contest here, I have nothing against any of your trucks, but there is a lot of hearsay and misinformation being fed as truth.

[foldbak]

I'm getting ready to upgrade my TV. I've been an Expedition XL fan for a long time. On my second. I've pulled 4 different TT with it. It has a tow package, air bags and an Anderson WDH. Does a great job but under powered up hills. It gets about 12 mpg on flat highway. It's great for my 100 lab. He gets the whole rear. But I want more power so I'm looking at 2500 options. Definitely not going with a 6 cylinder gas. Thinking about Ram Hemi or diesel. Suggestions? Whats going to get the better MPG? Oh ya and remove the rear seats for the dog

[mwemaxxowner]

[emoji2361]

[Free88]

Originally Posted by mwemaxxowner

I get 9-10...

Most others I know on f150ecoboost.net and the various groups/forums I participate in report the same approximate average while towing. 5-6 is hogwash and propaganda.

"Top end f150" doesn't mean a whole lot. They can come rated for anywhere from 5000 to 13,200 lbs towing, and 1000 to 3000 lbs of payload.

There are a myriad of options available with different towing packages, payload packages, and gear ratios. Rear ends obviously being the biggest factor, and the new 10 speed tranny is leaps and bounds above the 6. Much shorter first gear and taller overdrive gears, regardless of rear end ratio.

Your description of the truck leads me to believe that a) you don't know much about what gear ratio it has, what sort of towing or other packages you have. We very well could be talking about a truck that's I'll equipped for the load.

B) top end also leads me to believe it's a Platinum, King Ranch, etc. The higher you go up the options totem pole, the more expensive truck you have, and the less capable. Every option detracts from the payload and towing abilities, and also detracts from fuel mileage.

Ford offers the most capable engines with hdpp and/or max tow in the most bare bones of trucks in the XL package, and then on up the pole to the heavier more well optioned trucks.

I say all that to say that, without knowing the specs on said truck, can't make much of a well informed opinion about its performance. Could be talking about an apple and an orange, and a King Ranch non tow package truck with a 3.15 rear end trying to do what it wasn't designed to do.

Even towing at max gcvr through the Smokey Mountains I wasn't much worse than 10 mpg.

I'm not trying to enter a pissing contest here, I have nothing against any of your trucks, but there is a lot of hearsay and misinformation being fed as truth.

It is a Platinum edition and has the tow package and pretty much every option. Its just about as maxed out an F150 as you can get. He bought it after getting the Airstream, specifically for towing. Last I talked to him he was thinking of trading it in for either an F250 or F350 gasser. He figures, and I agree, if you are going to get crap MPG's, then you mind as well be into the HD's. The overall towing experience is just head and shoulders better. I nearly bought an F250 gasser last year, a 2018 leftover. If my local Ford dealer wasnt so greedy, I would have bought it. I think they are awesome trucks. I was able to get a comparably equipped 2018 Silverado 2500 gasser for $3k less, so I went Chevy this time.

I agree, there is no need for a pissing match. I have no dog in this race. I could care less what MPG's half-ton owners get. I am sure his 6.5k Airstream is well within the brochure tow rating for the particular truck that he has. Its a nice truck, and I really like it. If I didnt tow, I would consider getting one. Been there, done that on the half-tons, though, so I wont tow with them anymore.

BTW, you dont actually know people that you interact with on an internet forum. Those people can type whatever they way and not have to prove a darn thing. My general rule of thumb on this subject is that people overestimate by at least 2MPG on the internet when talking about truck MPG's. Ive been owning and driving trucks 30 years now. Many hundreds of thousands of miles. Everything from a Volkswagen Rabbit Diesel to the biggest baddest modern 1-ton diesels, and all the gassers in between. You aint tellin me no stories on truck MPG's.

[Free88]

Originally Posted by foldbak

I'm getting ready to upgrade my TV. I've been an Expedition XL fan for a long time. On my second. I've pulled 4 different TT with it. It has a tow package, air bags and an Anderson WDH. Does a great job but under powered up hills. It gets about 12 mpg on flat highway. It's great for my 100 lab. He gets the whole rear. But I want more power so I'm looking at 2500 options. Definitely not going with a 6 cylinder gas. Thinking about Ram Hemi or diesel. Suggestions? Whats going to get the better MPG? Oh ya and remove the rear seats for the dog

I would not recommend the (big) diesels unless you will be towing 10k plus on a regular basis and/or you simply need more towing capacity than is available with the gassers.

The real question is which has the least cost per mile during a period of ownership. The (big) diesels are far more expensive on a cost per mile basis no matter how you calculate it. They do get slightly more MPG's, but diesel fuel also costs more and you additionally have to buy DEF. Also, the regular scheduled maintenance is far more expensive for the diesel. You will never overcome this over the life of the truck. The diesel option is usually a good $8k-$9k more (when you factor in the percent reduction in negotiation) when you buy. It will depreciate the same percentage just like the gas version. You will not be getting that $8k-$9k back on the back end. There is a myth that says you will, but its nonsense. Overall, its a lot more expensive to go with the diesel.

None of this is the say the (big) diesels suck. They are wicked powerful and can rip a CBS house off its foundation. But on CPM, forget it. The gassers are way cheaper to own and operate. If you need the diesel, then get it. Otherwise, you are better off spending the extra coin on other options.