Hi All,

Gave up my 2013 FX4 5.0 Super Cab about a year ago to buy a sedan thinking I didn't need the truck anymore. Been regretting that decision soon after I purchased the sedan.

Anyhow I'm hoping to get into a 2016 or 2017 F150 Platinum at the end of this year and wanted to hear from members their preference of engines and the reason why.

I know little about the 3.5 Twin Turbo other than I drove a 2015 back in January and it was pretty sweet but doubt I see the better mpg's as I'd probably be burying the pedal whenever I had the opportunity.

Having had the V8 I loved the sound under acceleration as well as the tunes I was able to put on it via my Super Chips ECU flasher. Drawbacks on the V8 i found were gas mileage (only so so w/ 14mpg city & 18 hwy) and the reduced towing capacity (9100lbs vs 10,700 with the 3.5 tt).

Also wondering if these towing capacity numbers are truly accurate and if I would be able to safely tow up to 10.7k lbs with the V8.

Looking to purchase a boat soon after getting the truck and looking at boats between 25 - 30ft in length and loaded trailer weights of 7500 - 10,500 lbs.

Thanks in advance for your comments and suggestions.

 

Legally, you may end up with more boat than an F150 should tow.

A Super Duty may be your better option for towing a large boat but that can be hard to justify for what little towing you would do versus daily driving.

2016's are on the lot and can be built until late June, 2017's won't be available if ordered early until mid September. You would likely see a fair incentive from Ford to buy a '16 versus the '17 if you found one you liked.

I am about to upgrade my '12 5.0 and would like the power of the EB but like you, I'm not convinced I would see much of a mileage advantage going to a huffer set up.

 

You need a F-250, the gas 6.2 would be fine, you don't need a diesel.

 

I've never driven a 5.0 F150, but have the 3.5 with the Max Tow option and it's a TOW MONSTER!

I only tow a #5000 TT with it, but it kicks *** doing it!

The low end torque of the 3.5 is great and it just keeps pulling and pulling.

I've found that the Ecoboost is really a two part definition.

There is the Eco part as long as you stay out of the Boost part.

But, that Boost part sure is FUN!

Mitch

 

The 3.5 is rated to tow more and worth looking at if you are pushing the limits just for piece of mind.

My lariat supercrew 4x4 has something like 1600-1700lbs payload.

I think around 10,000 lbs and being a boat carrying passengers and misc that comes with boating you will be probably pushing the limits of what they suggest.

I have a f250 6.2 work truck and absolutely would take the f150 as a daily driver and get a smaller boat.

Maybe even look at the ratings of the other halfton trucks but I think the f150 tops them. Might want to look at the 6.2L gm trucks though?

 

Towing that much you should have an F250. Period. If you dont tow the boat very often, I would recommend you buy a used F250, with the V10 or 6.2, it can be a 2005+ one if you dont use it very often. That would be the most cost effective.

I have the 5.0 with the 3.31 rear and tow a 7000 pound boat, the 5.0 tows it just fine. Sometimes I wish I had the 3.55 rear, but most of my driving is unloaded, and I really love the mileage I get with that rear end. Some of my friends with ECO's get slightly better mileage in town if they are light on the pedal, loaded we get identical. On the highway they get a couple miles better too.

But I get 21+ on the highway at 80mph. This is real world over multiple several thousand mile trips. I have almost 25,000 miles on my 2015 I bought in July.

I plan on keeping the truck till the wheels fall off, and it's folly to think the eco motors will hold up for that long without incurrling MAJOR expense. My 2005 which I had before, I kept for 10 years, and almost 250,000 miles. The only major expense was, in the last year of ownership, I had to replace the catalytic converters after I had an O2 sensor fail and destroy the cats, plugging them to the point that I had to do something.

 

My truck is rated for like 11,500. It has like 1650 payload. It is the same as a platinum with options etc, so it should be similar.

10,000 lb trailer with 10% tongue is 1000. Boats are pretty light on tongue weight really, he needs to research that.


So I would need to keep all the cargo in the trailer if possilbe, and then passengers weight in the truck (besides myself) down to under 650lbs.

 

Stick with the F-150, but wait for the 2017 F-150 with the all new 3.5 EcoBoost and 10 speed. Get a boat at the lower end of the weight spectrum. Tow it as little as possible. Problem solved.

 

^^^ what he said ^^^ the 2017 will have 30 more FT-LBs of torque, dual fueling, and a 10-speed transmission with 6 under drive, 1 direct drive, and 3 over drive gears all spaced to keep the engine in its powerband... better power delivery and better fuel economy should make for a better towing experience

 

Hi All,

Thanks for all your comments and suggestions. Some very insightful information. Thanks for the suggestion on the F250 some of you gave but that seems like too much truck for the short distances I'll be towing a boat which is maybe 5-10 miles to the Intracoastal here in SE Florida.

It looks like the 3.5 TT with either the 3.31 or 3.55 axle is my best bet and when I get a boat stay away from the 10,000 lbs ones and look to stay with the 5k - 7.5k lb boat and trailer combinations.

 

If you are towing a short distance on level ground, it doesn't really matter which engine you get, just try not to exceed any of the weight and load ratings.

 

I would get the biggest boat within the truck's ratings especially if you are going short distances.

Anyway, good luck.

 

I actually purchased a 2014 3.5L F150 then traded it a year later for a 2015 F150 5.0. I went it to the dealership knowing I was going to get a 5.0 but not planning on liking it as much as my ecoboost. I was actually pleasantly surprised about it's performance.

I tow a smaller boat and don't really nice notice any difference in the two's performance. I miss the silence of the ecoboost engine but love the sound of the 5.0 when I romp on it.

After everything said and done, I'm happy with the 5.0.

 

The reason the 5.0L has lower tow ratings is due to it's 8.8" differential with the 3.31 and 3.55 gears. If you go with the 3.73 gears you get the beefed up 9.75" differential that's used in the 3.5L Ecoboosts 3.31, 3.55, and 3.73 gears.

In fact a Crew Cab 4WD 5.0L with a 3.73 locking axle has a higher tow rating than a similar 3.5L Ecoboost truck with either the 3.55 or 3.31 gears, both being the standard tow package. Only when the 3.5L Ecoboost goes to the Max Tow package, does it get higher ratings due to a bigger radiator and a beefed up hitch receiver.

 

Say what?!?

All 5.0 and 3.5L EB trucks get the 9.75 rear axle. It's the 2.7L EB trucks that vary depending on the payload package.