Thanks for the info, Labnerd.

 

Thanks for the information.

The 17s and that tire size are standard equipment on a F-150 and 3.31 axle is like the 3.55 axle on the current truck and they are pushing 3.31 with most packages so that shouldn't be an issue. The big difference in the SFE was the Regular cab and SuperCab requirement along with a tonneau cover, but the package was called off.

With the SFE never making it to the factory level, what does this mean? Was Ford able to make it to 28 mpg without the smaller cab and tonneau cover? Just close enough? 27 mpg? Ram only adds 1 mpg city and nothing hwy for a RC, wheels, tires, and tonneau cover so it foreseeable that Ford could get close to 28 without it. The LA Auto Show media day is the 18th. Hopefully we hear something tomorrow or the next day.

 

Not to argue the point but apparently the SFE package is on as that's how the fuel mileage was determined. As you stated a regular cab or a Supercab required with a soft cover. I think I remember it being package 61a on the dealers sheet. It also was shown as a late offering and that might be what you heard. The 3.55 axle is not an option for the 2.7, it's either a 3.31 or a 3.73. The tires are going to be dinky. The 17's that came on my 2004 Supercrew were 255/70/17s and they were dinky at best. There was far too much open wheel well and not near enough tire to fill it. The 17's are standard on the XL and XLT but from there up the wheels get bigger, like the KR gets 18s and so on up to 20's. One thing I found interesting in the run thru his guide was that the 2.7 has a towing capacity of 6500lbs and with the optional axle 6900lbs. That's the same as my 3.7 but the 2.7 has nearly 100 ft lbs of twist more. Almost sounds like they're not going to push this little engine that can very hard. I also noted there are a lot of exclusions on the applications where this engine can fit. It won't go in a 4x4 Supercrew for example. Considering the HP/Tq numbers which is more than a 5.4 you would think it would do the job without breaking a sweat. Might be a CAFE issue, I obviously don't know, but it seems like they're being mighty gentle with it.

 

Truck Trend in a first drive got 16.7 mpg. They said they won't make that official until they get another one as the conditions were very hilly, and ac was cranked plus it had only 100 miles on it.

 

Not to argue either, but let's iron out some of the facts. The dealer guide was recently updated and the SFE was removed. SFE never make it to the factory level. Is it coming back again later? Maybe, but the first dealer guide said late availability and the newest update says SFE is no more. Right now 17s are standard equipment on the XL and XLT which is basically all the 2.7L EB is going to be for. You may find the 2.7 on a Lariat but it will be very limited, no luxury pkg, etc. Ford wants the upper trims to go with the more expensive engine although I hear Ford may expand the 2.7L EB later if it becomes successful.

The 2.7 is not available on a KR at all now, so what tires KR has is moot. Tow ratings are no secret. They have been out for awhile and you can go to Ford's site to confirm it. Max tow is 8,500 on the 2.7 EcoBoost, not 6900. These numbers are J2807 certified. The previous F-150 was not under J2807 and could tow up to 6,700 lbs (RC) with the base 3.7 at max.* Most people tow less than 8000 lbs. The issue was people did not want every engine to be a max tow or base towers, and asked Ford for something more in the mid range with better economy and good capability and that is exactly what the 2.7L EB offers.

There were some that got 17 mpg on their drives but the testing was not ideal for a fuel economy test. The other site got 23.5 mpg on the hill section with four men in the cab. Others have easily gotten into the 20's non-hwy. On f150forum yesterday it was reported that the instructor for Ford has been getting up to 27 mpg on the hwy at 73 mpg average. Keep in mind these are 4x4's and they have been pushing these trucks hard trying to get them from location to location. I'm not saying what you're going to get. Your results may vary. But this looks like a good engine for the mid range customer and good fuel economy is possible.

Editing:
*Ford increased the max tow rating in 2013 on the previous 3.7L base engine to 6700 lbs, up from the original 6100 lb max tow rating.

 

Friday is the day.

 

Doesn't look like today will be the big day, but I could be wrong. Mike said 6 hours ago there would be great news today and then 2 hours after (4 hours ago now) posted the Truth About Trucks display post. I hope I'm wrong, but it doesn't look like the EPA fuel economy numbers will be released today.

Reason for Editing: typo