Was looking they the 2018 F150 spec sheets and what do I see? How about TWO 3.5 EcoBoost engines. One rated at 375HP at 470lbs of twist OR you can opt to a more powerful 3.5 EcoBoost at 450 HP and 510 lbs of twist. Couple that to a 10 speed auto and you have a truck that will run away from an old time GTX without breaking a sweat. Premium gas is recommended. I didn't see tire size but they better put some meat under these trucks or rear tires aren't going to last long.

Looks like the XL and XLT trucks are not going to get the 10 speed auto afterall. They are listed as having the 6 speed auto only.

The STX shows to have a completely different grill than the rest of the line up. It's not bad but not very attractive either. It still comes with 20" wheels and 275/55/20 tires. Standard tire across the platforms appears to be an insane 245/70/17. Now that's a dinky tire at best. I think my Honda Mower tires are bigger. The 4x4s show a 265/70/17 tire and that's still small for this truck.

The list also shows that in some of the models, the windows are manual as standard. Power windows are an option. It's not real clear what is what so it might be different than what I'm saying here but apparently the package Group 100a has manual windows. There's nothing listed under the 101 group package as of yet.

 

That's what traction control is for.

I believe the more powerful 3.5 is for the Raptor?

 

The 3.5 EcoBoost HO as they are calling it, is listed under the options sheet for the XL F150. You might be correct that it's going to be the engine of choice for the Raptor and it could be that this is a misprint. But it's kinda of intriguing to think about that much power in a pickup.

I'm not a fan of traction control. It's great in wet weather otherwise I turn mine off every time I get in it. I'm an old drag racer that started out at the age of 14 racing stock cars at the dirt tracks. I'm just about as comfy going sideways as straight. Drifters are old school to me. Still, the tires for the heft of the truck are too small. I realize the smaller size is for gas mileage but I see it as relying on the technology in an emergency rather than the physical equipment. I'd be opting for the 20" wheel package as first thing on the list.

 

Just out of curiosity I went to ford's website and tried to build and price a truck with the 3.5 HO motor. When you select that motor it automatically changes the truck over to the Raptor. I really like my 5.0 but if you could get the 3.5 HO in a non raptor truck I would consider changing. Another thing I found is that when you select the Raptor 801A package it upgrade the gears to 4.10's. 450 HP with 510 ft lbs of torque and 4.10 gears would be a real neck snapper!

 

TFL truck is making a big deal out of the 5.0 fuel economy rating compared to what is currently shown for the 2018 eco engines. The new 5.0 is impressively efficient, but my bet is Ford is carrying over the 2017 2.7 eco numbers to screw with people till the real EPA numbers are final. I can't imagine an all new 2.7 with a 10 speed nets no improvement.

 

Correct - as I thought, the 3.5 HO is Raptor-only.

 

I have give a crap about more HP for the 5.0, but really wish they could do something about the torque curve. It could be a lot more useful with more on the bottom.

 

Agreed. Hopefully your wish will come true. DI and the higher compression could make for an impressive improvement.

 

You know what would cure that problem?


Buying an EcoBoost...
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You can upgrade to the EB and get the 10 speed.

 

The only engine which still has the 6 speed is the base 3.3 NA V6. ALL other engines get the 10 speed across ALL trim levels. ALL engines get auto start/stop.

 

The base V6 needs the 10 speed the most.

I'm saddened to hear that all of them are getting the auto start/stop. That means I won't be buying a new Ford truck.

 

Easy enough to defeat.

 

They have to finish using all the 6R80s they built

 

I plan on keeping my truck more than 3 years, so that rules out the ecoboost...

it's not cost effective to have something like that long term