Last spring I traded in an 07 4x4 cummins 1 ton megacab for a 1/2 ton ecoboost, questioning myself the entire time. 16000 miles later I can tell you with absolute certainty, I have not regreted it once yet. I love love love the truck and it has exceeded my expectations for a 1/2 v6 gas truck. My question is, has anybody tried a K & N air filter or any other upgrades and have they helped in any way ( miledge or power)?
Ford Ecoboost upgrades
- Thread starter nyal
- Start date
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volcano buster
Well-known member
What trim level and cab configuration did you get?
XLT Plus package. Tow pack with 3.73 rear end. SuperCrew cab with short bed. wish I would have got the Lariet but to tight to pay for it.
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Let's hear a towing report as well as fuel econ for tow and regular, etc.
Thanks.
Thanks.
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volcano buster
Well-known member
I'm listening... I am waiting until next fall to get one. I understand they don't get great mileage towing, but they will pull things though.
Now why on earth would you go and do that?... I would've rather kept the cummins instead of a ecoboost. There's no replacement for displacement!
Cold Air Intake
Exhaust
Tune
Cold Air Intake
Exhaust
Tune
I will attempt to answer the towing questions the best I can. I have 3 different miledge settings on the truck. Main screen, trip a, and trip b. I have not reset the main screen for about 15000 miles. I tow a 5x5x8 inclosed trailer every day for work it is not very big or heavy. Probably 2500lbs loaded. at least half of the 15000 miles are with this trailer and that mpg reading is currently 15.5. My snow trailer is a 20' enclosed mirage. I have not hauled 3 sleds with the truck yet but I delivered 2 loads of furniture to the cabin 110 miles away in the mountains. I dont know the weight of the furniture but I am sure it was more than 3 sleds.
now remember this is a v6
1st - Power- NOT an issue. I can tow a 7% grade for 5 miles(Horsshoe Bend hill) at any speed I want, which is faster than I could tow the same hill and trailer with my cummins. Now if I was towing 14000lbs I know the cummins would pull my guts out, the ecoboost probably wouldnt evan move it. I have heard some guys ask about the tranny and shifting up and down. With the select shift button, I put it in towe haul, down shift to 5th or 4th gear if neccessary, and cruise along. The truck has a trany temp gauge and it never gets over 210-215 towing (195 empty). Going down the hill, towe haul, tap the brake and she down shifts.
2nd - fuel econ - I kow the manufacture is claiming 22+ mpg. I have seen that but not for the average and certainly not toweing. 600 miles on the truck round trip from Boise To Salt Lake at 85mph empty = 17.5mpg. Towing my work trailer(2500lbs+-) I average 15, thats 3 mpg better than I averaged with the same trailer and the cummins. When I hook on to the big trailer loaded it drops way down to between 9.5 to 10.5mpg. The best I have ever seen for round trip empty on a trip of any distance was from Nampa Idaho to McCall Idaho 240 miles round trip up hill there and down hill home, and this includes going over horseshoe Bend, was 22 mpg for the trip. I NEVER saw that kind of miledge out of ANY of my diesels and I am paying way way less per gallon.
Will the truck tow and run with the big trucks with big loads. No. Will it outperform ALL your expectations for a 3.5 litre v6. Not only yes, but HELL yes. Between my sled ( 2012 Pro 155) and my truck, I cant get the permagrin off my face. (all that for what its worth) Happy sleddin!!!!!!!!!1
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Both my cummins were great trucks, no complaints with them. Absolutely loved the jake brake. But, with the amount of miles that I drive in a year and not really needing a 1 ton, I was tired of paying the rediculous price for diesel. Truth be told, all of the prices are rediculous.
If you have not already test drove one i would suggest that you dont, you will have a hard time waiting. However, you will get a bigger fuel tank and that would be very nice.
I only have 1400 miles on my 2011 Ecoboost FX4 Supercrew with 5.5 box and 3.73s but I am extremely impressed. I also have larger 275/70R18 BFG ATs.
About 350 miles or so are towing a 3 or 4 place steel frame enclosed trailer. Getting 11-12 MPG towing those.
I had an 03 Cummins HO Auto with a bunch of goodies (Smarty, 4" exhaust, turbo off an 07, intake, etc.) and got about 13 MPG towing the same trailer.
Ecoboost does slightly better empty. I've seen 21 and 22 MPG on two different longer trips(like 100-200 mile trips).
Haven't done a long 75 MPH interstate trip so can't comment there.
Seems to get 16-18 MPG around town taking it easy.
Power wise, this thing is very impressive. Love the power. I would say it tows real comparable to my 01 Cummins stock. The low end torque and not having to downshift is awesome. It feels a lot like a diesel, yet runs on cheaper fuel and rides a hell of a lot better.
Mine is stock, but Bullydog has a tuner out, AFE, Airaid and Injen have air intakes, and there are some exhaust systems out there, however V6s sound like crap with exhaust IMO.
About 350 miles or so are towing a 3 or 4 place steel frame enclosed trailer. Getting 11-12 MPG towing those.
I had an 03 Cummins HO Auto with a bunch of goodies (Smarty, 4" exhaust, turbo off an 07, intake, etc.) and got about 13 MPG towing the same trailer.
Ecoboost does slightly better empty. I've seen 21 and 22 MPG on two different longer trips(like 100-200 mile trips).
Haven't done a long 75 MPH interstate trip so can't comment there.
Seems to get 16-18 MPG around town taking it easy.
Power wise, this thing is very impressive. Love the power. I would say it tows real comparable to my 01 Cummins stock. The low end torque and not having to downshift is awesome. It feels a lot like a diesel, yet runs on cheaper fuel and rides a hell of a lot better.
Mine is stock, but Bullydog has a tuner out, AFE, Airaid and Injen have air intakes, and there are some exhaust systems out there, however V6s sound like crap with exhaust IMO.
I drove mine 2200 total miles last week pulling a 20' 4-place open trailer.
On the way out to Colorado we had 2 sleds on it. We ran the 2 sleds nose to tail so we didn't push as much wind. It was raining for several hundred miles,( ya rain...whats up with that in December? ) so I locked it into 4-wheel drive off and on. We drove into a strong headwind. Ran it at 75-80 MPH. Drove all night so there was no traffic to deal with. About 9 MPG for the first half of the trip.
Dry roads on the way home. 3 sleds on the trailer. Left the trailhead at 7:00PM Saturday night and got home at 9:30AM Sunday morning. 1020 miles in 14.5 hours with a slight tailwind. A couple stops for eats, driving 75-80 MPH.
At the end of the trip: about 10.3 MPG over the whole 2200 miles.
2 points: I'm running larger tires 285/70/17 BFG ATs & 3.73s with the MaxTow. At 75 MPH the truck is turning 2000 RPM.
What RPM are you turning at 75 MPH, GlennRMK?
Like nyal, I questioned buying a 1/2 ton with a V6, but the more I drive it the more I like it. Power is never an issue, torque is the real deal in the power delivery. The only 2 drawbacks: small gas tank, 26 gallons is not enough when you're towing and it cuts you off at 100 MPH.
On the way out to Colorado we had 2 sleds on it. We ran the 2 sleds nose to tail so we didn't push as much wind. It was raining for several hundred miles,( ya rain...whats up with that in December? ) so I locked it into 4-wheel drive off and on. We drove into a strong headwind. Ran it at 75-80 MPH. Drove all night so there was no traffic to deal with. About 9 MPG for the first half of the trip.
Dry roads on the way home. 3 sleds on the trailer. Left the trailhead at 7:00PM Saturday night and got home at 9:30AM Sunday morning. 1020 miles in 14.5 hours with a slight tailwind. A couple stops for eats, driving 75-80 MPH.
At the end of the trip: about 10.3 MPG over the whole 2200 miles.
2 points: I'm running larger tires 285/70/17 BFG ATs & 3.73s with the MaxTow. At 75 MPH the truck is turning 2000 RPM.
What RPM are you turning at 75 MPH, GlennRMK?
Like nyal, I questioned buying a 1/2 ton with a V6, but the more I drive it the more I like it. Power is never an issue, torque is the real deal in the power delivery. The only 2 drawbacks: small gas tank, 26 gallons is not enough when you're towing and it cuts you off at 100 MPH.
I could've traded you my gas job for your cummins in a heart beat. Diesel is cheaper up here where i'm from. And i can get farm diesel so it's a win win in my eyes.
the BEST MOTOR ANY HALF TON HAS HAD? i dont know how anyone could claim that. what have these been out, one year?
im a ford man at heart.....but i am waiting to see how these pan out. from all the ford forums i have been bumming on, it seems as if the tranny's are nothing to brag about....
my tundra is a pullin' SOB for a half ton. i am closely watching the ecoboost due to the low end torque. id like to have that towing power at low rpm (similar to a diesel). i was hopeing to see a nice MPG jump too, but it doesnt look to promising... i guess they just start dumping fuel into the engine to compensate for all the boost. the towing mileage (for 6000lbs +) is very similar to the hemi 5.7, toyota 5.7, or chevy 6.0 from what i have read.
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It's a funny thing with trucks, much like sleds you can really start a debate if you have the other brand.
I'm not a Ford guy but I think they came up with something good in the Eco Boost motor. I just bought a Denali HD (w/ Duramax) and I love this truck. Sometimes it would be nice to have a 1/2 ton when driving around town. I think the 1/2 ton would work most of the time. However, I need my truck for my camper and it will still pull better than a smaller truck. The transmission braking and exhaust brake are huge help when pulling. Good to see good stuff coming from American trucks.
I'm not a Ford guy but I think they came up with something good in the Eco Boost motor. I just bought a Denali HD (w/ Duramax) and I love this truck. Sometimes it would be nice to have a 1/2 ton when driving around town. I think the 1/2 ton would work most of the time. However, I need my truck for my camper and it will still pull better than a smaller truck. The transmission braking and exhaust brake are huge help when pulling. Good to see good stuff coming from American trucks.
It sounds like the Eco Boost gets about 3 mpg more than my Tundra under similar towing conditions. Just not worth it to upgrade/trade. After I do all the upgrades I do to a truck it is really costly to trade or sell. You can't justify either a diesel or the Eco boost based of fuel savings. It's about $25 a tank in savings. 100 tanks of fuel(lets say 35,000 miles and that's conservative) is only $2500. It looks like it would take 100,000 miles worth of fuel just to break even on what it costs to upgrade to a diesel from a 5-6 liter gas motor. I am not even factoring in that diesel costs more than gas. And you get a sh**y ride to put with for 80% of the time you are driving unloaded.
matte, what tundra do you have and what do you pull with it?
i have an 08 5.7L. the largest thing i pull is my 5th wheel toy hauler. 8500 pounds dry, 110 gallons of water, 2 450 lb quads, bed full of fire wood, 4000w generator, and all the other random camping essentials. i dont always have everything along that i mentioned above, but most of the time i do. i usually get right around 7mpg in the rolling hills of western north dakota.
from what i have read, the ecoboost will do right at 6-7 mpg as well with a larger load
i have an 08 5.7L. the largest thing i pull is my 5th wheel toy hauler. 8500 pounds dry, 110 gallons of water, 2 450 lb quads, bed full of fire wood, 4000w generator, and all the other random camping essentials. i dont always have everything along that i mentioned above, but most of the time i do. i usually get right around 7mpg in the rolling hills of western north dakota.
from what i have read, the ecoboost will do right at 6-7 mpg as well with a larger load
2007 5.7 double cab. Pull a 4 place. Loaded up ready for war it's about 6-6500lbs. I also get about 7-8 but that is up and down in the mountains out here. Very little flat land and I usually run it hard, at least 60 on the steep passes, 70-80mph everywhere else. At 7500 mile oil changes the oil still looks like honey, I have never added any oil between changes over 100,000 miles. It doesn't burn any oil I can see. Use synthetic, Mobil 1 most of the time.
