Opinions on F150 engine choices

I know this has been discussed a lot before, but asking again means more people have had longer times with their trucks. GM guy here looking at getting a new F150. I realize this is not a great time to get one with the chip shortages and high demand, but this is where I am at.

I tow a 22 ft tritoon, a 24 foot bowrider, and a 16 foot fishing boat. I will also soon be towing a camper trailer of probably no more than 30 ft. Other than that, it will be my daily driver.

I typically hold onto my vehicles for a long time, so that would’ve leaned me more towards the v8 as I wouldn’t have to worry about the longevity of the turbo. But as we all know, the days of combustion engines are ending and in all likelihood this will be more last truck before I end up with an electric.

Just looking for opinions on those with either. Those who have gone between the two. And any regrets. If the only reason to go with the V8 is that it sounds like a truck, then the EcoBoost sounds like the better option.

I have a 13 with the 3.5 EB. I have about 150k miles on it and I bought it new in 2013. It has been a really good truck.

Issues as follows:

1) tailgate ford emblem over the back up camera came loose – repaired under warranty
2) the radio volume / radio station control buttons in the steering wheel began “swapping function” to where volume would control the station. 20 dollar part replaced out of warranty at about 75k. 10 minute fix.
3) radio control buttons again about 120k. 10 minute fix.
4) O2 sensor on the driver side before the cats. 60 dollar part at 140k. 10 minute fix.
5) air cleaner pressure/temp sensor code. Remove pins from connector and clean corrosion, replace (free) at 145k. 10 minute fix.
6) auto hvac temp control actuator at 150k. 25 dollar part. 2 hours to replace.

On the maintenance side it has had mobil 1 5-30 every 8 to 10k as dictated by the onboard oil life monitor. Air filter every October with about 20k miles. I did a pan drop and filter on the transmission as well as replace the rear end fluid at 150k. Pretty darn happy with it.

First set of tires lasted about 110k.

First set of brakes was replaced at 80k at about 50% wear due to squeaking while backing out of the garage.

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I have a F150 with max tow, I also added airbags. Towed the boat to Erie and back last week, 19-20 deep v aluminum, lightish boat but a big parachute behind the truck, 3 guys box pretty full with topper, cruise set between 75-80 for almost 20 hours and mpg was 14.5 for the trip. When I drive normal to the hunting property, no freeway, I can get 25-26 mpg on a tank of fuel.

I have a 2015 3.5 eco boost with max tow. Love the 36 gal fuel tank for towing and the lower rear end gearing. I tow a 2009 ranger 620vs with out a problem. Currently have a truck on order placed order on 1/30 expect to be delivered 8/2. Chip shortage is real and dealers at this time are not willing to negotiate on the price of trucks they have on the lot. One thing i did run into was before the warranty was off had the dealer fix an oil leak on the timing chain cover ended up getting a new timing chain. The timing chain ” stretch ” was an issue with gen 1 and 2 of the ecoboost engines. A service bulletin was issues to address this issue, time will tell if this will fix the issue.

3.5 would be my choice. i wish my super duty had a eco boost in it. and if you plan on keeping it a long time get a extended warranty. i know my local rochester ford was giving lifetime powertrain warranties on the f150’s which included turbos, trans and engine.

i have a buddy with the new 5.0 and its a strong motor but he wishes he would of got the 3.5 now

One thing to consider if your thinking of a 5.0l 2021 is the first year of cylinder deactivation. Not saying ford will have an issue with this but chevy and dodge did have teething issues with their cylinder deactivations systems at first

I have the ’13 eco boost F-150. By far the best pickup I Have owned. Pulled my Ranger 619 like it wasn’t even back there. Now we have a ’26 tritoon and you can’t tell its back there either. Tons of power, no issues here.

Short of going to a Super Duty with the power stroke, I’d go 3.5 Eco. Owned a ‘13 and now a ‘19. They’ve been good to me. I’m a little more fanatical about oil changes and run synthetic, changing around 4K.

Forgot to add. 6 1/2’ box with Max Tow package is the way to go for towing. 13 was this setup and I preferred it to my current short box.

I have a 2014 with the 5.0 L V8. I think this was the last year that the V8 was standard and the frame was built with steel instead of aluminum. My mileage is roughly 17 mpg whether I drive city, highway, or tow. I also have a 36 gallon tank which is really nice so I can avoid going to the pump on a weekly basis. In the winter, I fill up about every 45 days.

I have an extended Luther warranty through 100,000 miles and currently have 55k on it. The only major item I have dealt with is new tires last fall. I bought it in 2017 when it had 28k miles no don’t intend to get rid of it for at least a few years.

The bed is too short for an ATV. That is my only complaint.

Craig Thompson wrote:

One thing to consider if your thinking of a 5.0l 2021 is the first year of cylinder deactivation. Not saying ford will have an issue with this but chevy and dodge did have teething issues with their cylinder deactivations systems at first

Can we call these teething issues that are now fixed? I can’t really see how I an engine that does this could ever be as reliable as an engine that doesn’t.

I’m sorry to hear Ford has gone this route with their V8. Along with my tundra this was the last naturally aspirated motor on the market

I run a 2014 with the 5.0 in my daily driver. All the buildings trucks are older Fords and GMs. I’ve got ~90k miles with only a water pump, plugs, battery, and brakes since brand new. I run Schaefer synthetic in everything and it’s never done me wrong. At this point I’ll probably start shopping for what could be my last ever gasser as soon as the Covid shortages and inflation race slow. Even then I’ll probably keep this truck and add it to the fleet. It pulls a 23′ tritoon without issue and a 17′ fiberglass boat with no problems.

All the Ecoboost 3.5s I’ve been in are nice too. I wouldn’t turn down a deal on either as they’re both capable powertrains.

In 2015 I went back to the V8, in ‘19 I got the 3.5, 6.5’ box w max tow… immediately loved it. Only 18k on it but I like it much better than the V8. Tow my 17’ Lund, a modest utility trailer and at times a heavy dump. The vehicle is much better and more enjoyable to drive. I put assist suspension bumpers on it as well.

Guys, just buy a Ram and be done with it. All my buddies that own fords regret it once they are in the Ram. Turbos are for diesels and foreign cars.

Had a 2012 3.5 ecoboost I bought new. Put a 150k on it. Loved that truck and had no problems with it. It did need plugs every 50k, but that’s easy. Now have a 2018 with the same engine and it is also a great truck and trouble free so far.

I had a 5.0 short box and loved the motor but you really had to wind it up to get the power towing. Then went to a 6.2 F350 a few years for hauling the ice house and a few other trailers but it really sucked to drive around when you weren’t towing. Then went back to the 150 with a max tow, 6.5′ bed and ecoboost. It’s just too fun to drive, tows better, and impressive all around compared to the 5.0 I don’t think I could ever go back.

It’s got a “Fronk”

https://www.ford.com/trucks/f150/f150-lightning/2022/

Appreciate the feedback. You guys use your trucks in a similar way that I use mine. As I said, I am a GM guy but after riding in F150s and renting one for a work trip, I started to go Ford. Especially since GM has not kept up on the interiors. It looks like that will finally happen in 2022, but those are delayed I can’t wait that long.

I went to the auto show a couple weeks ago at the Fairgrounds and sat in all three. I wanted to like the Dodge as I know they’ve really improved things and swayed a lot of you guys over. But I didn’t feel comfortable in the driver’s seat. The door arm rest is not wide enough or something. I couldn’t put my finger on it. I will probably go test drive one at a dealer to be sure.

The fact that I am even entertaining switching to another brand is a big step for me. I’m sure many of you guys are like me — your family has always driven one brand and it was all you ever dreamed about owning. But that was also back in the day when each brand was crap in their own way. They all had issues. Today, just like cars, all makes and models are good. So which you go with comes down to the little things.

Like I said before, the days of gas engines are dwindling anyway and as soon as they can figure out longer-running batteries or a way to quick swap batteries at gas stations or whatever, all of us towers will be in electric trucks in the next decade anyway. So whatever gas truck I go with today won’t be in my hands for very long.

Just put a deposit in —

https://t.t.email-ford.com/r/?id=h1ed3115%2C35a8775%2C260984&p1=www.ford.com/?cks=26494669653&emailid=CX_EComm_BEV_F150_Resv_Conf_Creative4A&s=6beOtIWVPBtrD9VJJmi-Xf18QClCWEUqH-41__EVkd4

queenswake wrote:

Appreciate the feedback. You guys use your trucks in a similar way that I use mine. As I said, I am a GM guy but after riding in F150s and renting one for a work trip, I started to go Ford. Especially since GM has not kept up on the interiors. It looks like that will finally happen in 2022, but those are delayed I can’t wait that long.

I went to the auto show a couple weeks ago at the Fairgrounds and sat in all three. I wanted to like the Dodge as I know they’ve really improved things and swayed a lot of you guys over. But I didn’t feel comfortable in the driver’s seat. The door arm rest is not wide enough or something. I couldn’t put my finger on it. I will probably go test drive one at a dealer to be sure.

The fact that I am even entertaining switching to another brand is a big step for me. I’m sure many of you guys are like me — your family has always driven one brand and it was all you ever dreamed about owning. But that was also back in the day when each brand was crap in their own way. They all had issues. Today, just like cars, all makes and models are good. So which you go with comes down to the little things.

Like I said before, the days of gas engines are dwindling anyway and as soon as they can figure out longer-running batteries or a way to quick swap batteries at gas stations or whatever, all of us towers will be in electric trucks in the next decade anyway. So whatever gas truck I go with today won’t be in my hands for very long.

Interesting on the Ram interior comments. I’m on my second one and what drew me to them was the interior over the Ford and Chevy. The GMC’s are great but man are they spendy.

A lot of variables and choices….all comes down to personal preference as all of them have certain pros and cons.

I agree we will be in electric trucks in 10 years.

This one looks appealing…
Powerboost

gimruis wrote:

I have a 2014 with the 5.0 L V8. I think this was the last year that the V8 was standard and the frame was built with steel instead of aluminum. My mileage is roughly 17 mpg whether I drive city, highway, or tow. I also have a 36 gallon tank which is really nice so I can avoid going to the pump on a weekly basis. In the winter, I fill up about every 45 days.

I have an extended Luther warranty through 100,000 miles and currently have 55k on it. The only major item I have dealt with is new tires last fall. I bought it in 2017 when it had 28k miles no don’t intend to get rid of it for at least a few years.

The bed is too short for an ATV. That is my only complaint.

Pretty sure Ford doesn’t make a truck with an aluminum frame….my 18’s frame is steel.

onestout wrote:

Pretty sure Ford doesn’t make a truck with an aluminum frame….my 18’s frame is steel.

As of 2015, it appears their frames were aluminum alloy. I don’t know if they are still doing it that way as of 2021.

https://www.muziford.com/2015-F-150/why-the-aluminum-f150-is-better-than-its-steel-counterpart.htm

Ok im sorry but i have to laugh, people are claiming ford has an aluminum body then the same person post a link that states ford has a high strength boxed steel frame with an aluminum body 🤣. Ford has had a boxed steel frame since 2005 in 2015 the aluminum body was introduced.

Craig Thompson wrote:

Ok im sorry but i have to laugh, people are claiming ford has an aluminum body then the same person post a link that states ford has a high strength boxed steel frame with an aluminum body 🤣. Ford has had a boxed steel frame since 2005 in 2015 the aluminum body was introduced.

I never claimed it has an aluminum body. I did indicate that it was an aluminum frame though, which is incorrect. I was confusing the frame and the body.

I just got rid of my ‘13 F150 eco boost. Fun truck, loved it, but gas mileage was no where near advertised and had turbos leaking oil around 90k miles. Went with a Ram Hemi and honestly about the same mileage but more dependable engine IMO and better interior

I do think all trucks have come a long way and most of it is personal preference

lindyrig79 wrote:

I just got rid of my ‘13 F150 eco boost. Fun truck, loved it, but gas mileage was no where near advertised and had turbos leaking oil around 90k miles. Went with a Ram Hemi and honestly about the same mileage but more dependable engine IMO and better interior

I do think all trucks have come a long way and most of it is personal preference

As a guy who’s lady runs a shop, I hear this so much. Turbo issue after turbo issue.
I do not own one, so I have no first hand experience. But as a motor head I can and do ask, why do you rely on power being made in a turbo, instead of motor ?

because you can make so much power with them. look at a diesel and how much power you can make out of one of them. there are alot of car models with turbos out there also. ford must be doing something right because they sell so many of them and my local dealer are giving out lifetime warranties on them so they must have pretty good faith in them.

I have a 2.7L and I don’t have any complaints at all. I don’t tow as much weight as the OP but it doesn’t have an issue pulling my 1875 Lund or a 14 ft trailer and a couple of wheelers. The only thing I don’t really like is the start stop function but that can be shut off. Whatever you do get a truck with the tailgate step. I swear truck beds are getting higher and higher at the same time they get smaller. Oh and if you keep your foot out of it the mileage is pretty good.

Just out of curiosity what are people seeing with hand calculated (not the reading on the truck) mileage on these fords?

My tundra is getting broken in and I just averaged 18 mpg on a trip up to Bemidji. Thought that was pretty good for this truck but I know every other truck gets better