2.7 ecoboost opinions

[Grumpycat]

There are a couple things that aggravate me about the 19F150 that I have. One is the auto shut off for the engine. When you come to a. Stop, the motor. Shuts off until you step on the gas again. I disabled it by unplugging a small white plug in thing under the dash, but have to reconnect it if I'm towing something otherwise the trailer breaks won't work. Not a big deal ..just a nuisance. The other thing that is really annoying is the auto locks for the doors and tailgate. As soon as you start rolling, they all lock. I can't count how many times I have gotten out of the truck and gone to the tailgate to get in the bed..only to have it locked and have to go back to the door and hit unlock... Friggin ridiculous ...and ford says it can't be disabled at the dealership. ..I call BS

You need to explore this application which can tweak many firmware options to your liking: FORScan Home

 

[Grumpycat]

Running empty , great mileage. Pulling a trailer, mileage drops considerably. Still has lots of go power, but you have to feed it. My favorite argument with the small, high hp engine crowd was always " If small engines are so great, why don't they put them in big trucks?" Have a 2018 150 Eco 2.7.

Relatively speaking they do. The biggest semitruck engine is 15L, about 5 times the 2.7L, and much heavier truck than 5x the F-150.

 

[Birdhunter1]

I believe the ecoboost engines require premium fuel when towing....check the manual.

I have read that multiple places but have yet to fill up with premium fuel. The main reason is I have a 36 gallon tank and adding premium to what is in the tank will dilute it down and show no improvements and to fill up with premium fuel would be rather costly. I tow frequently but mostly shorter trips.

 

[KennyG]

Someone did a test and found the Ecoboost engines were one of the few that actually can benefit from premium gas. The engine tuning program seems to have enough range to gain a bit of horsepower and torque with higher octane. That said, I have a 2017 3.5 and have never run premium gas. Even towing I've never seen the need for that last 10 hp.

Relative to the truck computer settings, each year seems to be different. On my 2017, you can turn the autostop/start off in the setup menu, as well as the automatic door locking. However, I can't find a way to adjust the MPG calculation, which is consistently 0.5 to 1.0 mpg optimistic.

 

[deerefan]

Better pic from today. Sits a little low in the front. May install leveling kit.

 

[aczlan]

You need to explore this application which can tweak many firmware options to your liking: FORScan Home

Yep, I have it and it will let you change all kinds of settings.

Aaron Z

 

[jnyost]

My father has a 3.5L and it is impressive. He purchased a brand new GMC 2500HD with a 6.0L and his F-150 will out pull it every time. He loves his GMC, and still drives it around a bit, but the F-150 gets most of the daily driving and all tow duties. It gets great mileage and tows well.

He also added Airlift bags to the rear of his, which work wonders when wanting to level up heavy loads.

 

[check 6]

Relatively speaking they do. The biggest semitruck engine is 15L, about 5 times the 2.7L, and much heavier truck than 5x the F-150.

yes but diesel with lots of foot lbs of torque at low RPM

 

[KennyG]

My favorite argument with the small, high hp engine crowd was always " If small engines are so great, why don't they put them in big trucks?"

There is also the issue of duty cycle. If you look at a semi, it is expected to operating at heavy loads most of the time. Although the 1/2 ton trucks have great capability, most will not be towing heavy a large portion of the time. I think if you told Ford you expected to be towing 10K constantly, they would tell you to get a 250/350 diesel instead of a 150 Ecoboost.

 

[dodge man]

There is a way to adjust the computer to be more accurate on your mpg. I read about it on an F150 Forum.

 

[Grumpycat]

I believe the ecoboost engines require premium fuel when towing....check the manual.

No.

However Ford states higher octane ratings can be used to unspecified advantage when the engine is being worked hard. Ford says you can use premium, the engine will adapt to premium, but they won't lay it on the line and say what benefit.

Many who tow, race, and/or have dyno'ed the engine say HP output improves with higher octane ratings. So perhaps there is more HP but there is no need or requirement.

 

[Grumpycat]

There is a way to adjust the computer to be more accurate on your mpg. I read about it on an F150 Forum.

Yes, and the beauty of it is that the owner can push buttons on the console and make the correction without any special factory tools.

 

[Grumpycat]

There is also the issue of duty cycle. If you look at a semi, it is expected to operating at heavy loads most of the time. Although the 1/2 ton trucks have great capability, most will not be towing heavy a large portion of the time. I think if you told Ford you expected to be towing 10K constantly, they would tell you to get a 250/350 diesel instead of a 150 Ecoboost.

The 2.7EB is perhaps the strongest overbuilt truck-like engine we have seen in decades.

 

[dalola]

There is a way to adjust the computer to be more accurate on your mpg. I read about it on an F150 Forum.

Here ya go:

Take your hand calculated MPG and divide it by the computer display MPG....then multiply by 1000. This new number is what you will change the AFE Bias to.
Example: 18.3/19.6 = .9337xxxx. Multiply by 1000 = 934 (rounded up) as the number to use.


For Lariat and up 8 inch meter Display:

Engine off.
1. Press and hold OK Button on the left side of the steering wheel and don't release it until the end.
2. Press push start Button only (Not Brake Pedal) to turn to Accessory Mode.
3. Once Message*accessory Mode appears.... press the Brake Pedal and turn the Engine on.
4. Engineering Test Mode appears instantly. Release OK button.
5. Scroll to AFE Bias and push OK to change it to the number you calculated. Note, it takes quite a few clicks to get to AFE Bias.
6. Once done, turn off truck and it will update your mpg, including your Trip 1 and Trip 2. You'll see it has changed the next time you start the truck.

Note....quite a few of us have been successful just holding down the OK button, starting the truck, then releasing the OK button once Engineering Mode pops up.

For 4.2 inch meter Display:
Engine off.
Press and hold OK Button on the left side of the steering Wheel.
Continue holding OK button and start the engine...don't let go of OK button until "Engineering Test Mode" appears.
Go through the menu pressing and releasing OK Button until you reach "AFE Bias 1000" appears.
Press and release Down. Using Left and Right change 1000 to the Number You calculated. Press OK.
To leave Engineering Mode after you are done, just turn the engine off.

 

[deserteagle71]

No.

However Ford states higher octane ratings can be used to unspecified advantage when the engine is being worked hard. Ford says you can use premium, the engine will adapt to premium, but they won't lay it on the line and say what benefit.

Many who tow, race, and/or have dyno'ed the engine say HP output improves with higher octane ratings. So perhaps there is more HP but there is no need or requirement.

Car and Driver magazine recently tested several different vehicles to check the effect running premium versus regular would have on them. It made no appreciable difference to any of the vehicles - except the Ford Ecoboost. Premium gasoline netted better fuel economy and better power.
Is Premium Gas Worth It? We Test High Octane on 4 Popular Vehicles

 

[jgedmond]

Car and Driver magazine recently tested several different vehicles to check the effect running premium versus regular would have on them. It made no appreciable difference to any of the vehicles - except the Ford Ecoboost. Premium gasoline netted better fuel economy and better power.
Is Premium Gas Worth It? We Test High Octane on 4 Popular Vehicles

The article refers to the "high output ecoboost" which is the 3.5L used in the Raptor version of the F-150 (450hp, I think). I wonder if the conclusions apply to the "regular" 3.5L and 2.7L ecoboost versions too.

 

[deserteagle71]

The article refers to the "high output ecoboost" which is the 3.5L used in the Raptor version of the F-150 (450hp, I think). I wonder if the conclusions apply to the "regular" 3.5L and 2.7L ecoboost versions too.

They did not test the Raptor, they tested the Limited edition. Although it still has some awesome power ratings for such a small engine...That torque rating is better than my 5.9 Cummins!

 

[goeduck]

There is also the issue of duty cycle. If you look at a semi, it is expected to operating at heavy loads most of the time. Although the 1/2 ton trucks have great capability, most will not be towing heavy a large portion of the time. I think if you told Ford you expected to be towing 10K constantly, they would tell you to get a 250/350 diesel instead of a 150 Ecoboost.

I believe that is the reason Ford is coming out with the 7.3 gas engine in the super duty line. Fleet box trucks, etc work harder hour after hour and (I think) Ford thinks the higher displacement will help.

 

[dalola]

The article refers to the "high output ecoboost" which is the 3.5L used in the Raptor version of the F-150 (450hp, I think). I wonder if the conclusions apply to the "regular" 3.5L and 2.7L ecoboost versions too.

Trust me, with a performance tune & 93 octane, a 2.7 F150 is a different animal.

 

[deerefan]

Trust me, with a performance tune & 93 octane, a 2.7 F150 is a different animal.

I wondered about this. I also wonder how the rest of the drivetrain would hold up to more power *