Interesting Towing Test

[Diamondpilot]

Engine failures happen in any vehicle. Our Toyota had it's 1.8L 4cyl fail before 60k miles, under warrantee at least. More important are how many are failing.

Yep. I had my 4.3L fail blowing a hole through the intake at less than 30,000 miles. I know the 4.3L is a good motor but my S10 Blazer had that isuue along with a list of others.

Chris

 

[Peacock]

The thing that one must remember is that the EcoBoost requires premium fuel, which costs atleast $.20 more than 87 octane. The EcoBoost wil almost certainly have higher operating cost over the long haul and requires pricier fuel.

This is the same argument that some have about a diesel.

Also, the 5.3DI can run on E85 which gives it 380/416 hp/tq. Of course this comes with a fuel economy penalty.

 

[Sysop]

I could have swore I've read that it runs fine on 87, power curves were the same, it just didn't quite get as high of numbers.

 

[Peacock]

I could have swore I've read that it runs fine on 87, power curves were the same, it just didn't quite get as high of numbers.

Maybe it does. I really don't know. The recent review I read in C&D showed 91.

 

[Sysop]

Well, it's a good thing to investigate if making the purchase. All the extra things to break (additional part numbers) on the engines was enough to make me hold off. I do know vehicles that call for premium fuels sometimes require it. I have an 04 Lincoln LS that has a sticker by the gas cap that says "91+". If anything less than 91 is pumped in it sputters and pings and really is quite unhappy. Even using 91 the engine has a bit more valvetrain noise than when using 93 octane. 93 has a little extra pop at the bottom end too.

 

[fordmantpw]

The thing that one must remember is that the EcoBoost requires premium fuel, which costs atleast $.20 more than 87 octane. The EcoBoost wil almost certainly have higher operating cost over the long haul and requires pricier fuel.

This is the same argument that some have about a diesel.

Also, the 5.3DI can run on E85 which gives it 380/416 hp/tq. Of course this comes with a fuel economy penalty.

The EcoBoost does NOT require premium fuel. It will run just fine on 87. However, 91 is recommended for heavy towing, especially at high altitudes, but 87 will not hurt it. And it does make a bit more power on 91 than 87.

 

[ruffdog]

There are more than a few EB's having the condensation in the intake(CAC) problem. They still have the problem with the 2013 models. Ford is scrambling with multiple CAC versions to solve this problem. Some have a shield that blocks about 8" of the CAC, some have plastic inserts inside that block about half the flow, and who knows about the other part numbers. Post #42 in this link says it is common for the engine to ingest up to a ounce of water. We all know liquid does NOT compress so is that what happened to the blown EB's? Which CAC part number do YOU have? Read this ecoboost forum.High Humidity Falter

 

[Peacock]

The EcoBoost does NOT require premium fuel. It will run just fine on 87. However, 91 is recommended for heavy towing, especially at high altitudes, but 87 will not hurt it. And it does make a bit more power on 91 than 87.

Guess I should have checked the Ford site before my post then. C&D probably just used 91 octane.

 

[DeereMann]

None of this seems very mysterious to me. Adding turbo(s) to spark-ignited engines is not new - but it has not been done routinely because the cost versus the next displacement size engine is prohibitive.

Now that fuel economy is king again, they are being considered again. But - you can't overboost like you can with a compression ignition (diesel) engine.....makes detonation. Hence the "use high octane gas for max performance" on boosted S.I. engines.

My concern is longevity for any application that tows routinely - "there is no substitue for displacement" with S.I. engines that are built lightly compared to C.I. engines.

 

[Dr_Zinj]

Not really impressed with the test criteria. Here's my tests.

1. Torque & Traction: Time to go from zero to 85 mph (about average passing speed on interstates) under max recommended load. Once on a flat, once on a steep grade (East side of the Bighorn Mountains is a good one, also going up I-80 over the Sierra's is another good one.)

2. Endurance & Cooling: At legal cruising speed (assuming the truck can achieve it under max recommended load) ascending any 10,000 pass in the U.S. Can't get to speed, or overheat, you're out of the running.

3. Braking: Distance from 85 mph to complete stop while under maximum recommended load.

4. Braking Endurance: Go back down those 10,000 foot passes and see what the brake maximum temperature gets to.

Make sure all tested vehicles have identical, brand new tires before doing the tests.